King Saud of Saudi Arabia has told President Eisenhower that the Arabs would accept the Eisenhower Doctrine only if the United States proves it will restrain Israel. This was learned today from official sources. They revealed that the Arab ruler told Mr. Eisenhower he considered Israel a greater menace than the Soviet Union.
The King discussed the size of Israel with both Mr. Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles, according to these sources. The King urged that an Arab-Israel solution might evolve if Israel returned to the 1947 United Nations partition boundaries and made other concessions.
Mr. Eisenhower reportedly told the King that he was personally concerned over Israel “expansionism.” He reviewed in detail his personal attempts to prevent and then to check Israel’s military action last October. King Saud expressed appreciation of the President’s role but said that further measures against Israel would be required if the Arabs were to be persuaded of American friendship.
The question of renewal of lease of the U. S. Air Force base at Dhahran was raised, but has not yet been resolved. The President has made no objection to the requirement that American personnel of Jewish faith be barred from Saudi Arabia. State Department authorities pointed out that renewal was a difficult enough. problem without complicating it with “racial issues.”
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