White House officials today declined comment on a published report that President Eisenhower has dispatched a special personal letter to King Saud of Saudi Arabia attempting to calm mounting Arab excitement over the use of the Akaba Gulf by Israeli-bound shipping.
The Chicago Daily News reported today that it was learned at the United Nations in New York that President Eisenhower’s message was an answer to a letter from the King. The King had protested the U.S. stand favoring “innocent passage” for all shipping in the gulf. The Chicago newspaper said that according to high diplomatic sources in the United Nations headquarters, the Eisenhower letter made three points:
1. The United States respects Saudi Arabian territorial sovereignty in Saudi waters; 2 It believes differences between the Arabs and Israel on rights of shipping in the gulf can be settled peacefully under international law, the United Nations Charter, and UN resolutions; 3. It hopes force will not be used by any party to the dispute. The United States will assist the victim of an attack.
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.
