TO: UNITED PRESS 30 BOUVERIE STREET LONDON
FROM: PETER WEBB

QUOTE GO HOME UNQUOTE

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS.

CANAL ZONE DASH BRITISH FIELD SECURITY POLICE UNITS SWOOP DOWN LAST NIGHT ON TEN MORE EGYPTIAN POLICE OFFICALS IN CANAL ZONE FOR ALLEGEDLY INCITING LOCAL EGYPTIANS TO CARRY OUT CAMPAIGN OF QUOTE NON CO-OPERATION UNQUOTE AGAINST BRITISH STOP BRITISH SECURITY OFFICERS FIRST ARRESTED CHIEF EGYPTIAN PUBLIC SECURITY OFFICER IN ISMAILIA CAPTAIN HASSAN TALLAT THEN AN EGYPTIAN POLICE OFFICER AND SEVEN CONSTABLES AT TEL EL KEBIR STOP ALL TEN WERE ESCORTED FROM ZONE BY BRITISH MILITARY THIS MORNING AND WARNED NOT TO COME BACK

QUOTE CATAIN TALLAT HAS BEEN PROMINENT IN ENCOURAGING LABOUR TO LEAVE AND HAS BEEN INCITING NON CO-OPERATION WITH BRITISH STOP POLICE POST AT TEL EL KEBIR HAS DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PREVENT LABOUR WORKING IN BRITISH GARRISON THERE UNQUOTE BRITISH MILITARY SPOKESMAN STATED

BRITISH BEGAN TO CRACK DOWN ON EGYPTIAN POLICE YESTERDAY WHEN FAYID POLICE CHIEF CAPTAIN LUTFI EL KHOLI WAS ARRESTED AND EXPELLED FROM THE ZONE STOP BRITISH CLAIMED THAT THE CAPTAIN HAD THREATENED LIVES OF EUROPEANS IN FAYID VILLAGE AND WAVED A REVOLVER UNDER NOSES OF EGYPTIANS WORKING IN GENERAL SIR BRIAN ROBERTSONS HEADQUARTERS TO INTIMIDATE THEM INTO LEAVING STOP FURTHER ARRESTS ARE EXPECTED STOP BUT THERE S NO REPEAT NO DOUBT THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN OF INTMIDATION OF WORKERS HAS HAD LARGE MEASURE OF SUCCESS STOP EVERY DAY ONE SEES TRUCKLOADS OF WORKERS HOUSEHOLD POSSESSIONS PILED HIGH QUITTING THE ZONE STOP THIS MORNING IN A SMALL VILLAGE NEAR FAYID THE WHOLE POPULATION WAS LEAVING WATCHED BY SARDONIC POLICEMEN WHO QUOTE ADVISED UNQUOTE THEM TO GET OUT STOP IN HALF AN HOUR THE VILLAGE WAS EMPTY WITH TRUCKS OVERBURDENED WITH REMNANTS OF HOMES LURCHING UP THE DESERT ROAD TO CAIRO

MILITARY COLLECT 230 GROUPS

TO: UNITED PRESS 30 BOUVERIE STREET LONDON
FROM: PETER WEBB

01101 ADD ARRESTS DASH BRITISH MILITARY AUTHORITIES TODAY CLAMPED NEWS BLACKOUT ON NUMBERS OF EGYPTIAN WORKERS WHO HAVE DESERTED JOBS IN ARMY INSTALLATIONS STOP LATEST UNOFFICIAL ESTIMATES PUT NUMBER OF DESERTIONS AT NEARLY FIFTY PERCENT OF ORIGINAL SEVENTY THOUSAND STRONG LABOUR FORCE STOP MANY OF THE WORKERS HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE BRITISH FOR AS MUCH AS TWENTY YEARS BUT UNDER PRESSURE FROM EGYPTIAN POLICE THEY’RE DRAWING FORTNIGHTS PAYING AND LEAVING ITEMS.

THIS MORNING DESTROYER CHEQUERS DASH IN WHICH DUKE OF EDINBURGH ONCE SERVED AS A YOUNG LIEUTENANT UNDASH BEGAN MOVING UP SUEZ CANAL TO ISMAILIA WHERE IT WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OFF TOWN ON LAKE TIMSAH STOP IT IS THE FRST TIME A BRITISH NAVAL VESSEL HAS BEEN STATIONED OFF ISMAILIA FOR MANY YEARS BUT RECENT RIOTS THERE HAVE MADE BRITISH AUTHORITIES REGARD IT AS POTENTIAL DANGER POINT STOP CHEQUERS PERFORMED SIMILAR TASK OFF ABADAH IN SOUTHERN PERSIA WHERE IT WAS PART OF TASK FORCE LED BY CRUISER MAURITIUS GUARDING BRITONS WORKING IN GIANT REFINERY

