Purely Commentary

News analysts have fallen into the error
of believing that little is known about
Anwar el-Sadat, Abdel Gamal Nasser's
successor to the Egyptian presidency, and
that It is difficult
and too early to
judge his views
which may affect
policies in relation
to Israel and the
United States.
They haven't
searched suit i-
ciently. There is
an important vol-
ume which deals
with the life of
Nasser and in
which sufficient
reference is made
to Sadat to give
a pretty good idea
as to where he
stands on all cru-
cial world issues. . Anwar el-Sadat
Robert St. John, the eminent author who
has gained world fame for his biographies
of David Ben-Gurion as well as Nasser,
and whose world travels have elevated him
to a position of one of the most distin-
guished authorities on world affairs, told
the story more than 10 years ago in the
Nasser biography which he titled "The
Boss." It was published early in 1960 by
McGraw-Hill, and the book is out of print.
In view of the revelations about Nasser
and his associates in that important bio-
graphy, it is surprising that it has not
been reprinted. "The Boss" certainly would
make a best seller as a paperback.
• • •
It isn't a bit surprising that so few know
about the Sadat background as it was re-
vealed by St. John. The able author had
just returned from Israel where he began
work on a biography of Abba Eban.
He came across this commentator's column
which revived the story of Yigal Allon's
visit with Nasser in August of 1948, at the
time when the Egyptian forces, in which
Nasser held an officer's rank, suffered de-
feat at Feluja and in the Negev which
then became a part of Israel. Upon his
return home a few days ago, St John wrote
to us:
"I have been re-reading 'The Boss'
and find some highly interesting pass-
ages that throw a great deal of light on
the character of this man (Sadat) who
may have a lot to do with the future of
the whole Middle East, Israel included.•
St. John informed us that he' had only
one copy left of "The Boss," that it is
"autographed to Ruth (Mrs. St. John) and
I cannot part with it," and he struck the
right party to share with him the facts
he had gathered when he biographed Nas-
ser, this commentator having retained his
own copy of the book. It is not surprising,
therefore, that so few present-day writers
either know or are able to recall the story
of "The Boss," and we are fortunate to
be able to trace the story with the encour-
agement of our good friend St John.
• • •
In his message to us, Robert St. John re-
calls the experiences of a decade ago, the
interest Nasser always showed in Sadat, the

,

roles of the two men, the nihilism of Nas-
ser's successor. If we are to believe our
eyes as we re-read with St. John his own
story of the terrorist attitude of the present
head of the United Arab Republic we could
be thrown into a chill in anticipation of
what we may expect from the man who
now dominates in an important area and
who may be an even more responsive tool
of the Kremlin than his predecessor. To
quote from St. John's message to us:
"Now that Anwar el-Sadat has been
confirmed as Nasser's successor, it should
be of interest to your readers—what is
this new man really like?
"While I was doing the Nasser bik-
raphy, Nasser himself several times sug-
gested that I interview the eleven other
Free Officers who planned the revolution
against Farouk with him. Once, when be
repeated this suggestion and I replied
that I had seen them all, be said: 'Why
don't you see Sadat again?' And so I did.
Then, some time later, Nasser again said:
'Why don't you see Sadat atlas?' And so
I had three long interviews with Sadat.
It now seems very significant that Nas-
ser himself was so eager to have me
see so much of Sadat. Remember that
that was 111 years ago!
"These passages in 'The Boss' tell of
Sadat's great hatred for the British, bow
this hatred developed, of his plan to blow
up the British Embassy when it was full of
people, of his desire to hang Farouk and
a few hundred other people, of his various
imprisonments, of his scheme to help the
Nazis win the war, of bow he wasn't even
present the night Nasser made the revo-
lution because be had taken his wife to a
late film, and of his fight with Nasser the
day after the revelation over the matter
of executions.
"Some of this is very colorful stuff,
Phil, and all of it came directly from
Sadat's lips during our three long inter-
views."
St John is overly-modest in his evalua-
tion of his revelations of both Nasser and
Sadat "The Boss" now emerges of even
greater worth in studying the history of
our time. It is clear that Sadat was among
Nasser's most favored friends. St John
shows, for example, how in an election in
1957 which "was little more than a popu-
larity contest," Nasser eliminated opposi-
tion to 35 of his friends, including Sadat.
There is true value in tracing the Sadat
role as St. John exposed it We learn the
details about Sadat's having been named
by Nasser as minister of state in a 10-man
cabinet.
There are reminders of the role of the
moderate Mohamed Naguib, and it brings
back recollections of the report George F.
Pierrot brought us, in 1954, after his visit
in Egypt and with Naguib, that Naguib was
ready to make peace with Israel.
But others were rising up to destroy
Naguib and his moderation and in "The
Boss" St. John told about the young men
who rebelled against the Egyptian ruler
of that time—Naguib and his government.
About thse young revolutionaries St John
wrote 10 years ago:
"It was difficult for these hot-tempered
young men to be patient with the easy-
going Naguib. There was little in com-

