#SaudiTBT: King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on the Tarmac of Le Bourget Airport in Paris, 1939

Returning in March 1939 from the London Conference (St. James Palace Conference) which attempted to negotiate an agreement between Jews and Arabs in Palestine, Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud stands on the tarmac of Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France with members of his delegation.  Among other issues, the London Conference was unable to resolve the matter of Jewish immigration to Palestine; a matter that became increasingly pressing with Nazi Germany’s full annexation of Czechoslovakia that same month in 1939.

Born in 1906, Faisal was 33-years old at the time of this photo and was already a seasoned diplomat.  As a 14-year old he was the first Saudi royal ever to visit London and he later fought alongside his father, King Abdulaziz, in the unification of Saudi Arabia under the Al-Saud. In 1922 he led fighters in the consolidation of Asir and in 1925 helped win a decisive victory in the Hejaz after which he was appointed the Viceroy of Hijaz.  In 1930 he became Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he would continue to hold even after he became Saudi Arabia’s king 34 years later in 1964.

To his right, is his half-brother, Khalid Bin Abdulaziz, who was 26-years old at the time and would succeed his brother, Faisal, as king in 1975 after Faisal’s assassination.  At the time of this photo, Khalid had been Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior for five years and was a frequent companion and advisor on Faisal’s international trips.

Also in the photo are:

3^rd from right:

Ibrahim Al-Suleiman, King Faisal’s Chief of Staff

4^th from left:

Hafiz Wahba, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Great Britain

3^rd from left:

Professor Philip Hitti, Director of the Center for Oriental Studies at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

2^nd from left:

Marzooq ibn Reihan, milk brother of King Faisal and personal aide.

[Image via BBC]