Podcast Summary

Empire, Episode 285: Suez Crisis – The Secret Meeting Between Israel, Britain & France (Part 2)

Hosts: William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
Guest: Alex von Tunzelmann
Release Date: August 27, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode offers a gripping breakdown of the dramatic, behind-the-scenes events preceding and during the Suez Crisis of 1956. It centers on the complex and secretive plotting between Britain, France, and Israel in response to Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal, against the volatile backdrop of Cold War superpower tensions and simultaneous uprisings in Eastern Europe.

Key Discussion Points

1. Personal Rivalries and the Road to Crisis (00:59–03:21)

• The hosts revisit the deeply personal animosity between British PM Anthony Eden and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, set up by an infamous dinner in 1955, after which Eden became fixated on ousting Nasser.
  • [03:01] Alex: “When Eden said this to his Minister Anthony Nutting... Nutting was really shocked. I mean, this was a... completely horrendous thing to say. That was not normal at all. Which is why Nasser wrote it all down in his diary.”
• Eden’s growing obsession is seen as uncharacteristic—even unhinged—given the rare consideration of assassination at this level of diplomacy.

2. Nasser’s Nationalization of the Suez Canal (03:21–11:40)

• Nasser’s pivotal nationalization of the Canal was announced following the US and World Bank pulling funding for the Aswan Dam project, a major symbol of postcolonial development and Egyptian sovereignty.
• [05:21] Alex: “The CIA... thought he was a very useful man to them in the Middle East, someone they could do business with. ... They thought he wasn’t a communist, not in league with the communists.”
• The speech in Alexandria was a masterful piece of political theatre: Nasser used the name “de Lesseps” as a code word to launch the nationalization takeover.
  • [08:33] Alex: “Nasser paused for a moment and then said, ‘Today, in the name of the people, I’m taking over the company... Tonight our Egyptian Canal will be run by Egyptians.’ And the crowd erupted...”
  • [09:04] Anita: “Oh my word, that is so Tippoo’s Tiger living again and growling again.”
• The move was legal—“Nasser nationalizing the Suez Canal Company was not illegal,” Alex explains [09:24]—but Eden viewed it as a provocation and an existential threat.

3. The Diplomatic Fallout: US, UK, France, and Middle Eastern Powers (11:40–15:23)

• The US, led by Eisenhower, quickly and firmly opposed Britain and France’s plans for military intervention—even warning Eden against such action.
  • [14:04] Alex reads Eisenhower’s letter: “[expressing horror at] your decision to employ force without delay or attempting any intermediate and less drastic steps... unwisdom even of contemplating the use of military force at this moment.”
• France, under Guy Mollet (himself recently humiliated in Algeria), is drawn in partly by its own colonial anxieties and anger at Nasser, whom Mollet saw as responsible for inciting anticolonial unrest.

4. Israel's Role & The Shifting Global Alliances (15:23–19:39)

• The hosts reflect on the surprising secret collaboration with Israel, then only eight years old as a state, led by Ben Gurion.
• Israel’s politics leaned left, and its leadership had tense relations with Britain—making the alliance with Eden doubly unexpected.
  • [17:49] Alex: “All of that summer, Britain and France were planning an open invasion of Egypt... But meanwhile... the French come up with this wizard wheeze of why don’t we talk secretly to Israel?”

5. The Sevres Secret Meeting and the Protocol (21:38–26:18)

• Ben Gurion, accompanied by Shimon Peres and Moshe Dayan, secretly meets French and British representatives in Sevres to plot a war under feigned pretenses.
  • [22:10] Alex: “The French really didn’t like Shimon Peres... thought he was badly dressed and they called him the man in the blue suit.”
• The plan: Israel would “spontaneously” invade Sinai, giving Britain and France a pretext to intervene as ‘neutral’ peacekeepers, issue an ultimatum, and then use Egypt’s inevitable refusal to justify seizing the Canal and toppling Nasser.
  • [25:08] William: “The whole idea of a fedayeen raid, a mock one, is entirely plausible... a lot of this stuff is going on, isn’t it? It’s in the news every week.”
• The plan’s secrecy is immediately undermined by leaks—exposing the collusion almost as soon as it’s agreed.
  • [28:17] Alex: “Basically what happened almost immediately... it took days to leak out that this was not real.”

6. Military Operations and International Perception (26:18–31:28)

• Military planners had grave doubts—the operation’s timeline, objectives, and post-invasion plans were unclear.
  • [26:42] Alex: “Even Britain and France’s original invasion plan... was not considered militarily feasible by the planners in Britain... There was no plan for what would happen after they’d toppled Nasser.”
• The ultimate demand for both Israel and Egypt to withdraw “10 miles from the canal” was logistically ludicrous, exposing the sham.
  • [29:30] Alex: “This meant... the ultimatum... actually asked Egypt… to withdraw 135 miles. While Israel, the aggressor, was actually being told to advance 115 miles into Egypt.”
• British officials recognized the chaos:
  • [30:55] Alex: “A Foreign Office official asked another what was going on and the man pointed at Downing Street and said, 'Don’t ask me, ask that fucking madman over there.'”

