BRITISH EMBASSY, No. 12 (10113/1/55) CAIRO. SECRET January 24, 1955. EIPU Sir, i With reference-to your circular despatch No. 078 of the 9th of September, 1953, I have the honour to transmit herewith a summary, arranged chronologically, of the principal events which occurred in Egypt during 1954 and also to offer my comments on the main trends. '2. The year was remarkable both for the efforts displayed by the men of the regime and for the results achieved. In the field of foreign affairs, after prolonged and arduous negotiations a solution of the Anglo-Egyptian dispute was found in the Agreement of the 19th of October and a promising beginning was subsequently made in establishing confidence and promoting co-operation between the two Governments. At home the position of the regime was consolidated by the elimination of General Neguib; who, though nominally the Leader of the Revolution,;had become the rallying point of elements hostile to it, and by the paralysing blows dealt to the Moslem Brotherhood, the only remaining political force capable of organised opposition. The regime also survived some ill-conceived attacks on it by the political assassin. Although it increased the already large number of its enemies and made few friends, it founa itself at the end of the year master of the situation, though facing with some understandable hesitation the major problems of political evolution and economic progress. The members of the Council for the Revolutionary Command, all of whom bef9re the end of the summer had assumed ministerial responsibilities, shewed surprisingly few \signs of strain or fatigue. Colonel Nasser emerged as '.the dominant figure in the Council: his self-confidence and his sense or mission increasing with experience, while the modesty of his manner did not suffer in the process. Unfortunately he continued for his .../countrymen The Right Honourable . Sir Anthony Eden, K.G., M.C., M.P., etc., etc., etc. f1 1 1 Frr^> ^Tl l / ^^>S~7f5" \nzia 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 COPYRIGHT - NOT TO BC~"R£P»ODUCED PHOTOGRAPHICALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION
countrymen to be on the whole an unsympathetic figure and even the attempt on his life did little to enhance his popularity for any length of time, while the intensive publicity accorded to him by the Government propaganda machine from May onwards failed to endear him to the masses, , ' 3 ' The conflict within the Army Movement between authoritarian and democratic ideals and the less conscious struggle between those of Western and Islamic Socialism, which were referred to in my review of the events of 1953 (paragraph 4 of my despatch No. 14 of the 18th of January. 1954) developed with unexpected rapidity in the first months of 1954. That of Islamic Socialism. as represented by the Moslem Brotherhood, came to a head in January with the arrest of Hodeibi and several hundreds of his followers. That of a return to constitutional forms and political life was raised in an acute form by General Neguib in March. Both, however. remained unresolved until the autumn. The Brotherhood's leadership was then destroyed and the lavement as a whole disorganised, and, with the deposition of General Neguib the prospect of an early return to parliamentary government receded further into the future. Though there was much personal sympathy for the General, his _ disappearance from the political scene caused hardly a ripple in Egypt itself: it was recognised either as^an uSortunate necessity or as the inevitable consequence of his own shortcomings, according to the sympathies 01 r^ The regime's efforts to find a successor
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y% Coauikn^ M*}*Mi « . so Tfce elimination ! Atajor Khaled Uohieddin and his socialist influence left the Council!ideologically more homogeneous. It was inevitable however that there should be differences, at least of emphasis, on matters of policy. Tho principal issue appears, understandably enough to navo been that of political evolution, in regard to which Wing Commander Gamal Salem (supported by his brother)
.../was - 3 - was more apprehensive of the results of parliamentary rule than Colonel Nasser. Differences between the impetuous Salem brothers on the one hand and Colonel Nasser and his immediate supporters, General Amer and Wing Commander Boghdady and even the rest of the Council for the Revolutionary Command on the other, extended to other fields also. In particular Major Salem's handling of the Sudan, his approach to Arab problems and even his appreciation of the Palestine question were not entirely to the satisfaction of his colleagues. Nevertheless Colonel Nasser appeared to recognise that the regime could not afford a further crisis for the time being and that, however serious the disadvantages of a Minister of National Guidance who could not control his own tongue or of a Deputy Prime Minister who saw every issue in absolute terms of principle, he could not do