Menzies Delegation Received
Nasser received a delegation led by Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies to discuss proposals drawn from the London canal conference.
Role range: 1956-1970
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Gamal Abdel Nasser Biography and Timeline — Page 3
Follow Gamal Abdel Nasser through 277 dated historical records for Egypt.
Gamal Abdel Nasser, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
277Distinct records
3 of 7Page
1956–1956Years on this page
1956
Nasser Receives International Canal Delegation
Gamal Abdel Nasser received the committee chaired by Robert Menzies and heard the proposal supported by eighteen London Conference governments.
Role range: 1956-1956
Egypt Refuses Proposed International Operating Board
Gamal Abdel Nasser resisted an arrangement that would transfer effective operational authority over the canal to an international body.
Role range: 1956-1956
Menzies Canal Plan Rejected
After discussions with the Menzies delegation, Nasser rejected a proposed international operating arrangement that he considered incompatible with national control.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egypt Declines London Majority Canal Plan
Gamal Abdel Nasser rejected the proposal advanced by the five-nation committee because it would compromise Egypt's control of the canal.
Role range: 1956-1956
Egyptian Pilots Maintain Navigation After Staff Departure
Egyptian authorities kept canal traffic operating after the withdrawal of many foreign pilots, strengthening claims of operational competence.
Role range: 1956-1957
British French Security Council Complaint
Britain and France requested Security Council consideration of the canal dispute on 23 September; Egypt prepared to defend the legality of its takeover.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egyptian Countercomplaint Filed
Egypt asked the Security Council to consider British and French actions that it characterised as threats to international peace and Egyptian sovereignty.
Role range: 1956-1970
Security Council Canal Debate Begins
The Security Council opened debate on the canal dispute on 26 September, with Egypt defending national control against British and French objections.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Users Association Challenged
Egypt opposed the proposed Suez Canal Users Association as a means of displacing Egyptian management through a foreign directed shipping arrangement.
Role range: 1956-1970
Foreign Canal Dues Scheme Contested
Nasser’s government resisted proposals for canal dues to be collected outside Egyptian control, regarding such measures as pressure on the nationalised authority.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egyptian Protest Against Foreign Military Threats
Egypt’s diplomatic complaint warned the United Nations that British and French pressure over nationalisation threatened international peace and security.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Conference Counterproposal Considered
In discussions following the London conference, Egypt argued for negotiated international assurances that preserved Egyptian administration of the canal.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Shareholder Compensation Reaffirmed
Egypt reaffirmed the nationalisation decree’s commitment to compensate shareholders, responding to foreign allegations that the takeover amounted to confiscation.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Operating Authority Legitimacy Asserted
Nasser’s government presented the Egyptian canal authority as the lawful operator of the waterway despite external proposals to transfer traffic management elsewhere.
Role range: 1956-1970
Six Canal Principles Accepted as Basis
Egypt participated in diplomacy around six broad principles unanimously endorsed by Security Council resolution 118, while questions about their implementation remained unsettled.
Role range: 1956-1970
Suez Navigation Freedom Principle
The Security Council’s six principles required free and open passage through the canal, a key issue in negotiations between Egypt and maritime users.
Role range: 1956-1970
Suez Sovereignty Principle
The October Security Council framework recognised the need to respect Egyptian sovereignty while negotiating arrangements for international canal use.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Toll Setting Principle
One of the agreed Security Council principles called for canal tolls to be determined by agreement between Egypt and users rather than unilaterally imposed on shipping.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Development Revenue Principle
The Security Council’s principles contemplated assigning a fair proportion of canal dues to development, an issue directly connected to Egypt’s infrastructure ambitions.
Role range: 1956-1970
Canal Dispute Arbitration Principle
A Security Council principle envisaged arbitration for unresolved disputes between the Suez Canal Company arrangements and user interests, offering a procedural path to settlement.
Role range: 1956-1970
Jordan Syrian Egyptian Defence Agreement
Egypt joined Jordan and Syria in a military agreement signed in Amman on 24 October to coordinate their forces against attacks on any signatory.
Role range: 1956-1970
Regional Defence Front Coordination
The October agreement with Jordan and Syria called for unified defence fronts, military planning and reciprocal assistance in the event of aggression.
Role range: 1956-1970
Anglo French Ultimatum Received
Britain and France delivered an ultimatum on 30 October demanding that Egypt and Israel withdraw from the canal and allow foreign forces to occupy key points.
Role range: 1956-1970
Anglo French Ultimatum Rejected
Nasser rejected the ultimatum, refusing to accept British and French military positions in Egyptian territory under the stated pretext of protecting shipping.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egypt Rejects Foreign Troop Entry Demand
Gamal Abdel Nasser's government refused the ultimatum because accepting Anglo French occupation of canal positions would violate Egyptian sovereignty.
Role range: 1956-1957
Security Council Veto Blocks Ceasefire
British and French vetoes prevented the Security Council from adopting an immediate resolution demanding withdrawal, pushing the crisis into the General Assembly.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egypt Appeals Against Anglo French Attack
Gamal Abdel Nasser's government sought international condemnation of the air offensive launched after Egypt rejected the ultimatum.
Role range: 1956-1957
War Disrupts Navigation Through Suez Waterway
Anglo French air attacks and Egyptian defensive measures turned the canal zone into a combat area and threatened ordinary navigation.
Role range: 1956-1957
Egyptian Canal Ownership Defended at United Nations
Egypt defended its right to own the canal operating company during international discussions, distinguishing that question from guarantees of navigation.
Role range: 1956-1970
Emergency Assembly Considers Egypt
The United Nations General Assembly convened its first emergency special session to address the attacks on Egypt after Security Council action was blocked.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egyptian President Condemns Foreign Air Strikes
Gamal Abdel Nasser denounced British and French bombing as an attack on Egyptian sovereignty and pledged resistance to the intervention.
Role range: 1956-1956
Egyptian Scuttling Obstructs Canal Shipping
Egyptian crews sank vessels in the canal, creating blockages that prevented ordinary commercial transit during the war.
Role range: 1956-1957
United Nations Ceasefire Appeal
The United Nations General Assembly called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign forces on 2 November; Egypt supported an end to the invasion.
Role range: 1956-1970
General Assembly Withdrawal Resolution Welcomed
Egypt welcomed international demands for a halt to hostilities and withdrawal behind armistice lines as the invasion continued.
Role range: 1956-1970
Egypt Backs Ending Foreign Military Attack
Gamal Abdel Nasser's government supported international action to end the offensive and secure the removal of invading forces.
Role range: 1956-1957
Emergency Peacekeeping Proposal Emerges
The General Assembly asked for a plan to establish an emergency international force with the consent of concerned countries, setting the stage for UNEF.
Role range: 1956-1970
UNEF Consent Requirement Preserved
The original United Nations proposal for an emergency force stipulated consent from the countries concerned, giving Egypt a decisive role in its deployment.
Role range: 1956-1970
Port Said Aerial Assault Begins
British and French airborne forces attacked the Port Said area on 5 November, opening the ground phase of their intervention against Egypt.
Role range: 1956-1970
Port Said Civilian Resistance Encouraged
Nasser called for national resistance as military defenders and civilians opposed the Anglo French assault at the northern entrance to the canal.
Role range: 1956-1970
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.