81. Memorandum of Conversation0
SUBJECT
- Meeting between the President and the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia
PARTICIPANTS
- The President
- His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Al-Khayyal, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia
- NEA—Assistant Secretary Phillips Talbot
- Major Badawi, Military Attaché, Embassy of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Ambassador reminded the President that they had met on two previous occasions, at a hospital in New York when Prince Faisal was a patient and then in the Senate after Mr. Kennedy had made a speech favoring negotiations for Algerian independence. The President recalled both occasions and commented he had been particularly grateful for the Saudi King’s message after his Algerian speech as one of the few really cordial responses to what had not been a very popular speech here.
The Ambassador informed the President that he had just received the reply of His Majesty the King of Saudi Arabia to the President’s letter which had been written in May,1 and he presented to the President the Arab original and an unofficial English translation.2 When the President had read the letter carefully and intently, the Ambassador, speaking in [Page 181] Arabic which was translated into English by Major Badawi, said that he was sure the President understood that in the Saudi Government’s view there are good relations and not many difficulties between his country and the United States. The problems that do arise are mainly those related to a third state, and the President would know to what he was referring.
Commenting on the letter, the President said the United States had hoped that, whatever the history of the situation might be, it would be possible to face the problems that exist today and to make some progress toward solving them. This would, of course, depend upon the willingness and desire of the people and governments of the area. The United States had advanced some suggestions in the hope that they might be helpful. Now this reply had come with some comments that were very critical of the policies of his Government. If there were no agreement to proceed with trying to find solutions, then of course we would not proceed.
Referring to other aspects of relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States the President said he understood that the Ambassador had been informed of United States’ readiness to fulfill the conditions of the agreement for sale of United States military equipment to Saudi Arabia. Mr. Talbot confirmed that the Ambassador had met with the Secretary yesterday3 and had been told that the United States would provide this equipment, subject to the force levels agreed upon under the “1380 Plan” and subject also to availabilities. The Ambassador explained that these two conditions were indeed the uncertainties. He was leaving for home next Tuesday and hoped that he could carry a definite reply to his Government. Mr. Talbot further explained that the Defense Department is now examining the Saudi requests in the light of the “1380 Plan” and of availabilities and he hoped to be able to inform the Ambassador before the latter’s departure of the date by which a firm reply to the Saudi Government’s request could be expected. The Ambassador again suggested that he really hoped for explicit answers to take home with him. The President then instructed Mr. Talbot to inform him by Tuesday of what could be told the Ambassador before his departure. The President added that the Ambassador before he left would have opportunity for specific discussions with the Department on other questions as well, including the Dhahran airfield and the Military Training Mission. In response Mr. Talbot informed the President, with the Ambassador’s assent, that the subjects had already been discussed with the Ambassador and that we would be glad to answer any of the Ambassador’s further questions.
[Page 182]The President asked the Ambassador for his judgment of the Kuwait situation. Giving his personal views, the Ambassador replied that he thought there was not now any likeliHood that the Iraqi Government would use force against Kuwait although it would continue to make its claim that Kuwait is part of Iraq. He did not believe that there would be a resort to violence there.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 601.86A11/7–761. Secret. Drafted by Talbot and approved by the White House on July 21. The time of the meeting is from the President’s Appointment Book. (Kennedy Library)↩
- Kennedy’s May 11 letter to Saud is the same as the letter to Nasser (see Document 47) except that the fourth paragraph reads: “I recall the very useful and constructive meeting of President Roosevelt with Your Majesty’s illustrious father, the late King Abdul Aziz, which still stands as a symbol of the community of interest and the common aspirations of our two great peoples”; and the penultimate paragraph reads: “With respect to relationships between Saudi Arabia and the United States, I share Your Majesty’s desire that the close ties which have so happily existed between our two great countries should continue to flourish. Ambassador Heath has kept us fully informed concerning matters of mutual interest and I am indeed grateful for the many kindnesses which you and your government have accorded him as the representative of the United States government and people.” (Telegram 430 to Jidda, May 11; Department of State, Central Files, 611.80/5–1161)↩
- After a cordial opening, most of King Saud’s lengthy letter, dated June 25, strongly criticized U.S. support for Israel and the U.S. position on the Arab-Israeli dispute, particularly that taken during the recent U.N. General Assembly debate on the Palestinian refugees. (See Documents 34 and 36) Saud insisted that the only basis for considering the Palestine question was that the Arabs were the legal possessors of Palestine and had a right to live there. To Saud, Israel was a usurper and aggressor established with the political assistance of the United States. (Department of State, Central Files, 786A.00/6–2591)↩
- The memorandum of conversation is ibid., 611.86A/7–661. For text, see Supplement, the compilation on Saudi Arabia.↩