better, at least in the short term, than make do with the material at hand. At the same time the influence of the two brothers almost certainly decreased towards the end of the year. ' • - • • • | 6, Within the Army the Council for the Revolutionary Command claims to have fimproved its position. Though the bulk of the officer strength probably remained essentially neutral, the Council for the Revolutionary Command succeeded, by a policy of eliminating doubtful elements and of giving promotion on the basis of merit, in increasing the. numoer of its supporters and thereby its hold on the Armed Forces as a whole. Similar tactics with the Police paid good dividends also. 7. In the country at large an effective, if dangerous weapon was forged out of the syndicates (invariably subservient to a strong government in this country) and organised labour largely replaced the student body as the political spearhead. The National Guard also proved its value in times of internal crisis. An effective discipline was imposed .on the Universities (critics of the regime among teaching staff and students alike who < showed their hand during the March crisis having been removed) and a new student organisation - with what results is not yet known - was launched. Except in the matter of the syndicates, the success of the Liberation Rally was however limited, and the regime was still unsupported by anything approaching a mass movement or an electioneering machine when 1955 dawned. It is doubtful whether the Land Reform, though it weakened the opposition, won
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much positive support for the regime in the countryside. The disruption of the Moslem Brotherhood, though if. • welcomed by the minorities, particularly the Copts and even by educated and westernised Moslems, perplexed the Moslem masses, large numbers of whom, including many stable elements, had joined the Brotherhood for purely religious reasons. f; I: 8. . Nevertheless, the number of responsible people who either recognised the outstanding achievements of the regime or realised that, if the Army Movement \^>-. failed, worse might come in its place, probably "..)!' increased. There was also widespread appreciation in responsible circles of the regime's earnest endeavours to remain free of corruption, and somewhat grudging Kfl, recognition of its financial and economic policy which enabled the recovery achieved in 1953 to be maintained, and also of the remarkable, if expensive, efforts of the Minister of Municipal Affairs (Wing Commander tin Boghdady) to provide much needed amenities in the capital and at the same time to give work to some unemployed. The substantial American economic aid, which was made available and accepted shortly after the signature of the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement.and the advantages in terms of Unitea Kingdom-Egyptian trade which v/ere expected to derive from the Agreement itself v/ere held to'offer prospects of increased economic prosperity 'in the coming year. 9. As regards foreign affairs, and in the first instance Anglo-Egyptian relations, the signature of the Heads of Agreement in July brought about a marked improvement in the atmosphere. Following the conclusion of the Agreement itself relations between this Embassy and the Egyptian (kjvemoent/ including it/0 officials, became as friendly and confident aa tb^v had been, with few exc^ions.
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12. Egypt's relations with Turkey reached their nadir early in the year following the "expulsion of the Turkish Ambassador. After the signature of the Heads of Agreement in July, a gradual improvement set in and by the end of the year relations were more cordial than . they have been for many years. Egyptian and Iraqi leaders thus came to the same conclusion that an understanding with Turkey was essential and differed only in method, the Egyptians favouring an informal rapprochement and the Iraqis something more specific. The rapidity of the change in the Egyptian attitude is remarkable, particularly when the difficulty experienced in including the reference to Turkey in the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement is remembered. 13. Egypt's record in .the Sudan was unfortunately far less satisfactory. Major Salah Salem's unscrupulous handling of tne problem and in particular his open interference in favour of one faction, the National Unionist Party, continued, though by the end of the year the Major had learnt much and, alarmed at a prospect of political and administrative collapse in the Sudan, was prepared to abate his earlier ideas of "unity" between the two countries. 'There were, moreover, indications that Colonel Nasser's attitude was one of greater realism and that :his influence was likely to be brought to bear on the problem. 