Sèvres Protocol

by David Lee Corley

  It was enough to strike fear into the Mujahideen. They knew the French gunships and the destruction they were capable of inflicting. Some of the veterans broke and ran. They had no intention of facing the gunships’ cannons, rockets and machine guns. Better to run and take one’s chances before it was too late.

  The Sikorskys banked hard and flew back around. The second pass unleashed hell on the mujahideen that were brave enough to stand and fight. Anyone not hidden behind a large boulder died. Rockets first, then cannons. The machineguns followed with a raking barrage. The survivors broke and ran.

  The truck drivers and the French soldiers cheered. The lieutenant wanted to cry but held back his tears. He was an example after all… and a hero. There will be medals, he thought.

  Bruno and his paratroopers had already disembarked from their troop transport helicopters behind a hill. The helicopters had flow away so as not to give away Bruno’s position. He had predicted the direction the mujahideen would flee once their lines broke. He was right on the money. The French held their fire until dozens of mujahideen had flooded over the hilltop. Then the paratroopers opened fire on Bruno’s signal.

  The mujahideen were completely surprised and twenty fell dead in the first few seconds of the battle. Others ran towards another hilltop until they saw a large airplane flying overhead and sixty-five parachutes floating down directly in their path.

  It was Coyle flying his C-119. He found the backdoor of the mujahideen escape and slammed it shut with a load of paratroopers. It was a proven formula that Bruno and he had devised.

  For the rebels the situation was hopeless. The mujahideen threw down their weapons, kneeled and put their hands in the air. The French paratroopers swept in and took them prisoner. They would be a treasure trove of intelligence once they had been interrogated.

  It was early the next morning before Bruno and his men made it back to the airfield outside Algiers. Coyle was waiting for him as the helicopters landed. “Your new mousetrap worked out well,” said Coyle. “How did you come up with it?”

  “They never should have shot me. I had time to think while lying in my hospital bed,” said Bruno.

  “How are you holding up?”

  “I am a bit sore but it is just a matter of time and exercise.”

  “You speak from experience.”

  “I do. I am getting good at being shot.”

  “You might not want to make it a hobby.”

  “Yes. Yes. I agree. It would be a bad hobby.”

  “How did you get the army doctors to release you from the hospital so soon?”

  “I started doing pushups and squats in the morning. They said I was disturbing the other patients.”

  “Interesting strategy. Are you up for a coffee and croissant?”

  “Yes. Yes. But I need to eat my raw onion first.”

  “Now that’s a nasty habit.”

  “I just survived a second bullet to the chest. You might not want to lecture me on what is healthy and what is not.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  “Would you like an onion? I have plenty.”

  “I’d rather take the bullet.”

  “That is why you fly planes and not jump out of them, Coyle. You are soft.”

  “No. Just sane.”

  They laughed and walked off in search of coffee and croissants.

  July 22, 1956 – Cairo, Egypt

  Nasser stood over a conference table studying the drawings of the Suez Canal. Mahmoud Younis, an Egyptian engineer, explained how the canal worked. “The canal is not a canal in the traditional sense. It’s more like a river or waterway between two seas. There are no locks required in the canal since the water levels between the Red Sea and Mediterranean are almost identical.

  The shores of the canal are too narrow to allow two-way traffic, therefore we use a convoy system. Thirty-eight ships sail one way one at a time through the canal then the direction reverses and thirty-eight ships sail in the opposite direction. It takes twelve to sixteen hours for a convoy to pass through the canal.

  The ships sail in the center of the canal since that area is the deepest. At night or when there is fog, buoys guide the way. There are four control towers that monitor the convoy’s progress and spacing. The ships need a half kilometer of water between them to navigate freely. Even then if a ship should need to stop it can take one and a half kilometers to slow to a full stop. Since only one ship can fit in the canal’s deepest channel, there is little room for error once a convoy starts moving.”

