Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-16
BY 1T. GEN. JOHN
BAGOT CLUB

bAOO1 OLODO
LONDON, Mar. 16 (NANA).-
During the three months proceed
ing my dismissal. the Jordan
government, for the first tint
in its IS years of existence. faced
serious internal disorders. Thest
disorders were largely instru.
mental in causing the termina-
ton of my services. The Baghdat
Pact was the ostensible cause Of
the riots. When Iraq signed the
pact with Turkey in February
1855, the hitherto latent hostility
between Egypt and Iraq fiarec
up for all to see.
An Arab countries profess
hostility to Israel, but Jordan
alone is seriously threatened BY
Israel. Jordan has 400 miles Of
frontier with the Jewish state
Living thus under a constant
threat. Jordan is anxious that
all the Arab countries should
support her in the event Of an
attack. Her policy is therefore
to remain on friendly terms with
all the Arab countries.
Jordan accordingly viewed
with alarm the widening split
between Iraq and Egypt.
Spar for Leadership
Egypt's opposition to the
Baghdad Pact is partly due tc
her fear that Turkey will there
by become the leader of the Mid
die East. Egypt herself aspires
to this leadership and regards
both Britain and Turkey a.
rivals.
Jordan's policy is almost En-
tirely dominated by the threat
from Israel. Her desire for Arab
unity is largely dictated by her
need for Arab allies. But mem
bership in the Baghdad Pact also
offered considerable advantages,
1t would have brought her pow
erful new allies in Turkey, Iran
and Pakistan, and a marked in
crease in the strength of the
Arab Legion.
But here lay the problem:
could Jordan acquire Turkey,
Iran and Pakitsanas allies with
out losing her existing allies,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria?
While this crucial question
was under debate in Amman,
Egyptian propaganda went into
action. The technique was to
make an emotional appeal to the
people over the heads Of
Jordan as far as foreign affairs
are concerned. The majority
have not enough background
knowledge to form an opinion,
but they are susceptible to q
passionate and unreasoning
emotional appeal.
The Egyptian publicity ma
chine denounced the Baghdad
Pact as a Zionist plot to sell out
Jordan to the Jews.
Tied Up Traffic
While the Jordan King and
government were still debating
their policy. the schoolmasters
acted. The Communists and ex-
IRENE Nationalists had many
converts among schoolteachers.
When a riot was proposed, the
technique was for schoolteachers
to turn the children into the
streets. The crowds Of children
blocked traffic and, by throwing
stones, compelled the shops to
close. Then the roughs. the
refugees and the Communists,
Joined in. For four days in De-
cember, 1855, the crowds surged
up and down the streets of AM
man, shouting slogans against
the Jews, against imperialism,
the Baghdad Pact and King
Hussein.
The government was thrown
into complete confusion. It
could not decide whether to dis
perse the crowds by force or
not. Eventually the government
collapsed. A new government
took Office, pledged against the
pact.
All persons arrested were re-
leased. 1t was surrender to mob
law. The riots ceased in triumph
for the rioters. It was obvious
that henceforward the crowd
would repeat the process when
ever anything annoyed them.
and stable government would be
impossible.
The Arab Legion had hitherto
devoted itself to training for
war. In IS years Of its life the
Legion had never fired a shot
against a civilian crowd.
Stable Amid Storms
Every other Arab county had
experienced revolutions. riots,
coups d'etat. dictators. Jordan
alone had been stable as a rock
amid the raging storms of Mid
die East politics. But obviously
times had changed. The fort
night after the December riots
was spent preparing a Legion
action plan for the inevitable
next outbreak. Moreover, we
persuaded the new government