Figure 1.- Gradually as the War turned against the NAZIs, the Saudis began to see the avisability of shifting to nthe Allied side. Aziz finally issued a perfunctory declaration of war against NAZI Germany (early-1945). This made the Saudis eligible to become one of the founding members of the United Nations. President Roosevelt met with Aziz on the way back from Yalta. They met aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal.

Oil had been discovered in Saudi Arabia before World War II. Development of the fields had begun, but there was not yet any significant commercial-level production. Saudi Arabia in the years leading up to World War II established good relations with the European Axis powers (Italy and Germany). This is somewhatsuyrprising given to what the Italians did in Libya (1920s) and NAZI policies in associated countries. The NAZIs forexample seized the Romanian oil fields. The Arabs seemed to have been unware of just where they fell in NAZI racial rankings. Axis propaganda sought to exploit the anti-British and French feeling in the Arab world. NAZI anti-Semitism was another factor. This seems to hve swayed the Saudis and mny other Arabs. The Saudis negotiated an arms agreement with NAZI Germany prior to the outbreak of the War. Abd al Aziz, the founder of the Saudi state, maintained relations with the NAZIs and neutrality through much of the War. Gradually as the War turned against the NAZIs, the Saudis began to see the avisability of shifting to nthe Allied side. Aziz finally issued a perfunctory declaration of war against NAZI Germany (early-1945). This made the Saudis eligible to become one of the founding members of the United Nations. President Roosevelt met with Aziz on the way back from Yalta. They met aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal. The outbreak of the war had stopped the developmrent of the Saudi oil fields. The importance of oil in the War, howevrr, had made Saudi Arabia a country of strageic importance. President Roosevelt declared the defense of Saudi Arabia as of vital interest to the United States (1943). This was a declaration needed to make the Kingdom eligible for Lend-Lease aid. After the War, British influence was declining and the United States became the major force in developing the Saudi Oil industry. By the end of World War II, British power and influence in Arab affairs had begun to wane, and during the late1940s and early-50s the United States emerged as the dominant Western power on the Arabian Peninsula. Aziz played a role in establishing the Arab League (1945).

Created: 9:22 PM 3/27/2021
Last updated: 9:22 PM 3/27/2021