  “What if there is an accident?” said Nasser.

  “It depends on how serious the accident. If two ships collide but stay afloat there is no serious harm to the canal. But if a ship runs aground it can block the canal and prevent any ships from passing.”

  “How long does it take to clear a ship that has run aground?”

  “A day at the minimum. But a ship that runs deep aground can require a dozen tugs to pull it free and that can take a week or more.”

  “What happens if a ship sinks?”

  “That is the worse-case scenario. If a ship sinks in the deep channel it could block the canal for months. The only way to remove a sunken ship is to refloat it if the damage is not too bad. Otherwise, it must be cut into pieces by underwater divers and pulled out using cranes on barrages. As you can image, that is laborious and costly.”

  “I see.”

  “That’s why we use pilots to take control of the ships as they make their way through the canal. They know the canal inside and out. They become the captain of each vessel while it is in the canal zone.”

  “How many pilots are there?”

  “About three hundred.”

  “And how many are Egyptian?”

  “None… that I know of.”

  “Well that is not good. We’ll need to train some… quickly. You seem to know a lot about the canal.”

  “I am an engineer.”

  “You work for the canal company?”

  “Yes. I work on the dredging team.”

  “Good. You will be the new chief engineer and head of our new canal company.”

  “Wait… What?!”

  “Smile. You’re being promoted.”

  “But there is so much I don’t know.”

  “I suggest you learn quickly. Your country needs you. Don’t fuck up my canal. The new company will need a name. Something that reflects authority. See to it.”

  “Yes, your excellency.”

  “Now… How exactly do we take control of the canal?” said Nasser.

  “There are four control points. One is at Port Sayid on the Mediterranean. Another is at Port Suez on the Red Sea. There are two more that control traffic on Great Bitter Lake and Lake Timsah. Headquarters for the Suez Canal Company is in the city of Ismaïlia on Lake Timsah. If you control those points you control the canal.”

  “Very well. I want you to draw up plans for taking control of the canal on my command. How many men will it take? What type of weapons will you need?”

  “But I have no military training.”

  “Of course not. You’re an engineer. What does a general know about taking and operating a canal? This is your job. I am confident you will not fail me,” said Nasser with a smile.

  Younis was not so sure, and thought he might heave his breakfast after Nasser left.

  July 26, 1956 - Alexandria, Egypt

  Nasser loved giving speeches. His blood ran hot as the crowds cheered. He was an excellent orator and the people loved him. They were his base of support. They kept him in power.

  Nasser’s speech in Alexandria was critical. The people were gravely disappointed after the news that funding for the Aswan Dam project had been cut off. They were losing hope that their miserable lives would change. Nasser needed to remind them of their destiny and revitalize their dreams. He also needed to work the name of the original builder of the Suez Canal into his speech. The name was the code word that signaled the teams that Younis commanded to seize
control of the canal. Nasser waited two hours into the speech before saying the name of Ferdinand de Lesseps.

  July 26, 1956 – Suez Canal Zone, Egypt

  On hearing the code word over the radio, Younis and his teams of engineers stormed the control points and headquarters of the Suez Canal Company. Younis had decided not to use professional soldiers but rather the engineers that he knew and trusted for the operation. He knew it was a risk, but he also knew that he needed the British engineers and pilots to continue operations until the Egyptians could be trained. Younis was concerned the Egyptian army might be too heavy-handed in dealing with the foreigners, many of whom were British.

  The management team of the Suez Canal Company knew Younis. When Younis and his men stormed into the headquarters, the CEO thought it was a bad joke. It wasn’t. Younis had orders from Nasser to shoot anyone that got out of line. That was the last thing that Younis wanted but he would do whatever was necessary to carry out Nasser’s orders. It didn’t take long before the CEO knew Younis was serious. It wasn’t the pistol in Younis’ hand that finally convinced the CEO that he was serious… it was his eyes. He ordered his managers and security guards to stand down. “You are making a big mistake, young man,” said the CEO.

