No event in post World War II diplomacy has been more written about than the Suez crisis of 1956—and for good reason:

it signaled the fall of British power and influence in the Middle East. But most accounts, based on limited information, have focused on the invasion of Suez and the collusion between Britain, France, and Israel as the turning point in Washington's break with London and its assumption of power in the region. Now, using the most up-to-date U. S. sources and recently opened British records, Steven Freiberger has written the most definitive account to date of the Suez affair. His book is rich with fresh interpretations based on new evidence. Mr. Freiberger argues that the Suez crisis was only the culmination of years of American irritation with British imperialism in the Middle East; that the Eisenhower administration developed a coherent anti-colonial plan; that Washington used the Suez crunch to pressure Anthony Eden's removal as prime minister; and that in the end American strategy was a failure—it alienated the Arabs and permitted Soviet expansion in the region.

Dawn Over Suez

is an important reappraisal of a critical period in American diplomacy and offers keys to understanding our present-day problems in the Middle East.