men between him and a man like Anwar
el Sadat, whose specialty had always
been violent action. There was not even
much in common between Namdb, who
believed in conventional, democratic
methods, and Nasser, who had meet en-
gaged in. an assassinatioa attempt him-
self and only a few days before the rev°.
lotion bad serionoly considered the mar-
tier of a long list et opponents as a legiti-
mate way to power.. ."
The dispute as recorded here is a fasci-
nating account, raised in the brilliant style
of Robert St. John. Many important names
are linked with the revolt that ousted Na-
guib and brought to power Gamal Nasser,
who assumed the position of prime minis-
ter, with the office of preilident remain-
ing vacant temporarily. That was to be
assumed by Nasser some time later. "When
Naguib tried to telephone"—St. John writes
of the ouster of the Egyptian leader—
"he discovered the wires had been cut."
His house was surrounded by police, a
radio communique announced "he had not
been arrested, he was merely being asked
to stay in his house for a month or two."
His servants could not secure kerosene to
make his breakfast. Naguib, who "had been
pictured universally as a hero, not a vil-
lain," was soon completely out of the lime-
light. He remained under house arrest and
it would be well for history if it were known
what had actually happened to him since.
Thus St. John gives a full account of a
chapter in history that preceded the cur-
rent threatening conditions. He throws
light on the Nazi influences in Egypt, of
iliderites who were brought to Egypt by
King Farouk, and the author of "The
Boss" comments on the _Nazis who were
hosted by Farouk that "they were not
unpopular with Free Officers like Anwar
el-Sadat who had seen nothing wrong
with Hitler except that he lost."
Thus we begin to learn who Sadat really
was and what we can expect from him now.
Sadat was the emissary who delivered
the ultimatum to King Farouk in the name
of Naguib demanding abdication. Thus,
in earlier years Sadat had been associated
friendlily with Naguib. But Nasser's alliance
with Sadat preceded even that one, and at
one point Nasser's message to Sadat was
treated with suspicion by Mrs. Sadat. It
related to underground activities that did
not lack terrorist aims. The entire story as
related by St. John traces the Sadat role
from the very beginning. When the Egyp-
tians sought to destroy communication
lines in the early days of revolutionary
efforts, Abdel Hakim-Amer commented that
"Anwar el-Sadat is the man for that"
Another incident in "The Boss" mast be
quoted. St. John reported: "In May nu,
when Great Britain announced the deci-
sion to give up her Palestine mandate, she
declared she would not permit any United
Nations force in the country to keep
order until the withdrawal of her own
troops had been completed. 'This,' Sadat
said to Nasser, 'amounts to an invitation
to both Arabs and Jews to settle the dis-
pute by bloodshed.' "
These facts should serve as a guide in
understanding Sadat's aims and his un-
scrupulous tendencies. There are stories of
assassinations he had planned and of his

hatred for the British, the failures of some
such attempts and his successes in being
in the center of plotting revolutionary tac-
tics and anti-Israel objectives.
St. John's "The Boss" should be studied
carefully because it presents in the earliest
portions of the book—Pages 46-48—the polit-
ical ideas of the man who now rules Egypt
as Nasser's successor. It reveals Sadat's
relationships to and attitude towards the
Moslem Brotherhood and the Nazi ideolo-
gies that infested Egyptian political ac-
tivities.
In the aspiration for peace in the Middle
East and for an end to warfare, the world
powers should feel indebted to Robert St.
John for his expose of the Egyptian leader-
ship and of Anwar el-Sadat Last week the
new Egyptian ruler said "we shall not
surrender or yield even a handful of dust
from Arab soil," and he again vowed an
endless war against Israel. To be able
to confront him we should know and un-
derstand his tactics. We learn about them
in Robert St. John's "The Boss."
• • •
Robert St. Joh&s newest assignment
must be recorded, and this commentator
is pleased to be the one chosen to do so
by his eminent Christian confrere.
Eight New York publishers, among them
the best known in the land, were bidding
for the Abba Eban biography. Doubleday
won, and the assignment went to Robert
St. John. The book is to be published by
the end of 1971. It will be the fifth Middle
East biography to be written by Bob St.
John, the others being of Ben-Gurion, Nas-
ser, Eliezer ben Yehudah, in "Tongue of
the. Prophets" and the conglomerate "They
Came From Everywhere." The Eban biog-
raphy will be St. John's 20th book. He wrote
to us from Jerusalem:
"We spent four days in London interview-
ing Eban's mother and other members of
the family and close friends. . The
. essly she
mother, 80, is forgetful and caret
disposed of ALL the letters she had re-
ceived from Abba during the last 50 years
-letters worth a king's ransom—
whatever that is. As fate's compensation,
we (St. John and wife Ruth, who accom-
panied him) were given access by a uni-
versity friend of his to several hundred
letters be wrote (all longhand) in the 1930s
and 1940s . . . some of them literary gems.
Thank God Xerox is international !"
St. John kept interviewing Mrs. Abba
Eban, as well as Eban himself, while in
Jerusalem for several weeks on his new
assignment. He added in his letter to us:
"I Want it to be a really good book so I
am digging deep—interviewing hundreds of
people in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Lon-
don, Paris, New York . . . and maybe even
Detroit if there are people with AE stories
in your city. Incidentally, we worked two
months in the Library of Congress before
coming here."
There are interesting personal comments
in the St. John message from Jerusalem,
and friendly criticisms which Israelis will
welcome. What matters is the new task
which should enrich biographical literature.
Thus we have another opportunity to
express gratitude to Bob for work well done
and for gifts that render the best services
to all people of good will.

