Crown Prince Amir Saud (middle) at Mount Vernon

SAUDI ARABIA

ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AT
THE LIBRARY

Prepared by Randy L. Sowell, March 1997

The Truman Library has identified approximately 1050 pages of material in its holdings that directly relate to Saudi Arabia and King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, along with approximately thirty-five photographs pertaining to this topic. The material is listed below. The search upon which this listing is based was restricted for the most part to the most readily identifiable collections, series, and folder titles. Other material relating to Saudi Arabia, besides that which is listed here, may well be present in the Library's collections.

[ Truman Papers | Other Personal Papers | Audiovisual Materials | Oral Histories]

HARRY S. TRUMAN PAPERS

PRESIDENT'S SECRETARY'S FILES (PSF)--This series contains material on relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia; Saudi views on the Palestine question; President Truman's meetings with Prince Faisal in 1946 and with Crown Prince Amir Saud in 1947; and the trips which the president's physician, General Wallace Graham, made to Saudi Arabia to treat King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. In addition to high-level correspondence, the PSF includes reports to the president from the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency on Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Approximately 350 pages, 1946-52.

OFFICIAL FILE (OF)--Most of the relevant material in this series is located in OF 508 (Saudi Arabia). In addition to correspondence between President Truman and King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, the Official File contains material relating to the visit of Crown Prince Amir Saud to the United States in 1947; diplomatic relations and other contacts between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia; the appointments of J. Rives Childs and Raymond A. Hare as U.S. ambassadors to Saudi Arabia; a Saudi oil concession to the Standard Oil Company in 1948; and Saudi concerns about U.S. policy on Palestine. Approximately 350 pages, 1945-53.

PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL FILE (PPF)--Most of the relevant material in this series is located in PPF 488 (Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud). The series contains personal and ceremonial correspondence between the president and the king, along with material relating to Prince Faisal's visit to Washington, D.C. in 1945. Approximately 35 pages, 1945-47.

CONFIDENTIAL FILE (CF)--This series includes U.S. State Department correspondence with the White House concerning Saudi Arabia, and material documenting U.S. financial assistance to Saudi Arabia under the Lend-Lease program. Approximately 30 pages, 1945-47.

NAVAL AIDE TO THE PRESIDENT FILES --This series includes State Department briefing papers concerning Saudi Arabia, and a 1947 memorandum on the future of U.S.-Arab relations. Approximately 40 pages, 1945-53

 Prince Faisal during his visit to Washington, DC

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGY BOARD FILES--Relevant materials in this series relate to the Aramco oil company; a U.S. airlift of stranded Muslim pilgrims from Beirut to Mecca; information exchanges with Arab nations; and U.S. psychological strategy toward Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Approximately 130 pages, 1952.

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OTHER PERSONAL PAPERS

Prince Faisal at the Washington Monument

ACHESON, DEAN (Secretary of State, 1949-53)--This collection includes U.S. State Department memoranda of conversations relating to Saudi Arabia. Approximately 10 pages, 1949-52.

HILL, JAMES T., JR. (General Counsel, Department of the Air Force, 1950-52)--This collection includes a memorandum regarding negotiations for the establishment of U.S. air bases in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 2 pages, 1950.

McGHEE, GEORGE C. (Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs, 1949-51)--Included in this collection are memoranda of conversations for meetings between McGhee, King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, and Prince Faisal, along with other material concerning U.S-Saudi relations. Approximately 50 pages, 1950-51.

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AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS

The Truman Library has about thirty-five photographs relating to Saudi Arabia. Most of these photographs depict visits to the United States during the Truman administration by Crown Prince Amir Saud and Prince Faisal. Some are photographs of projects for economic development and other activities in Saudi Arabia, 1943-46.

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ORAL HISTORIES

Over a dozen of the Truman Library's oral history interviews contain references to Saudi Arabia.
The most extensive references are in the interviews with:

Approximately 50 pages of the Library's interviews contain information pertaining to Saudi Arabia.


The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is one of twelve Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

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