7. The Concurrent Hungarian Uprising (31:28–36:37)

• Simultaneously, a massive, spontaneous anti-Soviet uprising erupts in Budapest—fueled by Khrushchev’s “de-Stalinization” speech and widespread Hungarian resentment.
  • [34:16] Anita: “He was so completely despised, Rákosi, that his nickname... was ‘Asshead’... the cry was 'down with Asshead!'”
• The Soviet Union interprets the unrest as CIA troublemaking, while the CIA is caught off guard and the US sees little it can do, given Hungary’s landlocked position.
  • [35:28] Alex: “The CIA hadn’t thought Hungary was a place that the first anti-Soviet revolution would start... The CIA is saying, wow, we had no idea this was going to happen.”

8. Mistrust and the Brink of World War III (36:37–39:19)

• The simultaneous Suez and Hungary crises trigger paranoia on both sides of the Cold War.
  • Khrushchev suspects a coordinated US plot; Eisenhower remains in the dark regarding British-French collusion.
• [38:21] Anita: “Does anybody at this time mention the phrase World War III?”
  • [38:21] Alex: “It’s literally the phrase that everyone is then saying... both pull in the Soviet Union and the US... these sort of levels of mistrust get to a very, very high level.”
• The episode ends on this knife-edge, with the world’s memories of recent war compounding the terror of imminent global conflict.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:01] Alex von Tunzelmann: “When Eden said this to his Minister Anthony Nutting... Nutting was really shocked. I mean, this was a... completely horrendous thing to say. That was not normal at all.”
• [08:33] Alex von Tunzelmann: “Today, in the name of the people, I’m taking over the company... Tonight our Egyptian Canal will be run by Egyptians.”
• [09:04] Anita Anand (on Egyptian parade): “That is so Tippoo’s Tiger living again and growling again.”
• [14:04] Alex von Tunzelmann: (quoting Eisenhower’s letter) “Your decision to employ force without delay or attempting any intermediate and less drastic steps... unwisdom even of contemplating the use of military force at this moment.”
• [22:10] Alex von Tunzelmann (on Shimon Peres): “The French... called him the man in the blue suit.”
• [26:42] Alex von Tunzelmann: “There was no plan for what would happen after they’d toppled Nasser... absolutely no thought about any of this.”
• [29:30] Alex von Tunzelmann: “The ultimatum... actually asked Egypt… to withdraw 135 miles. While Israel, the aggressor, was actually being told to advance 115 miles into Egypt.”
• [30:55] Alex von Tunzelmann: “A Foreign Office official asked another what was going on and the man pointed at Downing Street and said, 'Don’t ask me, ask that fucking madman over there.'”
• [38:21] Alex von Tunzelmann: “It’s literally the phrase that everyone is then saying [World War III], partly because these two things happen at once... levels of mistrust get to a very, very high level.”

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Content Highlight | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:59 | Introductions and reminder of Nasser-Eden rivalry | | 03:21 | Eden’s growing desire to remove (even kill) Nasser | | 05:21 | Why the US (esp. CIA) viewed Nasser as a valuable, non-communist asset | | 08:33 | Nasser’s dramatic announcement: nationalization of Suez Canal | | 09:06 | Eden learns of the Canal’s nationalization during a dinner with Middle Eastern royalty | | 11:40 | US warnings: Eisenhower’s strong opposition to military intervention | | 14:04 | Reading of Eisenhower’s rebuke to Eden | | 15:23 | Israel’s evolving place in Cold War alliances; Ben Gurion’s background | | 19:06 | Ben Gurion’s arrival in Paris; context for Sevres meeting | | 21:38 | Who attends the Sevres secret meeting; French attitude to Peres | | 23:01 | The Sevres Protocol: plan for Israeli invasion and Anglo-French intervention | | 25:08 | Context of Palestinian fedayeen raids; plausibility of Israeli pretext | | 26:42 | Why the plan was doomed: lack of post-invasion planning, instant leaks | | 28:17 | Rapid leak of the secret and public exposure | | 29:30 | Military fiasco: ultimatum logistics make no sense | | 30:55 | Foreign Office exasperation at Eden | | 31:28 | The Hungarian Uprising: causes, popular anger, Soviet response | | 35:28 | CIA/Soviet misreadings and intelligence confusion | | 36:37 | US and Soviet mutual paranoia; fears of wider war | | 38:21 | “World War III” terminology in government; Cold War anxiety |

Tone and Style

The episode is dynamic—blending sharp wit, vivid detail, and dramatic storytelling. Banter between William and Anita keeps the conversation lively, while Alex von Tunzelmann's detailed, sometimes acerbic analysis provides clarity and a dose of dark humor. Memorable metaphors and imagery—such as “Tippoo’s Tiger growling again” and the “cat out of the bag, meowing furiously”—bring history to life. The tone balances playful asides with grave reminders of the era’s real risks and tragedies.

Conclusion

This episode tells the labyrinthine tale of the Suez Crisis with a focus on the strange bedfellows and serpentine diplomacy between Britain, France, and Israel. The hosts and guest explore the machinations that led to a war and nearly triggered World War III, paralleling the equally incendiary Hungarian uprising. It ends with the world on a cliff edge—haunted by fresh memories of global war and staring into the abyss once again.

For those who want to know what happened next, the hosts urge listeners to join the Empire Club for early access to future episodes.