THE SOVIET UNION AND EGYPT, 1947-1955 A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Ph.D. Rami Ginat London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London 1991 UMI Number: U048346 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U048346 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 FOR MY PARENTS FORTUNA AND ABRAHAM AND FOR SYLVIA AND ELIE jC cJ M i.L 2- ' ? *"?£ {& -2- ABSTRACT THE SOVIET UNION AND EGYPT, 1947-1955 RAMI GINAT This research deals with the political history of the Middle East, with special reference to Egypt. It aims to explore, describe and analyse the events which led to the involvement of the Soviet Union in Egyptian affairs. Attention is given to the domestic and foreign developments in the U.S.S.R., Egypt and the Middle East in general, which created a favourable atmosphere for Soviet penetration into Egypt. It examines the change in the Soviet position towards the Arab-Israeli conflict after the partition resolution of 29 November 1947 was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations. This study disproves the current belief that arms supplies from the Soviet bloc to Egypt started in September 1955; it shows that such supplies were reaching Egypt as early as 1948. Furthermore it shows that Soviet-Egyptian commercial relations increased steadily from 1948 until 1955. The dynamics of Soviet penetration into the area can only be understood by tracing the roots and motives of Soviet policy after the Second World War. The strengthening of Soviet influence and the improvement of their position in Egypt in the second half of 1955, was a result of a long process of gradual political and ideological developments in Egypt, beginning in the late 1940's. The pre-1955 agreements, so far neglected, are of vital importance in the establishment of Soviet hegemony over Egypt and other Arab countries. -3- The study examines the interaction between political history and the history of ideas. It assumes that there was a gap between ideology and Realpolitik in the Soviet approach towards the Third World generally and the Arab World in particular. The research is based upon extensive use of British, American and Israeli official files, as well as Arabic and Soviet primary and secondary sources. -4- TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract................................................... 2 Table of Contents......................................... 4 Acknowledgments........................................... 7 Part One: Doctrine vis-^-vis Realpolitik..................... 8 Chapter One: Soviet Doctrine Concerning the Arab World....................................... 9 A. Continuity and Change in Consolidating and Shaping Soviet Doctrine up to the early 1950' s .............................................. 9 B. Methods and Vehicles for Carrying out the Soviet Doctrine.................................... 14 a. Ideological Warfare................................ 14 b. Soviet Activity in the Greek Orthodox Church.............................................. 19 C. The Soviet Union and the Local Egyptian Communist Elements................................. 24 Chapter Two: The Egyptian Communist Movement and its Role in the Internal Political Arena up to 1955........................... 32 A. The Emergence of a Communist Party in Egypt 33 a. The Egyptian Communist Movement in the Inter-War Period................................... 33 b. Communist Activity in the Second World War and its Aftermath.................................. 35 B. Some Ideological Dimensions in the Communist Design Concerning the Egyptian National Struggle............................................ 38 a. British Imperialism - the Arab's Enemy.......... 38 b. The Internal Popular Struggle for Democracy and against Collaborators......................... 40 c. The Need for Co-operation with External Forces for the Solution of the Egyptian Problem............................................. 41 C. Communist Political Activity and its Influence, 1947-1955.............................. 43 a. Communist Activity and its Effects on Unification in 1947................................ 43 b. The Establishment of D.M.N.L.- The Communists' "Golden Era".......................... 46 c. Continuous Internal Splits and External Pressures........................................... 53 d. The Coup D'etat and its Implications Jo^il# Communist Movement, 1952-1955.................... 65 -5- Chapter Three: The Relationship between Communism and Islam................................. 72 A. Communism and Islam............................... 72 B. The Various Approaches to the Issue as Introduced by Egyptian and Arab Intellectuals...................................... 79 Part Two: The Beginning of the Soviet Involvement in Egyptian Affairs: The Dynamics of Penetration, 1947-1955............................................. 88 Chapter One: The U.S.S.R. First Steps in the Egyptian and Middle Eastern Arena........ 88 A. Soviet Support for the Arabs..................... 89 B. The Soviet Position Concerning the Palestine Issue, 1947-1948................................... 102 Chapter Two: The Soviet Response to the Western Powers Attempts to Persuade Egypt and other Middle Eastern Countries to Form a Middle East Defence Organization, 1947-1952................... 121 A. The Crystallization of the U.S. Containment Policy and its Extension to the Middle East................................................ 121 B. Continuity and Change in Soviet-Egyptian Relations after the Palestine War................ 132 a. First Soviet-Egyptian Commercial Agreements, 1948-1949........................................... 138 C. The Policy of the Wafd Government towards the East-West Conflict, 1950-1952................ 146 a. The Formation of the Policy of Neutralism...... 146 b. The Tripartite Declaration and its Implications....................................... 151 c. The Egyptian Position towards the Korean War.... 154 d. The Strengthening of Relations between Egypt and the U.S.S.R. - the Collapse of Nanas' Government.......................................... 164 e. The Improvement of Economic Relations under the Wafdist Government, 1950-1952................ 191 Chapter Three: Soviet-Egyptian Relations under Nasir, 1952-1955......................... 205 A. Soviet Response to the July 1952 Coup D'etat.... 205 B. Stalin's Successors' Policy towards Egypt...... 211 C. Nasir's Neutralism and the Baghdad-Pact........ 239 ► i D. Nasir and the Non-Alignment Camp................ 264 Chapter Four: Egyptian Arm Deals with the Soviet Bloc and their Implications.............. 270 -6- A. Negotiations for Arms, 1954-1955.................... 273 B. The Conclusion of Arms Deals with the Soviet Bloc................................................. 278 C. British and American Response to the Arms Deal................................................. 296 Chapter Five: Soviet-Egyptian Economic Relations under the Military Regime, 1952-1955.......301 Conclusion................................................. 314 List of Sources........................................... 319 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis was carried out under the supervision of Professor Elie Kedourie. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for his unstinting help and advice and for his indefatigable patience. I would like to acknowledge the assistance extended to me by the staff of the following archives and libraries: The Public Record Office, the British Library, the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Middle East Centre at Saint Antony's College and the B.B.C. Written Archives in Great Britain; the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, the Harry S. Truman Library, the National Archives, the Washington National Records Center, the Princeton University Library, the New York Public Library and the United Nations Archives in the United States; the Israel State Archives, the Dayan Centre Library and the Library of the Tel-Aviv University in Israel. I wish to display my appreciation to the Anglo-Jewish Association, the Ian Karten Charitable Trust, Mr. Eric Nabarro and the Lara Trust, the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, Dr. Martin Peretz and the Clark Estates, New York, for their generous research grants. I would like to include Professor Israel Gershoni from the University of Tel-Aviv who supervised my M.A. thesis and provided me with the necessary encouragement and inspiration to pursue my Ph.D. studies. I would also like to mention Professor Itamar Rabinovich and Professor Yaacov Ro'i from the University of Tel-Aviv, former teachers, for their encouragement and knowledge. This work could not have been carried out without the invaluable support and generosity extended to me by Mrs. Sylvia Kedourie and her family. It would therefore be appropriate to dedicate this work to them, to convey my deepest gratitude and love. Finally I would like to thank my parents and family for their ceaseless support and love. -8- PAR^ ONE DOCTRINE VIS-A-VIS REALPOLITIK