END IT: WEBB

MILITARY COLLECT 140 GROUPS

TO: UNITED PRESS 30 BOUVERIE STREET LONDON
FROM: PETER WEBB

1170 WEBB PART ONE BRITISH HEADQUARTERS

CANAL ZONE DASH EGYPTIAN CROWDS ASSISTED BY POLICEMEN HURLED COCA COLA BOTTLES AT EUROPEAN CARS AND PASSING PEDESTRIANS IN STREETS OF ISMAILIA TODAY AS SITUATION CONTINUED TENSE THROUGHOUT THE CANAL STOP TWO TRUCKLOADS OF COCA COLA WHERE OVERTURNED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN BY DEMONSTRATORS WHO DRANK SOME THEN HURLED EMPTY BOTTLES AT CARS AND EUROPEANS WALKING IN STREETS

QUOTE EGYPTIAN POLICEMEN HELPED CROWD DRINK COCA COLA AND THEN JOINED IN THROWING EMPTY BOTTLES STOP THEY MADE NO REPEAT NO EFFORT TO DEAL WITH THE DISTURBANCE UNQUOTE BRITISH MILITARY SPOKESMAN STATED STOP NO REPEAT NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED.

MEANWHILE BRITISH CONTINUED CRACKDOWN ON EGYPTIAN POLICE INTIMIDATING WORKERS AND RAN TEN MORE OUT OF THE ZONE TODAY STOP THEY INCLUDED CHIEF OF EGYPTIAN SECRET POLICE AT ISMAILIA CAPTAIN HASSAN TALLAT COMA AN OFFICER AND SEVEN CONSTABLES FROM TEL EL KEBIR POLICE POST AND CONSTABLE IN CHARGE OF POLICE HUT AT VILLAGE OF ABU SULTAN THREE MILES SOUTH OF ISMAILIA STOP ALL TEN WERE TAKEN TO SONAL BORDER BY BRITISH MILITARY POLICE AND WARNED NOT TO COME BACK STOP BRITISH ALSO EVICTED MARITINE CONTRACTOR AND PROPRIETOR OF QUOTE NATIONAL HOTEL UNQUOTE IN SUEZ NAMED ABDUL EL SHAMI STOP QUOTE EVERY CASE IS THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED BEFORE EVICTION IS ORDERED UNQUOTE SPOKESMAN STATED REQUOTE CANAL ZONE REMAINS OUTWARDLY QUIET BUT INTIMIDATION CONTINUES UNQUOTE

ON THE CANAL ITSELF BRITISH NAVAL UNITS REDEPLOYED TO QUOTE MEET AND POSSIBLE LABOUR TROUBLE ON THE CANAL UNQUOTE STOP WHILE DESTROYER CHEQUERS ANCHORED OFF ISMAILIA ON LAKE TIMSAH BRACKET CROCODILE UNBRACKET TO GUARD AGAINST FRESH OUTBREAKS OF VIOLENCE IN THE TOWN STOP DESTROYER CHEVRON SAILED FROM PORT SAID TO FAMAGUSTA CYPRUS TOWING LIGHTERS TO PICK UP FRESH STORES AND SUPPLIES FOR CANAL ZONE GARRISONS

MORE: WEBB

01171 WEBB PART TWO ADD SITUATION DASH SINCE THE NAVY TOOK OVER A WEEK AGO WHEN EGYPTIANS WALKED OUT A TOTAL OF TWO TWO SIX REPEAT TWO TWO SIX SHIPS HAVE BEEN BERTHED AND MOORED AT PORT SAID OF WHICH ONE TWO SIX REPEAT ONE TWO SIX WERE BRITISH STOP NAVAL HEADQUARTERS REPORTED TODAY THAT THE NEW CONVOY SYSTEM IN THE CANAL WAS WORKING QUOTE SATISFACTORILY UNQUOTE STOP

BUT MAIN BRITISH HEADACHE TODAY IS LABOUR STOP ALTHOUGH MILIARY UNWILLING TO REVEAL NUMBERS OF WORKERS DESERTING BRITISH EMPLOYMENT THE ROAD BETWEEN FAYID AND ISMAILIA TODAY CARRIED A STREAM OF RICKETY TRUCKS PILED HIGH WITH BEDDING FURNITURE POTS PANS ANIMALS AND ON TOP OF IT ALL THE WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES QUITTING THE ZONE STOP MORE ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE TOMORROW WHEN PAY PARADES AT MILITARY CAMPS ARE CONCLUDED STOP ITS EXPECTED BRITISH WILL BEGIN INFLYING REPLACEMENT LABOUR FROM CYPRUS MALTA AND MAURITIUS WHEN EGYPTIAN EXODUS IS COMPLETED AND THEY KNOW THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EGYPTIANS WHO HAVE REMAINED LOYAL STOP BUT IN THE MEANTIME MANY JOBS FORMERLY PERFORMED BY EGYPTIAN LABOUR WILL HAVE TO BE DONE BY TROOPS AT EXPENSE OF PERATIONAL COMMITMENTS

ENDS: WEBB