On September 14th time ran out. Three hundred British and European pilots walked off the job without any notice. Traffic in the canal halted abruptly with no one to guide the ships.
Nasser was furious. The British were once again playing games with the lives of Egyptians. He ordered Younis to keep the canal working no matter the cost.
“It is not a matter of cost, your excellency. It is a matter of safety,” said Younis. “Our pilots are simply not ready. Most have only had rudimentary training on how to navigate the canal and operate the vessels.”
“We have no choice. If the world sees that we cannot operate the canal then the British will be proven right and the U.N. will demand an international authority to operate the canal,” said Nasser. “Chief Engineer Younis, you must get those ships moving…now.”
Nasser hung up the phone and Younis was again feeling nauseous. After a few moments of uncertainty, he realized that his country was counting on him, his crew of engineers and young pilots. He would throw up later. He told his assistant to place the personnel folders of all the pilots on his desk immediately.
He spent the next hour going through the files, examining each of the pilot’s background and test results. He settled on a twenty-six-year-old that had scored exceptionally high in his engineering classes at Cairo University. His name was Ali Nasri. He called the training supervisor and ordered him to have Nasri report to headquarters immediately.
Nasri arrive thirty minutes later. He had been training to navigate an old freighter in Lake Timsah when he received a notice that the chief engineer wished to see him. He thought he was in trouble. He was right.
Younis explained the situation and informed Nasri he would be the first Egyptian in history to navigate a freighter through the Suez Canal. It was a great honor. Nasri went to the toilet and threw up.
A speed boat carried Nasri to the freighter and pulled alongside. He climbed the pilot’s ladder and boarded the ship. The captain of the ship asked what the hell was going on. Nasri informed him that he would pilot the ship from this point forward. The captain looked very worried and asked, “Have you ever piloted a ship this size before?”
“No,” said Nasri.
“Have you ever piloted any ship before?”
“By myself… no.”
“This is insane.”
“This is Egypt and if you want your ship to proceed through the canal you will turn over your bridge to me. Otherwise, your freight can rot.”
The captain thought for a long moment. It was tradition that the pilot was responsible for the vessel while it was under his command and if the ship was sunk or ran aground the pilot, and not the captain, would be blamed. It didn’t seem to make the captain feel much better. Still, Nasri was right. Egypt controlled the canal and supplied the pilots. If Nasri was selected to pilot his ship, the captain had no choice but to accept. He stepped out of his captain’s chair and away from the ship’s controls. “You have the bridge,” he said.
“Thank you,” said Nasri.
He looked at the control panel and realized he had no idea how to operate this ship. The ships he had trained on were old pre-war freighters. This ship was new. It didn’t even have a steering wheel to operate the rudder. The ship was controlled by thrusters. The crew on the bridge stared at him waiting for orders. He turned to the first mate and said, “Take her into the channel.”
“Aye, master pilot,” said the first mate, who in turn gave orders to the crew on the bridge to get the ship underway.
Nasri didn’t want to just stand there so he stepped to the window and peered through his binoculars as if searching for something. The crew cast off the ship’s lines, releasing the vessel from the pier.
The ship began to move. Nasri took a deep breath and tried to relax. The crew seemed to know what they were doing. He knew most of the way through the canal and what he didn’t know he could use the buoys to guide him… he hoped. Allah, don’t let me run her aground, was his silent prayer.
As the vessel sailed into the channel, Nasri looked over at the shore. There were a dozen Egyptians cheering, including Younis. Nasri took heart. I can do this, he thought. With God’s help, I can do this.
Hour after hour, the Egyptians held their breath and waited, especially Nasser. He received reports every thirty minutes on the ship’s progress. There was nothing he could do but hope and pray. All of Egypt’s dream were held within the bridge of that ship.
After fourteen hours, the vessel cleared the mouth of the canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea. Nasri turned the bridge back over to the captain. “That was some damn fine piloting, son,” said the captain, feeling like a proud father.
“Thank you,” said Nasri.
He climbed down the ladder and entered the pilot’s boat. Tears welled up in his eyes. It was over. He had not embarrassed his country. He thanked Allah and planned on going to the nearest mosque in Port Said for his evening prayers.
As the boat approached the pier, Nasri looked out the boat’s windshield and saw thousands of Egyptians on the concrete pier and thousands more on shore. They were cheering wildly. Nasri was a national hero.
Eden was livid. Nasser was elated.
THREE
September 29, 1956 – London, England
The British commonwealth was totally unprepared for the nationalization of the Suez Canal. At 10 Downing Street, Eden was unhinged. Many in Parliament, including several in his own party, blamed Eden for antagonizing Nasser by shutting down the funding for the Aswan Dam project. Immediate action was demanded. But there was little Eden could do short of sending British troops back into the canal zone and seizing control once again. That was not a good option. The international community was displeased with Nasser’s actions but few wanted to see Britain return to its imperialistic heavy-handedness. Eden was stuck.
