With the upcoming visit to the U.S. of Keeper of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman looming on the horizon, it caused us to think about the powerful ties the Kingdom has enjoyed with the United States dating from the famous meeting between King Ibn Saud and President Franklin Roosevelt aboard the cruiser USS Quincy on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake in 1945. In February of the following year, Saudi Arabia opened a Legation in Washington, DC headed by Sheikh Asad Al-Faqih with the official titles of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. In March 1949, the Saudi Legation was raised to an Embassy, with Sheikh Asad Al-Faqih assuming the official titles of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
We have before us an interesting volume dealing with Washington, DC social manners during the years of the sheikh's service as ambassador. It is titled "The Social List of Washington and Social Precedence In Washington" and dates from 1951. In it, publisher Carolyn Hagner Shaw lays out the official protocols to be followed in Washington society. "The necessity of following protocol in Washington is of momentous importance," she cautions readers. "The rules of precedence governing who ranks whom must be adhered to rigidly when entertaining officials. "It is well to remember that personal friendships do not count. The rank of one's guest must be the deciding factor at all times. "The wife of an official always assumes the rank held by her husband. "When there is doubt as to which of two people bears the higher rank, it is the part of wisdom never to invite them to dinner at the same time. "Heads of Foreign Powers rank one another according to length of service, an Ambassador preceding a Minister in all cases." After explaining in detail protocols governing interaction with the President, Vice President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Shaw moves on to discussing the proper forms to follow when communicating with Ambassadors of Foreign Powers: "In writing address an envelope (using three lines):
His Excellency Full name The Ambassador of Norway
"The salutation of a letter:
Excellency or My dear Mr. Ambassador
"In speaking:
Excellency or Mr. Ambassador
"In introducing:
The Ambassador of Norway (do not use "His Excellency" in this case)
"In writing address an envelope to an Ambassador and his wife (using three lines):
His Excellency The Ambassador of Norway and Mrs. (surname only)
"It is to be remembered that when addressing the wife of an Ambassador, no title is given her. "Upon his arrival in Washington, an Ambassador presents his credentials to The President, and his precedence begins with that day. Ambassadors of Foreign Powers rank one another according to length of service. "An Ambassador of a Foreign Power precedes a Minister at all times, regardless of length of service." In a Table of Precedence, Shaw identifies the accepted order of precedence governing social affairs in Washington, beginning with the President at the top:
- The President of The United States
- The Vice President of The United States
- The Chief Justice of The United States
- Ambassadors of Foreign Powers
- The Speaker
- The Secretary of State
- United States Representative to the United Nations
- Ministers of Foreign Powers
Shaw goes on identify 27 more levels of precedence, ranging from Cabinet members in the order in which their departments were created, to members of the Senate and House, to governors of states, to five- and four-star generals, down to major generals and Rear Admirals.
A Memorandum of Conversation drafted in February 1949 by Secretary of State Dean Acheson discussed the "Elevation of the Legation of Saudi Arabia to the Grade of Embassy." In it Acheson wrote: "His excellency Asad Al-Faqih, Ambassador Designate of Saudi Arabia, called upon me today at 3:45 p.m. to present a copy of his Letter of Credence and of his Remarks to be made to the President as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Sheikh Asad-Al-Faqih was presented by Mr. Woodward, Chief of Protocol. "I inquired concerning the health of the Royal Family and was informed that H.R.H. Prince Faisal, Foreign Minister, had undergone an operation for sinus in Paris, and that His Majesty King Ibn Saud was obliged occasionally to use the wheel chair which President Roosevelt had given him a few years ago. The Ambassador assured me that His Majesty's condition was not serious. "I inquired also concerning Sheikh Ali Ali Reza, and found that he too had been operated upon recently for stomach ulcers. "Otherwise our conversation was limited to an exchange of courtesies.
D. A."
The years of Sheikh Asad Al-Faqih's service as Ambassador to the United States marked a crucial period in the development of the strong ties of friendship that continue to bind together these two great countries.