  “You could be correct, sir, but it will be an Egyptian mistake,” said Younis.

  It only took thirty armed men to take control of the Suez Canal. It was a bloodless affair and no shots were fired. Younis did his best to reassure the British engineers and pilots that they were not in danger as long as they cooperated and committed no acts of sabotage against the canal. The engineers and pilots were outraged but did not resist. They believed it was just a matter of time before British troops arrived and retook control of the canal. It was too important an asset to leave in the hands of the Egyptians.

  July 26, 1956 - Alexandria, Egypt

  At the end of Nasser’s speech in Alexandria he announced that Egyptian forces had just seized control of the Suez Canal. The crowd went wild and broke out in a spontaneous celebration that last several days. Nasser loved it.

  July 27, 1956 – Washington D.C., USA

  In the White House, Eisenhower stood over his desk, looking down at a map of the Suez Canal and surrounding area. John Foster Dulles, the U.S. Secretary of State and his brother Allen Dulles, the Director of the CIA, were with the president.

  “I can’t believe Nasser thinks he can get away with this,” said Eisenhower.

  “He needed to do something after losing the funding for the Aswan Dam project. He was losing political support,” said Allen Dulles.

  “That was a bad call on my part,” said Eisenhower. “I never should have cancelled the funding. I left it to the British to control the situation with Nasser and Eden’s just made a big mess of it.”

  “We should have seen this coming,” said Allen Dulles.

  “We did. We just didn’t think it was a high probability,” said John Dulles. “We made a calculated guess and we were wrong.”

  “Alright. No use crying over spilt milk. What are our options?” said Eisenhower.

  “Unfortunately, Nasser is holding most of the cards at the moment,” said John Dulles. “He controls the Suez.”

  “Military interdiction?” said Allen Dulles.

  “No,” said Eisenhower. “We can’t keep solving every problem with a war. We need to solve this diplomatically.”

  “I am sure the British are furious,” said Allen Dulles. “Eden hates Nasser.”

  “I agree. Eden is a loose cannon when it comes to Nasser. If he gets involved any more than he is it will just make things worse. That’s the last thing we need,” said Eisenhower. “What about the U.N.?”

  “Everyone is condemning the Egyptians except for India and the Arab nations, oh and the Soviets of course. They are naturally concerned but recognize Egypt’s right to control its own land. Canada is somewhat neutral.”

  “Good. The Canadians could be of use as a mediator. Cooler heads must prevail. We don’t need another war, especially not with things already overheating in Hungary,” said Eisenhower.

  “What if we put together a conference of users of the Suez Canal?” said John Dulles.

  “Another conference? What will that solve?” said his brother.

  “Maybe nothing, but we cannot be seen as impudent. We have to do something,” said John Dulles.

  “A conference of users is not a bad idea,” said Eisenhower. “They are the ones that will be paying the tolls for their ships. They could threaten a boycott. It would show Nasser he could face consequences if he does not behave rationally.”

  “Do you really believe Nasser fears a boycott?” said Allen Dulles. “The Suez is the only alternative to the long way around the Horn of Africa. Nasser knows it and so does everyone else. I doubt there will be much of an appetite for a boycott.”

  “Apparently, Nasser fears very little. I don’t like what he did, but I admit it was ballsy,” said Eisenhower. “I agree with John. We’ve got to do something before this thing spins even more out of control. I don’t want the Soviets to gain any more influence in the Middle East than they already have. God help us if Egypt becomes a Soviet satellite state.”

  “Nasser is an opportunist, not a communist,” said John Dulles.

  “Yet,” said Eisenhower.

  “Nasser wants to be the leader of the Arab countries. He can’t do that if he’s a communist. The Arab leaders would never stand for it,” said John Dulles.

  “There is no telling what Nasser will do. We gave him a three-million-dollar bribe to join MEDO and he took our money but failed to join,” said Allen Dulles. “He is not someone we can trust, no matter what.”