14. In regard to Israel too, in spite of irritants such as the "Bat Galim" case, Colonel Nasser was careful to restrain, with few exceptions, his or his Government's statements of policy, while in private discussion with Mr. Nutting and myself, and later with MX-. Shuckburgh, he shewed a: disposition to seek for a new approach towards the problem of a settlement. 15. I cannot conclude this summary without at least a reference to United States' influence. The anxiety of the State Department and not least 9f my United States colleague to- see an Anglo-Egyptian Agreement reached'quickly was'followed, once the Agreement was signed, by a desire for and a rather unrealistic expectation of quick results in terms of Egyptian alignment with the West. Not perhaps fully realising that in advocating the "Northern Tier" C9ncept of Middle Eastern Defence and at the same time expecting great things of Egypt, they were pursuing objectives that to some extent at least were incompatible, they 9 J W T
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felt that the Egyptians, who before the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement had "been emphatic in their assurances of their attachment to the cause of the West, were back- sliding. 16. To sum up, Egypt's revolutionary regime succeeded during the year in greatly weakening its enemies and thus negatively at least strengthened its own position. Though the Council for the Revolutionary Command developed into what is by Egyptian standards an efficient Government the Army Movement failed conspicuously to evolve into a truly National Movement and the risk of the assassination of its leaders almost certainly increased. From the point pf view of longer term stability, the inability of the regime to find a successor to General Neguib can only be regarded as a further failure. On the other hand, Colonel Nasser and some at least of his colleagues gained in experience and have probably learned to appreciate the importance of timing. The chances are that they will not allow themselves to be rushed -either in domestic or foreign affairs, and their newly acquired caution is likely to be to the advantage of all concerned. """I ' _ v 17, I am sending copies of this despatch to the Head of the British Middle East Office, and to Her Majesty's Representatives at Baghdad, Beirut, Amman, Bahrein. Damascus, Jedda, Taiz, Tripoli, Tel Aviv, Washington, Paris and Ankara. I have the honour to be, Sir, With the highest respect, Your obedient Servant, (For H. M. Ambassador) 2 i t—~pr--~x _S-* 1 4 I \\ *"*% CL "~7 C"" 1 1"7 5'V"( I " T-,3 AFRICAN DEPARTMENT EGYPT Al^D SUDAN References to former releraot papers (How disposed of) CONFIDENTIAL EGYPT SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS, 195*1 DATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Jan Ij- Expulsion of Turkish Ambassador after an incident between him and Lt. Col* Abdel Nasser* Jan 12 Clash at Cairo University between Moslem Brotherhood and Liberation Rally stu- . dents. Jan 13 . New Companies' Law to I . replace Law 13& of 19^7 ! made some concessions to foreign capital. Jan 1V15 Dissolution of Moslem Brotherhood* Several hundred Brethren, in- cluding Supreme Guide, arrested. Jan 21 Renewed Israeli complaint in Security Council against . ; Egyptian restrictions on tran- • sit of the Suez Canal. / Jan 30 Fuad Serag el Din senten- ced to fifteen years penal servitude. Feb 3 Oil prospecting Concession in the Western Desert granted to the American wConorada" Company. Feb 20 Hostile Egyptian reaction to the Turco-Pakistani Pact. Feb 25 General Neguib deprived of all his offices and Col. Nasser appointed Prime Minister. Feb 2? General Neguib restored to the Presidency of the Republic after trouble with the Cavalry involving Major Khaled Mohieddin. Feb 23 Disorders in Cairo and soma casualitles. The C.R.C. denounced a "United Front" conspiracy of Communists, Socialists, Wafdlsts and Moslem Brothers. Some 250 persons were arrested and the Universities closed for two weeks. • , . • . - 2 - DATE , ' FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Mar 1/2 General Neguib and Major Salah Salem visited Khartoum for the inauguration of Parliament "but returned next day after riots caused the postponement of the ceremony, Mar 5/ Five British servicemen Lt, Col. Abdel Nasser - 25 murdered March 15/19 in announced on March 5 "the retaliation for the murder Intention to set up an elec- on March 11 of an Egyptian ted Constituent Assembly, to police officer by British meet on July 23. General servicemen. Egyptian Neguib re-appointed Prime police co-operation with- Minister on March 9« A held. vigorous campaign in the Cairo press for the restora- tion of civil liberties, a strike in the Universities and the resignation of five civilian Cabinet Ministers were followed on March 25 by an announcement by the C.R.C. that political life would be resumed forthwith. Civilian Cabinet Ministers withdrew - their resignations. Politi- cal parties and press resumed their customary noisy activity. Political detainees, including Supremo Guide and leading Moslem Brothers were released. Mar 20/ State visit