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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-02
In this interview Hart discusses dealing with Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser including shifts in U.S. aid in Egypt; how Nasser would play the United States and the Soviet Union against each other for Egypt’s benefit; Nasser’s ambitions for the neighboring countries and the Saudi reaction to Egypt’s actions in the Arabian Peninsula; the increased strain between Egypt and the United States; divisions in Washington over the U.S. policy towards Nasser; Nasser’s position on Israel; Saudi Arabia’s position on Israel and the Palestinian refugees in Saudi Arabia; the modernization process in Saudi Arabia; and changes in foreign policy over Hart’s tenure as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-01
In this interview Hart discusses his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia including King Saud’s visits to the United States for medical treatment beginning in 1961; the issue of the Dhahran Airfield and the American military’s use of it; the creation of the Saudi cabinet and political leadership and the transition to Faisal [Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia] in power; the revolution in Yemen and the problems and tensions it caused within Saudi Arabia and between Saudi leaders and other governments; the debate over U.S. recognition of the new Yemen Republic; various meetings of Near East State Department staff from 1961 through 1963; communication between President John F. Kennedy and Faisal; oil matters in the Near East and different oil companies and related groups; Soviet interest in Middle East oil and in Saudi Arabia; and the work of American advisers in Saudi Arabia, among other issues.