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The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia began before the Kingdom gained independence in 1932. King Abdul Aziz initially came into contact with Americans who were serving as missionary doctors in the Gulf in the post-World War I period. The king was impressed with these Americans' openness and generosity toward the Saudi people, noting that they seemed to expect nothing in return. As he interacted more and more with Americans, the King became increasingly supportive of American interests, ultimately going so far as to grant oil concessions to the Aramco Corporation.

During the early stages of the U.S.-Saudi ties, the oil companies that comprised the Aramco Corporation directed the course of the relationship. Saudi Arabia, financially destitute during World War II because of halted oil shipments and a dramatic decline in the number of people going on Hajj, received financial and material assistance from the US Government under the Lend-Lease Act. Lippman cited this arrangement as the first of a long history of direct US involvement in Saudi life. In fact, most aspects of modern Saudi life, with the exception of religion, have been profoundly influenced by contact with “American technology and American habits of mind.” Lippman stressed, however, that this relationship benefited both parties and was not characterized by American exploitation, or colonization, of Saudi Arabia.

Lippman provided examples in four areas where Americans were profoundly involved in Saudi Arabia:

Civil Society: During the early years when money began to flow into the Kingdom from oil production, corruption became common and the Saudi government lacked the institutions necessary to manage the rapidly changing nation. The King brought in a team of Americans from the Ford Foundation to help build a civil society. A second example: from 1975 until 2000, the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission (JECOR), a commission funded by the Saudi government and operated by the U.S. Treasury Department, used U.S. government employees to assist the Saudis in learning various government functions.

Agriculture: At the time, farming was nothing new to Saudi culture, but local farmers in the 1950s lacked many of the modern agricultural tools, such as mechanized irrigation, tractors, and modern fertilizer, necessary to meet the growing demand for food. Pressure from both the royal family and Aramco persuaded the King to hire Americans to manage experimental farms in Al-Kharj and elsewhere. Although Americans trained Saudi workers, over time many farms returned to Saudi management. In the end, American involvement proved highly successful, and today agriculture is the second largest component of GDP and the largest sector of employment for Saudi workers

Transportation: Saudi Arabian Airlines, established by an agreement between the Saudi government and Trans World Airlines (TWA) in the late 1940s, was managed and operated by TWA for over three decades. As part of this operation, TWA employees trained staff, coordinated sales, and scheduled crews.

Media: Saudi television came into existence with the direct assistance of US companies. Saudis became acquainted with television in the 1950s, when Aramco operated a television network that broadcast American television shows dubbed into Arabic throughout the eastern provinces. By the mid-1960s, the Corps of Engineers had contracted RCA to build transmitters and NBC to provide technical assistance in the formation of a Saudi state television network, and by the late 1960s the Saudi state network was fully operational.

Since September 11, 2001, the US-Saudi relationship has suffered and many Saudis, grateful for the US role in their country, have been forced on the defensive. Policies and statements of the Bush administration continue to feed the anti-American sentiment in Saudi Arabia, and today many believe the two countries are headed for divorce. Lippman, however, hopes that despite being damaged, the US-Saudi bond has not been completely severed and - if the US takes deliberate, conciliatory steps - it can be restored.