Coll 6/91 'Saudi Arabia. Policy of H.M.G. Qn. of credits and guarantee of assistance to Ibn Saud.' [‎48r] (96/680)

Copy
(E 3025/3S5/25)
Dear Mr# Bucknell,
A
)OfclT. (~&sx 6^«=>. l 'v !
iv-v «■<-<’
_ Ve'7 r TOREIG ■ €WMB, S.W. 1. 1 iClhu<
-With the CofnpllmeTTt ’
f “ 8th'June , 1944. *
Under Secretary of Slate^ r» /f , I, .,, N #
for Foreign Affalri O ^ j Jl ^ u^Jl<
I am writing in reply to your letter pQ/tfye 2nd? May, communicating
we su'ostance of a telegram from the St^t^ 'Bepartaecit concerning milita^
and financial advisers to Saudi Arabia. I note that the State Department
accept the suggestion v/e made to Mr. Wallace Murray that we should
pr^eose to Ibn Saud a joint British American Military Mission to Saudi
Arabia with a British officer at the head, but that the State
Department^ approval .is subject to the condition that any economic or
financial mission that may be sent to that country at the request of Ibn
Saud should be headed by an American.
t
I think I should let you know that our latest information indicates
that it may be very difficult to persuade Ibn Saud to accept any
Christian officers at all. Should this prove to be the case, we will
consult with the State Department whether it is better for us to supply
Moslem officers only, or whether the whole idea of a military mission
should be dropped. I think^ that our conversations in London showed
conclusively that in this matter our interests and the American
interests run entirely parallel and we shall discuss it with you with
complete frankness.
I presume that the condition regarding an economic or financial
mission does not apply to the request which Ibn Saud made to us last
March to be provided with a Sunni Moslem financial adviser to help
him with expert advice in re-organising his country*s finances? (It
is apparently essential that the financial expert shall be a Moslem
owing to the Saudi Arabian Treasury, where he will have to work, being
situated in Mecca). There has not yet been any question of an economic
or financial mission being sent to Saudi Arabia sof ar as we know, and
I am not quite sure how far such a proposal would meet with Ibn Saud 1 3
approval. But if and when the question of sending an economic mission
arises, we should be inclined to agree that the leadership of it should
be determined according to which party has the preponderant interest
in Saudi Arabian economy and finance at the time.
As you will recall, we agreed with Mr. Wallace Murray that ’’the
larger financial and supply problems of Saudi Arabia ought to be dealt
with as far as possible on a joint basis in consultation between the
two Governments.” We entirely adhere to this. I hope you will agree,
moreover, that we can each support the experts which either of us
select for these important places where we have joint interests, and car
have confidence in their willingness to further our common interests.
We for our part have, as Mr. Wallace Murray recognised, done everything
in our power to support Dr. Millspaugh and make the Persians understand
that he and his staff have our full and entire confidence. Similarly
we trust that when the Middle East Supply Centre send a representative
to Jedda (I understand that Colonel Coneybeare an Americai, is their
latest appointment) he may count on the assistance of both our Legation -
and that he may correspondingly be counted upon to further the joint *
interests of both our countries. The same considerations should, I
think, apply to the work of any British or American experts whom our
two Governments may agree to send to advise Ibn Saud.
Would you very kindly communicate this reply to the State
Department? If, as I hope, we can agree on this basis then we will
send the necessary instructions to our Minister in Jedda.
I should like if I may to refer to another matter concerning Saudi
Arabia as I am writing to you on the subject. I hear that,there is a
rumour in the Middle East that His Majesty’s Government, through their «
representatives at Jedda, themselves suggested to Ibn Saud that he migtf*
make this stipulation about the financial adviser and the officers bein*
Sunni Moslems, with the ob.iect of_ restricting the choice to British
Howard Bucknell,
United States Embassy,
ttCs.
subjects,/