In October 1974, amidst the proceedings and meetings of the “US-Saudi Joint Economic Cooperation Committee,” which was established by US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to foster a new relationship with Saudi Arabia through a covert channel, a significant scandal erupted. This committee was formed in collaboration with the Sudairi faction of princes led by Prince Fahd, bypassing King Faisal and his Foreign Minister Omar Al-Saqaf. However, Kissinger’s bet went awry when his chosen horse, Prince Fahd, found himself embroiled in a scandal in France.
On October 14, 1974, a major scandal broke out in France involving Prince Fahd and two of his brothers. They were led into a series of debauched nights in the French city of Cannes by Adnan Khashoggi. The press managed to capture images of them in a casino where Fahd lost $6 million in a single night. Additional millions were paid to silence the press, and it’s rumored that a hefty sum was paid to a French family to keep quiet after their daughter was assaulted.
When King Faisal heard of the scandal, he immediately summoned Prince Fahd and threatened to strip him of all his positions. Henry Kissinger, fearing for the fate of Prince Fahd, whom he had groomed to be the linchpin of the new US-Saudi relationship, intervened. Despite Kissinger’s visit, the US Ambassador James Akins sent a report detailing the scandal and its repercussions.
The scandal was so significant that King Hassan II of Morocco offered to build a palace complex for Fahd and other Saudi princes to indulge away from the prying eyes of the Western press. This wasn’t the first time such a scandal had erupted; a similar incident involving Prince Fahd occurred in Monte Carlo in 1962.
King Faisal, feeling isolated and overwhelmed, retreated into solitude. He was deeply affected by the loss of two close confidants within nine days. In early 1975, King Faisal had a disturbing dream which he shared with his aunt, hinting at his impending fate.