  “Well, we are going have to start trusting someone in the Middle East or the Soviets are going to fill the vacuum,” said Eisenhower. “John, let’s try the conference idea and see what sticks. Allen, I want you to increase our reconnaissance flights over the Suez and Egypt. I want to keep a sharp on what Nasser is doing.”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” said Allen Dulles.

  July 28, 1956 – Adana, Turkey

  At the newly-constructed Incirlik US Air Base in Turkey, Gary Francis Powers performed a preflight check on his U2 reconnaissance aircraft before suiting up. His preflight check was more a habit than a necessity. There was an entire team of mechanics and engineers that maintained and watched over the U2s. The aircraft were an essential reconnaissance tool in the Cold War and one of America’s closest held secrets.

  The U2 was designed by the engineering wonks at Lockheed’s Skunkworks. She had massive wings and a long narrow fuselage. A single Pratt & Whitney turbojet engine achieved speeds of five hundred miles per hour and carried the aircraft up to her operating altitude of seventy thousand feet. The plane was difficult to fly and, because of the low-profile cockpit and small landing gear, almost impossible to land without a chase car providing a second set of eyes to instruct the pilot by radio when he had touched down on the runway. The fuel in both wing tanks had to be perfectly balanced to prevent the wings from tipping to one side or the other and dragging on the runway. The engineers nicknamed the aircraft “Dragon Lady” because she was extremely unforgiving to the pilots that flew her.

  Powers would put on his spacesuit before his scheduled flight and pre-breathe one hundred percent pure oxygen for one hour before take-off. The oxygen helped drive out nitrogen from his bloodstream and prevent decompression sickness during and after the mission.

  There were few pilots capable of flying the U2. Powers was one of the best. He knew the risks if he was ever shot down and captured. The CIA had offered him and the other pilots a suicide pill containing liquid potassium cyanide. It would cause death in ten to fifteen seconds once taken. Most of the pilots declined to carry it on their missions after one of the pilots mistook it for a piece of candy and almost killed himself while prepping for a flight.

  Once he was ready, Powers would be escorted to the aircraft and helped into the cockpit. The spacesuit made every m
ovement seem clumsy. He would wear the suit and fly the plane for up to twelve hours at a time depending on the mission.

  The aircraft had multiple types of instrument packages that could be placed into her belly pod. Once the mission was completed, the instrument package would be retrieved by CIA operatives and the image and data analyzed in a top-secret facility within the airbase.

  Today was a simple mission. Photography. His orders were to fly over the Suez Canal Zone and take high resolution photos of the canal and the surrounding area. The Egyptians would probably never even know he was there. Once he completed his primary mission, he was to fly back over the Sinai and photograph various strategic points of interest, including the Israeli border.

  He climbed into the cockpit and the engineers sealed him inside. The cockpit was partially pressurized to the equivalent of twenty-eight thousand feet which helped with temperature and icing of the windshield.

  The plane was towed out of its hanger and pulled to the end of the runway. Once the tow vehicle was clear and the tower radioed its okay, Powers fired up the engine and rolled down the runway, gaining speed.

  He liked flying the Dragon Lady. She was a challenge. He liked the feeling of being special. A hero, even if nobody knew it. I am the dragon master, he thought as he took off into the early morning sky.

  September 14, 1956 – Suez Canal Zone, Egypt

  The majority of the British engineers and pilots had stayed on with the Suez Canal Authority and the canal continued to operate smoothly. The British had claimed the Egyptians would fall flat on their faces and traffic in the canal would evolve into a log jam if it wasn’t for the British employees.

  Nasser knew that the British needed oil. He was counting on it. The British could not afford for the canal to be closed or even slowed without facing serious fuel shortages and a recession in their economy. Nasser was playing for time while Younis trained his Egyptian engineers and pilots to take over the entire operation.