890F.001 Ibn Saud/30
The Under Secretary of State (Welles) to President Roosevelt
Washington, February 12,
1942.
My Dear Mr. President: I enclose for your
consideration and signature, if you approve, a message to the King of
Saudi Arabia. It is intended that this letter be handed to His Majesty
when the American Minister at Cairo, who as you know is accredited to
Saudi Arabia as well as to Egypt, presents his credentials in the near
future.
As you will note, the letter presents to King Ibn Saud an Agricultural
Mission from this Government under Mr. K. S. Twitchell, who was recently
presented to you by Colonel Donovan.9 The Saudi Arabian
Government recently requested a mission of technical experts to assist
in the agricultural development of Arabia, and I understand that the
gift of such a mission has already received your approval. The
appointment of Mr. Twitchell as its director would seem appropriate in
view of his experience and knowledge of Saudi Arabia and the confidence
reposed in him by King Ibn Saud.
I believe that your message, and the gift of this Mission, will produce a
thoroughly favorable effect upon the King, who as you know is the most
influential figure in the Arab and Moslem world generally, in and
through which a very important part of the war effort is taking place.
More specifically, Saudi Arabia lies between the field of activity of
the United States Army North African Mission under General Maxwell based
on the Red Sea, and that of the United States Army Iranian Mission under
General Wheeler based on the Persian Gulf. The Army Air Corps now has
under active consideration the desirability of requesting the permission
of the Saudi Arabian Government for the installation of airfields. It is
entirely possible that as the result of military developments in the
Middle East it will be necessary for our
[Page 563]
armed services to obtain, sooner or later, rather
extensive facilities from the King of Saudi Arabia.
Faithfully yours,
[Enclosure]
Draft of Message From President Roosevelt to the King of Saudi
Arabia (Ibn
Saud)10
Your Majesty: I have been informed of the
desire of Your Government, as communicated to Mr. Kirk, American
Minister accredited to Your Majesty’s Government, to obtain the
services of American irrigation and agricultural experts to
cooperate in making surveys and plans for the further development of
Saudi Arabia.
I am convinced that Your Majesty’s well-known endeavors to bring
about increased agricultural production are of fundamental
importance to the welfare of Your country. I realize also that the
normal economy of Saudi Arabia has been disturbed for various
reasons arising from the war.
Accordingly, I am sending two technical experts of the United States
Government under the direction of Mr. K. S. Twitchell, who I
understand is favorably known to Your Majesty and familiar with Your
country and its problems. The salaries, and traveling expenses of
the Mission from this country to Saudi Arabia and return are at the
Chargé of the Government of the United States. I bespeak for the
members of this Mission the hospitality and cooperation of Your
Majesty’s Government and sincerely trust that their labors will
prove fruitful.
I avail myself of this opportunity to send my greetings and best
wishes, and those of the Government and People of the United States
of America, to You and to the Government and People of Saudi Arabia,
who have a long and noble history, and whose love of liberty finds a
particularly warm response in our hearts at this time.
As Your Majesty is doubtless aware, my countrymen, in association
with the other peoples comprising the United Nations, have pledged
their lives and their fortunes to the eradication of the evil forces
of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which seek to destroy the world’s
liberties in accordance with an utterly selfish plan, pursued in a
cruel and dishonorable manner. However bitter the struggle may be,
the final outcome is not in doubt, and, in view of the bonds of
civilization and the common aims which unite our Peoples, I am
confident that Your Majesty will assist in the attainment of
freedom, security and progress in such manner as Your wisdom and
judgment may determine.
Your Good Friend,