of Xing Saud 2S to Egypt. March 29 After a three-day strike organised by the C.R.C., the Joint Council of C.R.C. and Cabinet announced the sus- pension of the Resolutions of March 5 and 25, and the proposed establishment, in- stead, of an advisory Consultative Assembly. Apl 6 Major Khaled Mohleddin left Egypt on a "tour of Europe". Apl 12 Statement by H.M.G. that the situation in the Canal Zone would have to improve before there could be any question of a resumption of negotiations. . Klj i*.. '• -.i? \ '•:'••*• 3 FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Members of the old political parties who had held office between 19^2-52 deprived of political rights and the right to hold public office for ten years. Apl 19 Resignation of Dr. el Emary and five civilian Cabinet Ministers. Lt. Col. Abdel Nasser resumed the Premiership. Apl 27. Trial of Mahmoud and Hussain Abu'l Fath (former in absentia). Apl 22 .Arrest of a number of army officers (mainly supporters of Major Khaled Mohieddin) and civilians (allegedly members of the "United Front") on charges of seditious conspiracy. Sixteen were brought to trial and onjJune 15 twelve were given prison; sentences. May 30 Murder of the fcritish military escort of a N.A,A.F.I. vehicle in • Ismailla. .,,.-/; May 31 British absentee Twenty-five civilians Indicted serviceman shot in Suez. for the formation of a secret society, the National Democratic Front, associated with the Communist Democratic Movement for National Liberation. (Sentenced September l). Jun 1 Tension in Canal Zone reduced on instructions from Egyptian Government, Sabri Sarouql and some other gangsters removed from the Zone. i June 21 Nahas and Mme. Nahas released from house arrest imposed on them in September 19i53» June Agreement between Egyptian Government and the foreign oil companies operating in Egypt reached after personal intervention of Lt. Col. Abdel Nasser. FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS £10 m released to Egypt under the Sterling Releases Agree- ment, 1 it Jul 10 Resumption of Canal Zone negotiations by Egyptian Prime Minister and H.M* Ambassador. • July 12 Certain restrictions on sterling imports removed by Egyptian Government, July 25 Arrival in Cairo of H.M. Secretary of State for War. July 2? Initialling of the Heads of Al Hodeibi and Abu'l'Fath Agreement between H.M.G. and criticised the Anglo- the Egyptian Government on Annual meeting of the Moslem Brotherhood Constituent Assembly confirmed al Hodeibl In office for life. Secretary-General of the Brotherhood and four other members deprived of Egyptian nationality by the Government for treasonable activities abroad. Mahraoud Abu'l Fath similarly deprived. Sep 2& Arrival of Mr. Antony Nutting in Cairo for the final stages of the Anglo-Egyptian nego- tiations, s.s. BAT GALIM arrested by Egyptian ' authorities at Suez. Got 19 Signature of Anglo-Egyptian Agreement on the Suez Canal Base Area, i Oct 26 Moslem Brotherhood attempt on the life of Lt. Col. Abdel Nasser at Alexandria. Oct 30 Arrest of al Hodeibl at Alexandria after four days of country-wide arrests of Brotherhood members. Nov l Special Tribunal under the Presidency of W/Cdr Gamal Salem set up to deal with "treasonable activities". - 6 - FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Agreement signed on U.S. economic aid to Egypt > to amount to $4-0. m. in the fiscal year 1955. . No. 9 Trial of Mahmoud Abdul Latif, . Lt. Col. Abdel Nasser's would-be assassin, opened. (Sentenced to i doath December 4-). ! Nov Recoil of Gen.: Aly Negulb Trial of 44 members of Communist from his post as Egyptian D.M.N.L. opened. (Sentences of Ambassador in Damascus* imprisonment on J6 announced on December 30) • Nov Deposition of General Neguib. Nov 17 ix.- , Presidential powers delegated by ,-; ^ Cabinet to Lt. Col. Abdel Nasser. Nov ...... (Trials of al Hodeibl, Supreme Dec 5 !Guide of Moslem Brotherhood 1 • / (Sentenced to death and reprieved, December 4-), and members of the Brotherhood's Terrorist Section. Nov- Egyptian irritation at ; Dec unsympathetic attitude of j Arab States over Moslem Brotherhood and defence • ) issues allayed by under-- standings reached during Arab League meeting, Nov 29-Deo 11. Dec 6 Instruments of ratification of Anglo-Egyptian Agreement exchanged in,Cairo. Egyptian readiness to release "BAT GALIM" announced in Security Council, Dec 7 Death sentences on six Moslem Brotherhood terrorists carried out, Dec 11' Trial of thirteen Jews charged with arson and espionage committed during July began before a Military Court. Dec 16 Egypt agreed to appointment of British successor to Sir R. Howe as Governor- General, Sudan. 1 fl * ' ' ' / , 1 FTO.-STI i Mt^S-?.^- 1*7210 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 COPYRIGHT - HOT TO BfREPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHICALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Series of Cabinet meetings to review domestic and foreign policy began. Arrival of new Turkish Ambassador to Egypt.