20 JAN 196 CONFIDENTIAL AIR BAG 10815713/9261 BRITISH EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, D.C., January 18, 1961. 14 Would you please refer to my letter 10815/13/74/60 of October 28 last, about the exchanges between the Saudis and the Americans regarding the use of the word "dependencies" in the title of the Treaty between the United States and Muscat. 2. The tally of Saudi notes has now reached four with the receipt in the State Depart ment of a fresh one the other day. In their reply to this the State Department will briefly reiterate their former position, and suggest that no useful purpose will be served by a continuation of the correspondence. At the same time they are authorising their Embassy in Jedda to point out orally that the fact that the use of the term "Oman" has not figured in the correspondence in no way implies any reservations on the part of the United States towards the Sultan's sovereignty over that territory, which they do not question. Their original draft read ".....sovereignty over Inner Oman", but at my suggestion they have omitted the word "Innert as question-begging. 3. Their reason for making this point is that they suspect that the Saudis may have some idea of producing the correspondence in support of their case when the item comes up at the United Nations, though I cannot see how it could help them. In any case it seems an admirable rider from our point of view. 4. I am sending copies of this letter to Ford in Bahrain, Moore in New York, and Phillips in Muscat. M.S. Weir. A.R. Walmsley, Esq., M.B.E., Arabian Department, Foreign Office, London, S.w.l. CONFIDENTIAL
