عمان والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية لهيرمان إيليتس- غير مفهرس

Biographical Note

Hermann Frederick Eilts is Distinguished Professor of International Relations، Di- rector of the Center for International Rela- tions and Chairman of the Political Science Department at Boston University، Massachusetts. He served in the United States Army in the North African and Euro- pean Theaters during World War II. In 1947 he joined the U.S. Foreign Service and served in posts throughout the Middle East before being appointed U.S. Ambas- sador to Saudi Arabia 1965 to 1970 and Ambassador to Egypt، 1973 to 1979. He is the recipient of many honors and academic awards. Ambassador Eilts will be lecturing in Oman during the sesquicentennial cele- bration.

called، he promised to have a warship، with an American envoy aboard، visit the ruler's do- mains to negotiate such a treaty.

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Sayyid Sa'id was interested. Not only did Roberts' proposal offer promising trade op- portunities، but-as Roberts later counted-His Highness saw in it potential op- portunity to obtain needed military equipment that might enable him to drive the colonialist Portuguese out of Mozambique. Before Roberts' departure، Sayyid Sa'id affirmed his desire to place official and commercial rela- tions with the United States on an official treaty basis.

Following his return to Portsmouth، Roberts enlisted the aid of a relative through marriage، Senator Levi Woodbury، chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. Although interested، Woodbury observed that little was known about Sayyid Sa'id's domin- ions. After the enthusiastic Roberts provided all the information at his disposal، Woodbury discussed the matter with executive and legis- lative branch colleagues and subsequently pre- dicted that an "agent" would probably be sent to Muscat within the year to negotiate a treaty.

Despite this optimism، the project was slow to mature. President Andrew Jackson، who as- sumed office in January 1829، was pre- occupied throughout much of his first term of office with domestic issues. Not until Wood- bury became Jackson's Secretary of the Navy

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in 1831، and convinced the President to mount a naval expedition against Javanese pirates who had attacked an American merchant ship، did Jackson agree to try to place American commerce with all potential trading partners in the Indian Ocean on a sound، treaty footing. Sayyid Sa'id's domains were prominent among these states، in large measure due to the persistence of Roberts and Woodbury. Their campaign was reinforced when His Highness sent a letter to President Jackson، delivered through a Salem mercantile firm، confirming the Omani ruler's interest in con- cluding a commercial agreement with the United States.

Treaty Negotiations

Through Woodbury's influence، the Secretary of State named Roberts as Special Agent and instructed him to proceed aboard the Ameri- can warship، Peacock، to various East Indian and Arabian ports to conduct treaty negotia- tions. Fearing that the British might seek to disrupt his mission، Roberts was nominally carried on the warship's rosters as "captain's clerk،" a ruse that fooled no one and was hardly consistent with the emissary's ebullient personality.

After visiting Chochin China، Siam، and signing a commercial treaty with the latter، Roberts، in Peacock، with another American naval vessel as escort، proceeded by way of Mokha to Muscat، arriving on September 18، 1833. The next day Roberts paid a courtesy call on Sayyid Sa'id and delivered a warm let- ter from President Jackson responding to His Highness' earlier correspondence.

Roberts then outlined American ideas for a commercial treaty، based upon a standard draft agreement drawn up in Washington prior to his departure. At a second meeting two days later، he formally presented the draft agree- ment to Sayyid Sa'id and his advisers، and its various articles were orally translated into Arabic by the ruler's interpreter، Sa'id bin Khalfan، a former Omani naval officer. Sayyid Sa'id، Roberts later recalled، accepted the document with only minor modifications.

Attesting to the ruler's magnanimity and greatness of spirit، he insisted that the treaty article pertaining to the treatment of ship- wrecked American seamen be amended to