Office of the Historian

711.90f2/28

The Ambassador in Great Britain (Mellon) to the Secretary of State

No. 505
London, November 23, 1932.
[Received December 7.]

Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s cabled instruction No. 285, November 18, 5 p.m., and to report that in reply to the note which as authorized thereby was on November 19 addressed to the Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I have now received a communication under date of November 21, a copy of which is enclosed together with the original Arabic text accompanying it.

Respectfully yours,

For the Ambassador:
Ray Atherton

Counselor of Embassy
[Enclosure]

The Saudi Arabian Chargé in Great Britain (Zada) to the American Ambassador (Mellon)

London, 22 Rajab 1351. / 21 November, 1932.

Sir: In the absence of His Excellency the Minister, I have the honour to acknowledge Your Excellency’s note of the 19th instant, regarding the revised text of the Provisional Agreement between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which Mr. Atherton handed to me on November 1st.

I have the honour to note that with reference to the last clause of Article I of the Provisional Agreement, relating to the treatment of consular officers, and which reads: “… and they shall not be treated in [Page 997] a manner less favourable than consular officers of any other foreign country.”

(1)
that Your Excellency’s Government undertakes not to claim for American consular officers the privileges accorded to Moslem consular officers of visiting and residing in Moslem Holy Places situated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and
(2)
that so far as the manumission of slaves is concerned, a privilege enjoyed by British consular officers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Your Excellency’s Government will not claim for American consular officers the treatment granted to British consular officers in this respect.17a

I have the honour to inform Your Excellency that subject to the above qualifications, my Government will be willing to conclude the Provisional Agreement.

Pray accept [etc.]

W. R. Zada
  1. In telegram No. 247, May 3, noon, 1948, the Minister in Saudi Arabia informed the Department that in the publication of this memorandum the Saudi Arabian Government wished to have the following notation added: “The right for slavery manumission is cancelled because Saudi Arabia has prohibited the entry of slaves into the country.”↩