Saying No to a Close Friend: Suez Crisis of 1956

Eisenhower Presidential Library
Abilene, KS

April 2023 Evenings at Ease program

Guest speaker: Scott Finney

During the Suez Crisis of 1956, Dwight Eisenhower made a very difficult decision not to militarily support the United States closest ally in World War II. Eisenhower made this difficult decision for three main reasons: he feared the situation would turn into a full scale war involving the Soviet Union, he felt the British government miscalculated the level of threat that Gamal Abdel Nasser posed as Egyptian President, and he knew that Anglo-American relations would be damaged and in need repairing after he made this decision. But despite these difficulties, Eisenhower made his decision and employed sound crisis leadership skills in working through the crisis.

These programs are all made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.