ABSTRACT

THE QUESTION OF Egyptian consulates in British-administered territories remained a source of serious contention between the British and the Egyptians for the rest of the year. Consequently, an exchange of ambassadors did not take place until January 1961. In 1960, the question of consulates for Britain encompassed not just Liverpool and Glasgow but a large chunk of Africa, the Persian Gulf and a number of colonies in Asia. The British Colonial Office, particularly in East Africa, had serious security reservations about letting the Egyptians have diplomatic representation. Cairo Radio continued to pour out a steady stream of invective and propaganda against British colonial rule. The Egyptians, in retaliation for what they felt was stalling on the part of the British, refused to open consulates for the British in Damascus and Suez, or to allow the exchange of ambassadors. Macmillan shared the concerns and suspicions of the Colonial Office, fearing that Egyptian consuls would do ‘much mischief’.1