Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Near East: Jordan-Yemen, Volume XIII

229. Draft of Memorandum From the Ambassador in Saudi Arabia (Wadsworth) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian and African Affairs (Allen)¹

Washington, May 9, 1956.

SUBJECT

• Meeting with the President, 8:30 a.m. Today

Attached is a copy of a memorandum, with annexes,² which I left with the President’s secretary, written by me immediately following the meeting.

I was, I think, able to present the highlights of the Dhahran Airfield renegotiation problem, except for one point. That was that, while I did make the basic point that it was only natural the Arab mind should want something more from us for the use during the next five years of what today is a $50,000,000 airfield than was offered five years ago for what was then a $10,000,000 airfield, I was unable, because of lack of time, to suggest what that “something more” should be.

Had I been able to discuss this point, I would have suggested: a new airfield building program which, during the next five years, would construct a first–class air terminal building with all related modern communications systems and any other needed improvements for the joint use of our Air Force and international civil airlines, to the over–all end that the airfield be fully equipped to meet the needs of the new “jet age” on the threshold of which we now stand.

Similarly, while I was able to speak of King Saud’s strong stand against Communism, against buying arms from Soviet sources and against exchange of diplomatic representatives with the USSR, I was unable to discuss the question of the Hejaz Railway from either the aspect of our current proposal to defray the cost of a broad–gauge survey or from that of the possibility that we might wish to participate in its reconstruction, on a fifty–fifty basis, with the concerned three countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.

I venture to suggest that these missing facets of my presentation, together with the Department’s comments, be brought to the President’s attention when the matter (i.e. what I am to say to the King when proposing renewal of the DAF Agreement) is brought to his attention.³

1. Source: Department of State, NEA/ARP Files: Lot 69 D 547, DHAHRAN AIRFIELD, Memos—Miscellaneous (Inter–Office, to Sec. etc.). Secret. Drafted by Wadsworth; a notation on the source text indicates that the memorandum was not sent. According to the Record of the President’s Daily Appointments, Wadsworth met with Eisenhower at the White House from 8:37 to 8:55 a.m. on May 9. (Record of the President’s Daily Appointments, 1957, Eisenhower Library)

2. Not printed. In the memorandum, May 9, Wadsworth indicated that he handed the President three documents which Eisenhower read: a copy of Saud’s oral message of April 2; a copy of the King’s written letter of April 3 in the Arabic original, with an English translation; and a summary of the “Five–Year Plan” for strengthening the Saudi Armed Forces, together with Wadsworth’s recommendations for meeting the Saudi requests and insuring priorities for delivery. The memorandum concluded: “I suggested as a ‘fall–back’ position, that, if I fail to renegotiate the Dhahran Airfield Agreement, the President invite King Saud to visit him; they would succeed.”

   On June 8, Gray informed Hoover that in accordance with a Department of State request for priorities for delivery of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, the Departments of the Army and the Air Force concurred in authorizing Wadsworth to inform the King that the United States would deliver military equipment within 6 months of a firm order form and a deposit of Saudi funds. (Letter from Gray to Hoover, June 8; Department of State, Central Files, 786a.5/6–856. Additional information is in a letter from Hoover to Gray, May 24; Ibid., 786a.56/5–2456)

3. Later that day, in a conversation with the President, Dulles noted that Eisenhower referred to his earlier meeting with Wadsworth. According to the Secretary, the President indicated that “we should be prepared to give some substantial amount of armaments to the Saudis.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President)