ABSTRACT
After a tiring week’s work, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, following morning prayers in his favorite mosque, left with his wife for a weekend at his summer house in Alexandria. Sadat has good reason to rest. His war plans are already complete. Now, he worries only about their implementation – and there is room for anxiety. Sadat is well aware that many plans have failed in the past, and many trusted friends were a source of disappointment. He knows his fate is now in the balance. He promised the “year of decision” in 1971. In 1972, he vowed that – by the next birthday of the Prophet Mohammed – he would push Israel back from the “conquered territories”. Broken promises imply military revolution, but military failures invite the same fate.