Richard Cardinal Cushing: Man of Courage, Pioneer in Movement for Ecumenism, Libertarian Supporter

Richard Cardinal Cushing was
unchallenged in leadership among
the most remarkable men of our
time. He was a true democrat, a
libertarian, a defender of the rights
of the oppressed.

He joined Important causes un-
hesitatingly, and some of them
were unpopular. He was a great
human being, and whenever he
erred he admitted his blunders and
immediately corrected them by

Leon Frans — Rabbi, Community Leader, Zionist
Leon Fram is an institution unto himself, involving so many
movements that it is no wonder his name is as popular nationally sa -
lt is in our own community.
There is no doubt about his being the Dean of Detroit Rabbis.
He has preached here longer than any other member of the rabbinate
and he has consistently upheld causes in support of Jewish culture,
in defense of Jewish rights, in behalf of Israel.
It is as a Zionist that he ranks highest. In the years when the
movement was not so popular, he supported it, campaigned for its
aims, upheld its ideals.
Therefore, he is among the leaders in movements in behalf of
Israel, the state that 'has emerged as a result of Zionist alms, and
the honor to be accorded him by State of Israel Bonds is a natural
recognition of his labors.
Temple Israel is to be congratulated on having benefited so much
and so well from this distinguished teacher and community leader.
All In Detroit will have a sense of satisfaction in the fact that Israel's
great orator, Foreign Minister Abba Eban, will be here to extend
Israel's honors to Dr. Fram.
We join with all of Rabbi Fram's co-workers in many important
movements in congratulating him on his '75th birthday and in
Feeling him on the several other significant events that Inspire the
feetivities arranged in his honor.

7.—FrIdcy, November 6, 1770

TIE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

By Philip
Slomovitz

Robert St. John Exposes the Role of Sadat,
Gives Account of Nasser's Successor and the
Egyptian Terror .. Works on Biography of Eban

turning his attention and giving nant, the answer to the prayers of
his support to the best interests generations of the Chosen People...
of the people.
"Christians in our country, and
It was no wonder, therefore.-that
he should have been among the Christians everywhere, must learn
leaders in Christianity as a sup- of the relationship of these pedple
porter of the Zionist cause and as with their land. They must come
a defender of Israel's just rights.
to see it not just in terms of poli-
and foreign policy, not just in
He spoke on numerous occasions tics
in support of Israel. He was a pio- terms of geography and develop-
ment,
not just in terms of humanity
neer in advocating and practicing
ecumenism. He knew the value of and humanitarianism — they must
see
it
in terms of the covenant,
brotherhood and good neighborli-
the prophets, and the total history
ness.
of the Jewish people .. .
He was especially emphatic when
"Israel is a part of world history,
he spoke of Israel, and in that
historic speech which could well it is a state that here and now
become the guideline for Catholic exists; we must insure its perma-
nent place among the family of
action he declared:
nations.
"I think it is true that many
Christians have not even yet come
"Christians and Jews together,
to the comprehension of the way Arabs and Jews together, can build
in which Jews in all parts of the a future on this earth which will
world look upon the state of IsraeL stand against the ages but we can
It is not just a homeland for the never do it apart. The three great
persecuted and the oppressed, it is religious traditions have so much
not just a refuge for a people the to contribute, in this as in so many
world has iliused—it is for the other ways, if we will only direct
Jews the fulfillment of prophecy, them toward that peace in which
the return to the Promised Land, they can flourish and enrich the
the realization of the divine cove- world."

of Zionism and Israel

Cardinal Cushing's emphasis on
the need for the best relatiomdzips
between Christians and Jews was
formulated in
his address of
Oct 1, 1969, in
a marvelous
declaration in
which he as-
serted:
"We share
the great in-
spirational pa-
trimony of the
Bible, where
the story of
the Jews as re-
corded in ;the
Old Testament
is a sacred
and blessed
part , of our
own' tra di- cardinal Cubiss
Lion.'
We pay honor to the name of
Richard Cardinal Cushing. He had
courage' to defy the banalities of
life's routines. He recognized jus-
tice and

indeed egad 'aisieaskieVtiaita liar

, -'

olaus—a saint among the gentiles.