Nasser, Gamal Abdel al-

Egyptian army officer and politician

formed Free Officers' movement 1948

president of Egypt 1954-1970

prime minister of Egypt 1954, 1954-1962, 1967-1970

nationalized Suez Canal 1956

• "The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make us wonder at the possibility that there may be something to them -which- we are missing."
• "We're a sentimental people. We like a few kind words better than millions of dollars given in a humiliating way."(Refusing economic aid from the West)"
• "People do not want words-they want the sound of battle ... the battle of destiny."
• "There is no longer a way out of our present situation except by forging a road toward our objective, violently and by force, over a sea of blood and under a horizon blazing with fire."