ABSTRACT
The American-Syrian crisis officially began on August 12, 1957, when the Syrian government announced the discovery of a US-engineered attempt to overthrow the regime, which the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration believed was close to becoming a Soviet "outpost" in the region. The next day the Syrian government expelled three US diplomats; the United States responded in kind on August 14, declaring the Syrian ambassador to Washington and his second secretary personas non gratas. Washington sought to isolate Gamal 'Abd al- Nasser—at his zenith of popularity in the Arab world due to his successes in the Suez crisis—and to halt any further increase in Soviet influence in the Middle East. With Nasser's fait accompli, and lacking any alternative, King Sa'ud continued to pursue his mediation policy, but its effects were much more keenly felt in the United Nations (UN) than in the Middle East.
