Web Page No 2556

16th February 2019

Suez Crisis

1st Picture. The Blocked Canal

2nd Picture. Anthony Eden and John Selwyn Lloyd in Downing Street

3rd Picture. President Nasser

4^th Picture. Cartoon of the time

The Suez Crisis,  we were aware that this was going on but we were too young to understand and the fact that it was also known by two other names the Suez War or Suez Campaign did not help. It was a 1956 war fought on Egyptian territory. The conflict pitted Egypt against an alliance between France, the UK and Israel. The European nations had economic and trading interests in the Suez Canal, while Israel had a pressing need to open the canal for Israeli shipping. By the conclusion of the war, only Israel enjoyed significant gains.

The roots of the crisis extend back to 1952, when officers in the Egyptian army overthrew the monarchy under King Farouk. Abandoning policies which were co-operative with European powers, the new government undertook a more nationalistic and assertive stance. This led to conflict over the Suez Canal.

Throughout 1956, conflict increased between Israel and Egypt, with Israel launching frequent incursions into Egyptian territory and Egypt increasingly defending itself. Egypt, under the leadership of President Gamal Abdul Nasser, blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba and closed the Suez canal to Israeli shipping. At the same time, Egypt nationalized the canal, a vital trade route to the east, in which British banks and business held a 44% stake.

The British Prime Minister Anthony Eden needed to persuade the British public of the need for war and so, perhaps in an attempt to recall World War II-era patriotism he compared Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal with the nationalism of Mussolini and Hitler 20 years earlier. Eden claimed that a display of force was needed to prevent Nasser becoming another expansionist military threat of the 'Mussolini of the Nile'.

In the months that followed Egypt's nationalization of the canal, a secret meeting between Israel, France and Britain took place outside Paris. All parties were agreed that Israel should invade and that Britain and France would subsequently intervene, instruct the Israeli and Egyptian armies to withdraw their forces either side of the canal, and then place an Anglo-French intervention force in the Canal Zone around Port Said. It was to be called "Operation Musketeer".

On October 29th, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula and made rapid progress towards the canal zone. As per the agreement, Britain and France offered to reoccupy the area and separate the warring armies. Nasser refused the offer.

The campaign progressed as planned at first, but the European forces never reached the canal itself. Although Israel captured the Gaza Strip the whole episode is usually regarded in Britain as an embarrassment. Eden was forced to resign because of a combination of ill health and opposition from the Labour Party and from within his own party over the invasion of Egypt.

The invading forces were forced to withdraw in March 1957 under pressure from the United States, which saw good relations as being more important than defending Anglo-French interests.

There were a few thousand casualties, mostly Egyptian, many civilian. In the course of the invasion it is claimed that the British stormed an Egyptian police station that held out under intense fire and killed almost all the policemen inside. There were claims of atrocities: it is reported that the French were seen machine-gunning to death peasants who had jumped into the canal in fear.

Part of the pressure that the USA used against Britain was financial, as Eisenhower threatened to sell the United States holdings of the British pound and thereby precipitate a collapse of the British currency.

The crisis also greatly improved Nasser's standing in the Arab world. It also hastened the process of decolonization as the remaining colonies of both Britain and France become independent over the next several years.

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On this day 16^th February 1960-1965.

On 16/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was 18 US figure skaters killed in air crash.

On 16/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

On 16/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 16/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Canada's Maple Leaf flag raised for first time