The Plot against Naguib (Sudan series, part II)

Breaking Point

Then came Thursday morning of the 25th of February 1954. Salah Salem went to the broadcasting headquarters to break the news of the resignation of Naguib, and to give excuses for the matter in pretexts that provoked people's laughter. He said that Naguib used to insist on having his pictures published in the newspapers and on having his speeches broadcasted on the radio, and used to wake up Salah Salem from his sleep, in his rank as minister of information, to ask him to broadcast a speech he had given...and Salah Salem said in his bulletin that at the height of the differences between himself and Naguib, Salem went himself to the military prison and imprisoned himself there.

And the important thing is that people were not convinced with Salah Salem's words; how can the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and leader of the Revolution be deprived from having his speeches broadcasted on the radio, and from having his pictures published in the papers? As for the issue that Salah Salem went to the military prison to lock himself up, it caused people to crack comments that were full of ridicule.

And in the meeting of the [Revolutionary Command] Council, Salah Salem said that his children attacked him strongly at home, and that that his servant passed by the shops of Abbassiyya to buy home supplies and the merchants refused to sell to him. And the relatives of Zakaria [Mohieddin] criticized him strongly. And the officers in general, as soon as they went down to the street on Thursday morning, were faced with the people's total refusal and sharp criticisms.

I myself was in downtown Thursday evening when I found people gathered in front of a shop listening to Salah Salem's speech. I got down from the car and stood there to listen with them. When the bulletin was finished one of the people standing there said:

"They turned out to be sons of bitches."

- Memoirs of Khaled Mohieddin, "And Now I Speak".

Before the fall...one of the SOBs (Mohieddin's words!) stands in a propaganda photo with his family before a picture of President Mohammed Naguib.

Khaled Mohieddin with his children in a similar picture.

Mohieddin was one of the Free Officers and original members of the RCC. He is also the founder and current leader of the leftist Tagammu' Party.

The papers publish the news. Guess whose picture now takes centre stage?:-) And as if borrowing a clip from 1984 or a farcical mobster movie...this paper dates Thursday the 25th, which means it was published at least the night before Salah Salem shocked the nation with his "bulletin".

*Source: Masr el Mahrousa magazine.