William M. Childs - American Exodus from Nassers Nile: The Untold Saga of the American Embassy Evacuation from Egypt During the 1967 Six-Day War

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AMERICAN EXODUS

FROM NASSERS NILE

Charleston, SC

www.PalmettoPublishing.com

American Exodus from Nassers Nile

Copyright 2021 by William M. Childs, Jr.

All rights reserved

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other
except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission of the author.

First Edition

Paperback ISBN: 9781637602416

eBook ISBN: 9781637602423

To my father, Bill Childs, Sr., whose unconditional love
inspired me to publish his story.

CONTENTS

I: Forward

II: Prelude to War

May 14th May 24th: The Rise of Nassers Pan - Arab Influence

May 25th May 28th: The Evacuation of US Dependents

May 29th June 4th: The Arab World Unites Against Israel

III: Six Day War: June 5th -10th, 1967

Monday, June 5th, 1967: Israels Surprise Attack on Egypt

Tuesday, June 6th: Evacuation from Cairo

Wednesday & Thursday, June 7th - 8th: Hiding Out Near Alexandria

Friday, June 9th: Final Arrangements for American Exodus

Saturday, June 10th: Cease Fire; Pre-Dawn Escape

Sunday & Monday, June 11th 12th: Freedom at Sea

IV: Aftermath of War

V: Bibliography

VI: Appendices

VII: About the Authors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing this book was a labor of love. I am thankful to my father for having the foresight to have written this true story (though mothballedwhich I regret never asking him why when he was alive). The story is told in his words, with minor editing. I spent most of the time compiling the history of the times that accompanies his story. I am sincerely grateful for the editing and proof reading by my good friend and college roommate, Jeff Sluyter-Beltrao.

A big thank you to my daughter Lauren Childs Magina, who has her own successful design business, and was super helpful in designing the cover. Lauren was close to her Grandpa Childs, and Im sure hes smiling down on her in gratitude. My sister Janet Durant was a big help in digging up copies of letters and family photos from 1967 which could be referenced for this book. Last, but not least, thank you to my wife Barbara for supporting and nurturing my first book experience.

PREFACE

The Six-Day War or Third Arab-Israeli War took place June 5-10, 1967. Israels decisive victory included the capture of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights; the status of these territories has been a major point of contention in Arab-Israeli relations to this day.

My father, mother, sister and I were living in Cairo, Egypt leading up to the war. This is the account of our evacuation narrated by my father, a US Foreign Service Officer and part of the US Embassy staff. He recounted his experience in July/August 1967, immediately after his escape. I have been unable to find similar accounts of the evacuation of the American Embassy staff from Egypt, and consider this one of the rare untold stories during this tumultuous time. My father was in the first of two Embassy groups to escape Cairo, traveling at night in a hostile country. One American died, never making it back to his young family.

My father shares the concerns and angst he and other Americans experienced leading up to the evacuation and the war. I have therefore attempted to marry the historical background information about what was happening chronologically with his account of the evacuation operation. Each chapter opens with a history of the period (specific dates) followed by my fathers account during the same time (in italics).

433 American dependents were evacuated by air prior to the departure of the Embassy staff. I was only 10 years old, but vividly remember my father walking my mother, sister and me out on the airport tarmac to board the last TWA flight to Athens, Greece with other evacuees on Sunday, May 28th. He and she were in tears, and just before walking up the stairs to the plane, my father took me aside and said earnestly, Bill, take care of our family. I have never forgotten that moment.

I have only one picture of my father from the evacuation, captured aboard a ship as he and his colleagues sailed away from Egypt. The Egyptian authorities confiscated all film prior to allowing the Americans (and other foreign nationals involved in the exodus) to depart at the Port of Alexandria. I have also included excerpts from the personal letters he sent to our family in Athens, as we waited anxiously for his safe return.

This account I write primarily to preserve our family history, but also to share a personal untold story of challenge, courage, teamwork, and hope.

Prior to the start of the war, attacks conducted against Israel by fledgling Palestinian guerrilla groups based in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan had increased, leading to costly Israeli reprisals. In November 1966 an Israeli strike on the village of Al-Sam in the Jordanian West Bank left 18 dead and 54 wounded and, during an air battle with Syria in April 1967, the Israeli Air Force shot down six Syrian MiG fighter jets. In addition, Soviet intelligence reports in May indicated that Israel was planning a campaign against Syria. Although inaccurate, the information further heightened tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors. (1)

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser had previously come under sharp criticism for his failure to aid Syria and Jordan against Israel; he had also been accused of hiding behind the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) stationed at Egypts border with Israel in the Sinai. Now, however, he moved to unambiguously demonstrate support for Syria: on May 14, 1967, Nasser mobilized Egyptian forces in the Sinai; on May 18th he formally requested the removal of the UNEF stationed there; and on May 22nd he closed the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping, thus instituting an effective blockade of the port city of Elat in southern Israel. (1)

May 18, 1967: UN peacekeepers in the Sinai
and Gaza were expelled by Egypt

The official justification for Egypts war-footing was alleged Israeli threats to attack Syria. On 14 May, Egyptian troops marched through the streets of Cairo and into the Sinai Peninsula. Unlike an earlier mobilization of forces against Israel in 1960 that was quietly deployed and later withdrawn without incident, the Egyptian press covered the evolving conflict in detail, with al-Ahram noting that Egypt was ready to enter the battle against Israel.[26] On 17 May, Radio Cairo noted that following a request for UN Peacekeeping forces to evacuate their position along the Egyptian border with Israel, Nasser had actually sent letters to the heads of revolutionary Arab states in order to inform them of Egypts determination to implement the joint defense agreement with Syria in case of aggression against the Syrian homeland.[27] On 18 May, Radio Cairo broadcast lengthy legal justifications of the expulsion of UN Forces, noting that Egypt has the right to ask at any time [for] the withdrawal of this [UN peacekeeping] force.[28] (2)

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