147. Editorial Note
On December 23, the Department of State informed the Consul in Dhahran, John W. Carrigan, that in view of the recent developments in Muscat, the Consul might visit Muscat and Salalah. The Department also instructed Carrigan to report on the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a consular office in either of the ports. (Telegram 82 to Dhahran; Department of State, Central Files, 780.022/12–2355)
On March 12, 1956, Carrigan reported the results of his January trip to Muscat and his February visit to Salalah. The Consul recommended that there be no change in the present situation until oil was developed in the Dhofar area or until there was a need for a closer relationship with Muscat, Oman, or Dhofar. Dhahran would continue to have overall responsibility for Muscat, with Aden taking charge of consular affairs in Dhofar. (Despatch 147 from Dhahran; ibid., 123–Carrigan, John W.)
In September 1956, the Secretary of State authorized initiation of negotiations with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Said ibn Taimur Al bu Said, [Page 226] for the replacement of the treaty of 1833 with a modern version of a treaty of amity and economic relations. The idea of negotiations had emerged from the Sultan’s offer to approve the reestablishment of a Consulate in Muscat, provided the United States replaced the 1833 treaty with a modern agreement of friendship, navigation and commerce. United States interest in reestablishment of a Consulate in Muscat had increased as a result of expanding petroleum development in the Dhofar area and the increasing strategic importance of the Persian Gulf. (Letter from Rountree to Schwinn, June 14, 1957; ibid.,NEA Files: Lot 61 D 48, Muscat Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations & Consular Rights; documentation on petroleum developments in Muscat and Oman is ibid., Central File 786E.2553)
Between July 21 and 24, 1957, Walter K. Schwinn, Consul General in Dhahran, carrying drafts of a proposed agreement, visited Muscat, but negotiations were not immediately successful. According to Schwinn, the Sultan was “obviously overwhelmed and perhaps frightened by the complexity of the initial drafts. (Telegram 603 from Dhahran, June 25; ibid., 611.86E4/6–2557) The Department continued negotiations with the Sultan in late 1957 and throughout 1958. A Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights was concluded at Salalah on December 20, 1958. (For text of the treaty, see 11 UST (pt. 2) 1835. Documentation on the negotiations is in Department of State, Central Files 611.86E4 and 786E.00.)