Posted on 09/30/2006 9:14:54 PM PDT by Nextrush
Israeli Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan arrived in Paris on September 29th, 1956.
Four staff officers joined him and would remain in France to plan the pre-emptive attack on Egypt.
British Prime Minister Anthony Eden wanted the French to get assurances from Israel that they would not attack Jordan. He was worried that a Nasser-like coup might occur and about pro-Nasser forces winning an upcoming election.
Another member of the Israeli delegation, defense official Shimon Peres told the French there would be no attack but strong reprisal raids for the terror attacks coming across the Israeli border from Jordan.
A timetable for the Israeli attack was agreed upon. Between October 29th and November 5th, Israeli units would move across the Sinai desert towards the canal.
This would provide justification for Anglo-French military action in the area.
French naval forces would stand off the coast of Israel to prevent Egyptian attacks. French aircraft would also protect Israeli cities from attack.
French Foreign Minister Pineau was pleased after his meeting with Eden in London on October 30th. Eden appeared resolved to the eventual use of military force against Nasser.
Pineau was on his way to the U.N. Security Council meeting set to begin October 5th.
Eden still hoped to bring the United States to support the Anglo-French position that the canal should be under international, not Egyptian (Nasser) control.
He wrote a letter to President Eisenhower on October 1st noting that Nasser was a puppet of the Soviet Union just as Mussolini was a puppet of Hitler.
Eden's letter included this part:
"It would be as ineffective to show weakness now to Nasser in order to placate him as it was to show weakness to Mussolini. The only result was and would be to bring them together...." (Soviets-Nasser)
The next day Secretary of State John Foster Dulles dashed Eden's hopes with comments that could only give Nasser comfort.
Dulles' comments on the Suez matter sounded somewhat weak considering his harsh tone in turning down Egypt's Suez Canal loan only a few months earlier because Egypt was moving so close to the Soviets.
Dulles said that United States "cannot be expected to identify itself 100 percent with the colonial powers."
To be continued..............
All posted under keyword "1956."
Next I'll discuss the time around the U.N. Security Council session that began October 5, 1956.
I remember asking my father, at that time, why we were at odds with the British and French, that I thought they were our friends after all I had heard of WWII and Korea.
international, not Egyptian (Nasser) controlThe canal was under Anglo-French control; as that is two nations, I guess that qualifies as international.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.
also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]
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Related
The Lesson of Suez-Appeasing Arab radicalism only makes it stronger.
The Suez-Hungary Crisis: This Year in History:50 years ago (Diplomatic Dealings-September 1956)
The Suez-Hungary Crisis: This Year in History:50 years ago (Eastern Europe Resists-Summer 1956)
Lessons of Suez: Fifty years ago, two western powers conspired to invade an Arab country
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