This introduction comes to mind at a time when it is noticeable that compliments and emotions have begun to influence some documentary works dealing with political eras in recent decades, whether in the Kingdom or the Arab world in general. Some researchers do not hesitate to attribute certain achievements to periods outside their proper historical context, especially during the ambiguous transitional phases between reigns.
Fortunately for the historian in this country, when he adheres to accuracy in tracing what he narrates and in defining the objective boundaries between the achievements of one reign and another, he is dealing with a single family—between a father and his sons, and among brothers—unlike researchers in countries that have experienced upheavals and changes in leadership.
This introduction calls upon researchers to bear the responsibility of historical transparency in what they transmit or narrate, and it also calls for dealing with researchers’ missteps with fairness and sound judgment.
King Saud—may God have mercy on him—was born in Kuwait in 1319 AH (1902 CE). King Abdulaziz—may God bless his soul—chose him as Crown Prince in 1352 AH (1933 CE). He assumed the throne in 1373 AH (1953 CE), and was succeeded by King Faisal in 1384 AH (1964 CE). King Saud passed away in 1389 AH (1969 CE).
Thus, the timeframe of this study is limited to two periods: the Crown Prince era and the reign itself. Regarding the Crown Prince period during the lifetime of his father King Abdulaziz, the discussion will be confined to matters in which the Crown Prince was directly involved, as will be clarified in each section.
It is worth noting that the author of this study joined the Ministry of Information in mid‑1383 AH (1963 CE), making him an administrative eyewitness to the final year of King Saud’s reign.
In 1351 AH (1932 CE)—the year the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed and Prince Saud was named Crown Prince—the media landscape consisted of a Directorate of Publications under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs known as the “Publications Bureau,” the official gazette Umm al‑Qura in its eighth year, and a single private newspaper, Sawt al‑Hijaz, entering its second year. Four years had passed since the issuance of the first Saudi Printing and Publications Law. As for radio broadcasting in the Arab world, it did not begin until after 1353 AH (1934 CE), meaning that radio‑based news monitoring began only after that date.
By the end of King Abdulaziz’s reign, this landscape had transformed as follows:
- The publication of eleven newspapers and periodicals, including Umm al‑Qura, Al‑Bilad, Al‑Madinah, Al‑Manhal, Al‑Yamamah, and Qafilat al‑Zayt.
- The establishment of Saudi Radio in 1368 AH (1949 CE), accompanied by a royal decree founding it and creating a dedicated directorate, which later underwent several changes.
- The emergence of notable activity in external media, including the creation of a Directorate for Hajj Publicity.
- The establishment of a radio‑monitoring unit within the Political Bureau of the Royal Court, fully equipped with technical systems and trained personnel.
- The issuance of the second, more developed Printing and Publications Law (1358 AH / 1940 CE).
- The establishment of several printing presses in Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah, whose number exceeded ten by 1373 AH (1953 CE).
- The emergence of numerous public, private, and commercial libraries across the country.
- The creation of a radio section broadcasting in Urdu and Indonesian (1369 AH / 1950 CE).
- The appearance of several Saudi‑authored newspapers abroad, by journalists such as Sulayman al‑Dakhil, members of the Al‑Zuhayr family, Abdullatif Thunayan, Abdullah al‑Jishi, Salman al‑Safwani, Muhammad Saeed al‑Muslim, Muhammad Hasan Nimr, and Fuad Shakir.
Among these developments, Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz played a direct role in the following achievements:
- Media records state that Saudi Radio was established upon a proposal by the Crown Prince. A decree dated 22‑9‑1368 AH, signed by King Abdulaziz, instructed Prince Faisal to implement the idea.
- Radio archives also note that a royal order signed by the Crown Prince was issued on 1‑2‑1372 AH merging the Radio Directorate with the Hajj Directorate into a single entity, later supervised by Muhammad Surur al‑Sabbān.
- During his tenure as Crown Prince, Prince Saud inaugurated the Saudi Library—the first public library in Riyadh—in a ceremony held in 1371 AH (1951 CE).
- Hamad al‑Jasir recorded in his memoirs From the Glimpses of Memory (published this year) that the Crown Prince granted him permission to publish Al‑Yamamah magazine, which first appeared in late 1372 AH.
When King Saud’s reign began in 1373 AH (1953 CE), the Publications Bureau—responsible for printing, press affairs, and enforcing the Publications Law—was affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mecca and supervised by the former Deputy King in the Hijaz (and later Crown Prince), Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz, the Foreign Minister. Meanwhile, the Hajj and Radio Directorates were under the Ministry of Finance, and the radio service had moved from Jeddah to Mecca at the beginning of 1371 AH.
In 1374 AH (1955 CE), about a year after King Saud assumed the throne, a royal decree was issued merging the publications and press entities into a new directorate named the General Directorate of Press and Publication, to which the radio service was attached.
Sheikh Abdullah Bal‑Khair—may God have mercy on him—told me that one of the motivations behind establishing this directorate was King Saud’s observation of inadequate press coverage of the Kingdom’s delegation to the Bandung Conference of the Non‑Aligned Movement in Indonesia. With the creation of this directorate, which for the first time unified the scattered components of the official media apparatus, it assumed supervisory, regulatory, and executive responsibilities over both domestic and international media sectors.