Talk:William E. Simon

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, More Information Pursuant to Simon's Role in the US' Relationship to
Perhaps we could add more information as to Secretary Simon's role in US foreign policy, specifically in Saudi Arabia.

Paraphrasing from Bloomberg: Simon was one of the US dignitaries sent to KSA in the wake of the OPEC oil embargo. This was during the time the US would negotiate the sale of oil in US dollars, and ensure revenues from surpluses are used to purchase US debt instruments. While the KSA would have steady oil sales from the USA, the USA would provide military aid and military equipment to the KSA.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-05-30/the-untold-story-behind-saudi-arabia-s-41-year-u-s-debt-secret

Absent in the article: Simon was also made Co-Head of the Joint Commission On Economic Cooperation [Between the US and KSA]. "the Second Deputy President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of the Interior of Saudi Arabia and the Secretary of State of the United States have agreed to establishment of a Joint Commission On Economic Cooperation to be headed by Secretary of the Treasury of the United States and by the Minister of State for Finance and National Economy for Saudi Arabia"

United States Treaties and Other International Agreements, Volume 26, Part 1

https://books.google.com/books?id=apWPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA879&lpg=PA879&dq=technical+cooperation+agreement+saudi+arabia+kissinger&source=bl&ots=30tA3v4_Zi&sig=VM25s7DWi-itmLxS_fyXIjlIxXo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zydKUu7ZCPPCyAH0_4HoCg&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=technical%20cooperation%20agreement%20saudi%20arabia%20kissinger&f=false

Details about the early role of the Commission are mentioned in the treaty, and here

http://www.gao.gov/products/ID-79-7 http://www.gao.gov/assets/130/126054.pdf

but absent is information about Simon's tenure there (especially useful during a time of many of the US' geopolitical pivots).

173.2.162.200 (talk) 20:36, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Simon died of pulmonary fibrosis. Did Simon smoke?
Simon died of pulmonary fibrosis. Did he smoke? The article doesn't say. Something tells me that I have seen photos of Simon with a cigarette in his hand. Smoking would certainly explain the pulmonary fibrosis. Does anybody know if Simon smoked? Thanks in advance to anybody who knows.Betathetapi545 (talk) 10:26, 14 January 2020 (UTC)

Come to think of it, that sort of looks like a cigar in Simon's hand in the painting of him, but did he smoke cigarettes?