Word: nasser
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Moscow Message. Most disturbing of all, the Soviet Union gave an added edge to the Middle East crisis by hinting that unless the Western powers curb the Israelis, Moscow may increase its arms shipments to the Arabs. Gamal Abdel Nasser's undeclared war of attrition against Israel has backfired badly. Instead of turning the Suez into a "sea of blood," Nasser has egged Israel into sending its commandos deep into the Nile valley and its bombers right up to the gates of the Egyptian capital. In alarm, Nasser turned to his Soviet sponsors for help, and Moscow obliged...
Perhaps the only really angry men around are students and some army officers. After last week's air raid, knots of students gathered on street corners to chant "Strike, strike!" They were demanding that President Gamal Abdel Nasser attack Israel. As for the army officers, they remember all too well the humiliation of 1967 and are eager to strike back. War Minister Mohammed Fawzi has whetted the appetites of the army by calling 1970 "the year of liberation...
Certainly, Israeli strategists would be delighted if Nasser were to be toppled as a result of their war of nerves. Though no alternative to Nasser is in sight, proponents of the present strategy argue that in any case the strikes have delayed a new round of full-scale fighting by at least five years. Nasser has admitted that he is in no position to liberate the Sinai Peninsula at present. Israeli losses from shelling on the Suez have plummeted from a monthly peak of 30 killed and 76 wounded in July to 5 killed and 20 wounded last month...
...Egyptian morale. In response to the raids, slit trenches are being dug around Cairo's airport; public buildings and monuments in the capital are being sandbagged, and a nighttime brownout is in effect. In recent weeks, army vacations were canceled and extra guards positioned around military installations. When Nasser dropped out of sight for several days, rumors swept Cairo that he had flown to Moscow to demand offensive weapons. The rumors were denied...
Remember how the French reluctantly confirmed that deal for the sale of some jet aircraft, maybe 15 or so, to Libya's new pro-Nasser regime? How Defense Minister Michel Debré later admitted that about 50 Mirage 5 ground-attack planes would actually be sold, but neglected to mention that 30 Mirage IIIE fighter-bombers and 20 Mirage III trainers were also included? How Debré grudgingly revealed two weeks ago that around 100 jets, rather than 50, were involved after all? And how, finally. Premier Jacques Chaban-Delmas soberly declared: "Our compatriots can be sure that...