Office of the Historian

319. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Read) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1

Washington, January 17, 1964.

SUBJECT

  • Letter of January 11 from Prince Faisal to President Johnson

Enclosed is a copy of a letter from Crown Prince Faisal2 received in response to the President’s letter of December 19, 1963.3

We are pleased with its emphasis on the importance of strengthening relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the desire for continued frank exchanges of views. Faisal agrees in this letter to extend the validity of the disengagement agreement in the Yemen for an additional two months or until March 4. Additionally, the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister has stressed to Ambassador Hart that in this letter the Crown Prince tacitly shows himself amenable to an even further extension of the United Nations Yemen Observation Mission provided a plan can be developed which gives real hope for United Arab Republic troop withdrawals. This is an encouraging sign of a less rigid attitude on the part of Faisal toward easing the Yemen problem.

In view of Faisal’s expressed desire for further correspondence with the President, the Department proposes to prepare at the appropriate future date a letter for the President’s signature containing a general review of the current status of the relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia.4

Benjamin H. Read 5
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964-66, POL 15-1 US/JOHNSON. Secret. Drafted by Moore on January 15, cleared by Davies and Jernegan, and in substance by John C Dorrance (IO/UNP).↩
  2. For text of Faisal’s letter, see Document 221.↩
  3. For text of the President’s letter of December 19, 1963, to Crown Prince Faisal, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, vol. XVIII, Document 389.↩
  4. See Document 229.↩
  5. Don T. Christensen of S/S signed for Read.↩