92. Telegram From the Department of State to the Secretary of State, at London1

Tedul 8. Eyes only Secretary from Acting Secretary.

1.
The President has followed your messages from London with the greatest interest and has asked me to express to you his confidence and appreciation. I will take your Dulte 7,2 which has just arrived, to the White House tomorrow morning.
2.
I discussed the proposed Saudi visit with the President last evening and he concurred on the advisability of having Bob Anderson go out as soon as possible.3 He would, of course, welcome a Saudi visit after his return to Washington, but he did not want to have it going on during your London conference. Bob advises that he can probably leave on short notice and will give me a final answer tomorrow morning. We have a plane standing by.
3.
Today I got word through Azzam Pasha that the King was extremely unhappy about Nasser, but was hesitant to oppose him openly at this time. This situation may ultimately prove to be the break we have been looking for.

[Here follows discussion of unrelated matters.]

Hoover
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/8–1756. Top Secret. Drafted and approved by Hoover who initialed the telegram.
  2. Dulte 7 transmitted the message supra.
  3. On August 16, Saudi Arabian Ambassador Sheikh Abdullah Al-Khayyal informed Acting Secretary Hoover that King Saud wanted to convey certain observations in view of the grave situation in the Middle East and wished to know if a Saudi Arabian delegation headed by a Saudi prince might visit the United States immediately to convey them. The Saudi Ambassador added that the King was principally concerned about Suez and wished to cooperate with the United States. Hoover offered his personal thought that a visit by a Saudi delegation to the United States at this moment would cause great press speculation and wondered whether a visit to Saudi Arabia by a U.S. representative might be preferable. (Telegram 102 to Jidda, August 16; ibid., 974.7301/8–1656) Subsequently, Dulles indicated his agreement. (Secto 14 from London, August 17; ibid., 974.7301/8–1756)