Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1951-10-12
The World Today
THE BRITISH ELECTIONS
BY James MarIow


WASHINGTON dPl-The tail
of the British lion has been given
another agonizing twist in the
Middle East, this by the Egyp-
tians.
They threatened to drive the
British out of the Suez Canal
area and the Sudan. It was sharp
timing.
They acted while the prestige
of the British was hitting a new
low in the Middle East as q
result Of the oil dispute with
Iran.
Only last week the British suf-
fered one of their worst humili-
ations when the last of their oil
technicians were kicked out of
Iran.
This month the British voters
will decide between Prime Min
ister Attlee's labor government
and Winston Churchill's conserva-
tiveS.
Undoubtedly the Iiranian fiasco
will hurt laborite hopes of re-
manning in office This Egyptian
move will hurt them further.
When he was Prime Minister
during the war, Churchill said he
had not become his majestys
first minister to preside over the
liquidation of the empire.
It's possible but questionable
that if Churchill had remained in
office Britain's power and pres
tige would have Jared better. The
voters replaced him with Attlee
in 1945. At any rate, Attlee must
stand the blame
The British have been in Egypt
in one way or another, since they
shipped Napoleon in 1901. They
got share of the Suez Canal in
1875.
They formed a protectorate
over the country in 1914 when
Egypt ceased to be part of the
Turkish empire. This protectorate
ended in 1922 when the Egyptian
Kingdom was established.
Still, the British have kept a
hand in Egypt. In particular, two
treaties with the British have
been a fostering sore with the
Egyptians. One gives the British
joint rule with them over the
Sudan.
The other, mutual defense
tready supposed to run until 1856,
allows the British to keep troops
and planes in the Canal Area to
guard it.
The Egyptian want the Sudan
solely under Egyptian control.
they argue they can do by them
selves all the guarding the Can
al needs. So desire to get rid of
the British, and talk of breaking
the treaties, is not new.
But Egypt's Prime Minister
Mustafa Nahas Pasha, leader Of
the nationalist party, introduced
in cheering parliament bills to
cancel out the treaties. He said
Egypt isn't going TO wait any
longer.
AT this point the two unanswer-
ed questions are; ID Will Egypt
go through with this threat, and
try to drive the British out by
force, if necessary? 81 Will the
British let the Egyptians get
away with it? The British blus-
tered about handling the Iraniali
but in the end trotted out mildly
when told to go.
Nevertheless, in London the
British Foreign Office said Brit
ain would refuse to recognize any
Egyptian cancellation of the treat
les with Britain.
Still, the United States and
other members of the Atlantic
Pact nations which last month
brought Turkey and Greece into
their alllance-haVe a stake IN
what happens to the Suez Canal
It's tied in with any defense
the Atlantic alliance hopes to
build in the Middle East against
Russia With Britain, a member
of the alliance, in control of the
Canal, a shortcut route to India
and the Pacific through the
Mediterranean would be kept
open.
What would Egypt do about
keeping that canal safe for the
allies, if she had full control?
Egyptians have professed friend
ship with the west in preference
TO tie-up with Russia.
At thesIpaaff tRsS4 Middle E.akt s