Egyptian Communists and the Free Officer Regime in the Mid-1950s: Conflict and Confrontation

Abstract

The publication of the document Draft Tactics. For the Overthrow of the Military Dictatorship. For the Establishment of a National Democratic Government is preceded by an introductory article which examines the development path of the Egyptian communist movement. The focus is on a key moment in the history of the movement, namely the communist attempt to oppose the military regime of the Free Officers established in the country in 1952. Having failed to become their ally, the Egyptian supporters of the Marxist idea chose a course of open confrontation with the army officers. A typewritten copy of the Draft Tactics is held at the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (RGANI). This document is part of a larger dossier that includes minutes from the August 1955 meetings of the “unity committee” that resulted in the creation of the Unified Egyptian Communist Party. The documents were translated from Arabic by Soviet embassy officials in Cairo and, according to a note accompanying the dossier and signed by Soviet Foreign Minister A.A. Gromyko, were sent by Soviet Ambassador in Egypt D.S. Solod to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, from where they were forwarded to the CPSU Central Committee.