Watan- A recently declassified American document, which is essentially a telegram sent by the US Ambassador in Riyadh, James Akins, to his foreign ministry, reveals a covert meeting between Dr. John MacMullen and Saudi King Faisal bin Abdulaziz in early December 1973. This meeting was held on behalf of the then US Vice President, Gerald Ford, as reported by Watanserb.
In the telegram, which was disclosed by WikiLeaks, MacMullen requested King Faisal to persist with the oil embargo. He asserted that the embargo had achieved its purpose and significantly impacted the American populace. He further stated that US President Richard Nixon would face impeachment proceedings within two months and would be replaced by Gerald Ford, who promised a more positive stance on the Middle East issue.
MacMullen emphasized that he was on a special mission from Gerald Ford to convey this request to the King. It’s worth noting that John MacMullen was the head of “MacMullen and Co.,” which owned several oil shipping companies and even sports teams in the US.
However, the document indicates that King Faisal did not take the matter seriously.
An excerpt from the telegram of the US Ambassador Akins regarding the secret meeting between John MacMullen and King Faisal in early December 1973 suggests that Gerald Ford began undermining his president, Richard Nixon, from the early days of his vice-presidency. This was during a challenging period for Nixon, who was grappling with the Watergate scandal. Ford’s strategy was to replace Nixon as president.
Interestingly, when Gerald Ford assumed the presidency, he granted Nixon a full pardon regarding the Watergate scandal.
Towards the end of 1976, in a move contrary to Nixon’s policy, Gerald Ford and his Foreign Minister, Henry Kissinger, in a farewell gesture, collaborated with Prince Fahd, who was ruling on behalf of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz. They flooded the global market with oil, leading to a global economic crisis. The primary victims of this move were the OPEC countries.