A few days after the nationalization of the canal became formalized, Eden received a request from the French ambassador. The ambassador and General Maurice Challe - Deputy Chief of Staff of French Armed Forces – wanted to meet with Eden in private, away from the office, to discuss the Egyptian situation. Eden was curious. He invited them to a weekend lunch at his country estate outside of London. They accepted.
October 14, 1956 – Buckinghamshire, England
Chequers Court or Chequers as it is commonly known was the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The 16th century manor house is in Buckinghamshire at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. It sits sixty-five kilometers north west of central London. Nobody is sure where Chequers got its name but many suspect it came from the chequer trees that grow on its grounds. Others believe the name came from the coat of arms of the original owner which featured the chequer board of the Exchequer. It didn’t really matter but it made for a nice bit of trivia during afternoon tea.
Chequers was a tranquil place to relax from affairs of state and to entertain foreign dignitaries when privacy was required. It was a criminal offense for anyone to trespass on the estate and it was heavily patrolled by British security forces.
Eden was giving the French Ambassador and General Challe a tour of the estate’s greenhouse when Challe offered a unique solution to the current state of affairs of the Suez Canal nationalization. “We have developed a strategy that could benefit both Britain and France,” he said.
“You have my undivided attention,” said Eden.
“Israel will attack Egypt through the Sinai and threaten the Suez Canal. Once the Israeli forces occupy the entire Sinai including the east bank of the Suez Canal, Britain and France will demand an immediate ceasefire. Nasser can never accept a ceasefire with Israeli troops on Egyptian soil. It would be political suicide. He will refuse. Britain and France will be forced to intervene to force the two antagonists apart and to protect the canal from damage. Our joint troops will occupy the canal zone and give Egypt a good throttling as punishment for taking over the canal in the first place,” said Challe.
Eden was shocked by the boldness of the plan
but also intrigued. “What makes you think the Israelis would go along with such a plan?” said Eden.
“The Israelis are anxious to get at the Egyptians before they receive the balance of their arms shipments from the Czechs. They want to hit Nasser while he is still weak. Give him a bloody nose, degrade his military and erode his support with the generals.”
“…and the people I would imagine,” added Eden.
“The Israelis will also be sending a message to the other Middle Eastern countries not to fuck with Israel unless they want their own armies destroyed.”
“Interesting… But one can never trust the Israelis. They have little concern for international politics beyond their own self-interests.”
“In this case, their interests are our interests.”
“I can see that but what makes you so sure they will accept a ceasefire when the time comes?”
“The Israelis need access to the Red Sea so they can trade with the Far East. The Egyptians have denied them access through the Suez Canal and the Straits of Tiran. Their southern port in Eilat is useless. If they were guaranteed free navigation through Straits of Tiran they would be satisfied.”
“Their price for peace?”
“Their price for participating in a risky operation. France believes it is a just and reasonable request.”
“Who would guarantee their access? Surely not Jordan.”
“No. I imagine the U.N.”
“They would trust the U.N.?”
“They don’t have much choice if they want peace in the Middle East. They will be more likely to accept such a mission if it is their proposal to begin with. We can imagine that the Americans might propose something along those lines. Eisenhower believes in peacekeeping.”
“Interesting. And the Israelis will retreat from Sinai when the time comes?”
“Yes.”
“I assume you have already discussed this with the Israelis?”
“Yes. Preliminary discussions have gone well. They are onboard… so far.”
“How do we know the Israelis won’t sell us out and brag to the entire world that we are their secret allies?”
“We don’t but it is not in their self-interest.”
“…at the moment. But what about later?”
“We are not saying this strategy is without risk. But all three of our countries want Nasser marginalized.”
“I don’t want him marginalized. I want him destroyed.”
“One never knows what can happen in a war.”
There was a long silence as Eden considered. “Your thoughts?” said the French Ambassador.
“I would like to see more. The devil is in the details as they say,” said Eden.
Challe pulled a set of maps from his briefcase and the conversation continued.
October 16, 1956 – New York, USA
At the request of the Secretary General of the United Nations and at Eisenhower’s urging, Eden sent Lloyd to negotiate peace with Egypt at the U.N. Upon arriving in New York, Lloyd received a cable from Mahmoud Fawzi - Egypt’s foreign secretary, saying he was looking forward to their discussions and was hopeful they could find a peaceful resolution. Lloyd was less enthusiastic.
To Lloyd’s surprise, he found that discussions did go well and the two foreign secretaries made progress toward a workable solution for the security of the canal and appropriate compensation for investors in the Suez Canal Company.
When Lloyd called Eden to inform him of the progress, the response was not what Lloyd had expected. “Yes. Yes. Well done, Selwyn,” said Eden. “Now, I want you to break off negotiations and fly back to London.”
“What? Why?” said Lloyd.
“The why is not important right now. You will understand more once we meet. I don’t wish to explain over the phone. One never knows who might be listening.”
