Political situation in Saudi Arabia

This file concerns Saudi Arabia’s political situation in 1973. It contains correspondence relating to:

• A paper by John Armitage on 'Saudi Arabia - The Al Saud and Internal Affairs', December 1973
• Arab-Israeli reactions to BBC reporting
• Arab fears for Muslim holy places
• Points made by Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in a TV interview filmed four days after the opening of the King Abdul Aziz Military City at Tabuk
• Political prisoners
• Mr and Mrs A K Rothnie's tour to Buraidah and Ha’il, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Laing
• A nuclear reactor and a desert research centre for the College of Petroleum and Minerals
• The commute of ministers between Taif, Jeddah and Riyadh
• The Ruler of Saudi Arabia King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud's twelve day tour around Jeddah, Medina and Ha’il
• Sentences passed on military prisoners
• Facts about terrorism in Saudi Arabian prisons
• An extract from Radio Peace and Progress, ‘Saudi Arabian opposition to “progressive Arab regimes”’, 8 February 1973.

This file also contains a memorandum on Saudi matters by D E Tatham, including reference to:

• An attack on the Saudi Embassy in Paris
• Royal family politics
• The Ministry of Information.

This file also contains a 'File-at-a-Glance' relating to Saudi Arabia in June 1973, including reference to:

• Population
• Area
• Background
• Internal affairs
• The Coastguard and Frontier Forces
• The Royal Saudi Air Force
• External affairs
• Foreign military assistance
• The armed forces
• The National Guard
• The Navy
• Ministerial and important personalities
• The Saudi Royal Family tree.

This file also contains correspondence relating to M S Buckmaster's tour around Al Jouf-Sakakah, Ha’il and Buraidah, including reference to:

• Cooperative and social development
• Agriculture
• Communications.