The State Department today informed 15 New York Democratic Congressmen that the United States would continue efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to lift its ban against U.S. air force personnel of Jewish faith at the Dhahran airbase.
Robert C. Hill, Assistant Secretary of State, said in a letter on behalf of Secretary Dulles that the text of the U.S. agreement with Saudi Arabia was not an issue. Rather, said Mr. Hill, “the problem of the admission of persons of the Jewish faith into Saudi Arabia is one related to the visa regulations of that country.” Such visa regulations were “an attribute of sovereignty,” the Assistant Secretary stated.
Mr. Hill said, however, that American concern has been set forth to Saudi Arabia and that this government does not condone religious discrimination by foreign governments against American citizens. The Hill letter came in reply to a communication by the 15 New Yorkers to President Eisenhower.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