Eden hung up. Lloyd was crestfallen.
October 21, 1956 – Paris, France
Brigitte sat in her officer working on her Café Wars story when the phone rang. It was her contact at the airport. He told her that the Israeli Prime Minister’s plane had just landed. Ben-Gurion, Perez and another man that he didn’t recognize had exited the plane along with a large security detail. Brigitte slammed the phone down and raced out of the office.
She was on her way to the airport in a taxi when she saw a convoy around a limousine headed toward the center of the city. She told the driver to turn around and follow the convoy from a discreet distance. The driver questioned her motives until she showed him her press credentials. He shrugged and followed the convoy.
Brigitte was surprised when the convoy did not go to the government center in Paris but instead headed out of the city. She told the driver to continue following the convoy. He obeyed. It was going to be a good fare.
October 22, 1956 – Sèvres, France
No sooner had Lloyd arrived back in London than Eden sent him to Sèvres, France – a commune ten kilometers outside of Paris and away from the prying eyes of the press. His mission was to negotiate a secret Anglo-French-Israeli military pact with the principal aim of overthrowing Nasser and securing the Suez Canal.
When Eden explained his intentions, Lloyd understood why Eden did not want to go to the meeting himself. Deniability. Eden did not want to be seen collaborating with Israel in any way. For Eden, any sign of allying with the Israelis would be political suicide and greatly endanger Britain’s relationship with the Arab nations. Britain needed to look like they were reluctantly dragged into the conflict and were only acting as peacekeepers. A noble knight coming to the rescue. Dean accompanied Lloyd to the meeting.
The French played matchmaker between the British and the Israelis. Bourgès-Maunoury, General Challe, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Christian Pineau represented France in the negotiations. The French were not as concerned with appearances because of their close relationship with Israel. They had a common enemy in the radical Muslims and Israel had been helpful in providing intelligence about arms sales to the Algerian rebels. France was Israel’s western defender in the U.N. Some saw French support of Israel as an apology to the Jewish people for France’s cooperation with the Nazis during the occupation.
Ben-Gurion attended the meeting along with Perez and Moshe Dayan - Chief of Staff for Israel’s Defense Forces. There was a huge amount at stake for the Israelis. They would be committing almost their entire armed forces to the operation. Failure was not an option. Ben-Gurion did not trust the British. He remembered what it was like under British occupation and the way the British treated the Israelis. He had hoped to meet Eden so he could look him in the eye to judge his intent.
On arriving at the villa, Ben-Gurion soon realized that a meeting between the two leaders would never materialize. If the Israelis were to agree to the operation it would need to be on faith alone that the British and the French would not abandon them once they had committed their forces. It was a very risky proposition, but the potential rewards would be great.
Ben-Gurion resented that Israel was being used as a prostitute to provide services to the two western powers and he let the others know his mind. The perception could not be helped but it did not sit well with the Israeli Prime Minister. However, the French proposal could very well have been Israel’s only opportunity to attack Egypt with the help of not one but two great western powers. It was a chance to destroy Nasser’s military might and badly damage his reputation in the Arab world in one bold stroke. It was an opportunity that the Israelis could not pass up.
Eden had instructed Lloyd that the operation was to be expanded to include a bombing campaign targeting Cairo. Eden believed that if the Egyptian people were under direct threat, they would overthrow Nasser. The military leaders that took Nasser’s place would sue for peace to prevent the rest of their army from being destroyed. Neither the French nor the Israelis liked the idea because of the potential for massive civilian casualties but they needed Britain to participate and agreed. Cairo would be bombed.
The discu
ssions were held in a private villa and lasted three days. The outcome was the most famous and well-documented war plot in modern history. The Israelis codenamed their part of the plan Operation Kadesh, while the French had codenamed the French and British part of the plan as Operation Musketeer, and later after some alterations to the second phase, Operation Revise.
The document produced by the discussions came to be known as the Protocol of Sèvres. It was written in French and only three type-written copies were created, one for each country. At the end of the meeting, the Israelis insisted that the document be signed by all parties involved. They knew that if a signed document existed, even in secret, the French and the British would be less likely to betray them. The British especially would not want to risk exposure of the treaty. Ben-Gurion signed for Israel. Pineau signed for the French. Lloyd was hesitant. He handed a pen to his assistant Dean and said, “Congratulations, Sir Patrick. Your first treaty. You’re now part of history.”
Dean was also hesitant, but he knew he had little choice in the matter. He initialed each page, signed all three copies and placed one in his briefcase. The other two copies went to Pineau and Ben-Gurion. Each placed their copy into their individual briefcases.
October 24, 1956 – Sèvres, France
Lloyd and Dean left the villa together. Both men were exhausted after the long negotiations and Dean was particularly agitated that he had been required to sign the treaty. His signature was the only concrete evidence of British participation in the cabal. It was a shit sandwich that he did not enjoy eating.
Sèvres Protocol Page 5