FILE A42-HS-072 // HISTORY & SOCIETIES
The Secret Protocol of Sèvres
ASSESSMENT: Britain, France, and Israel secretly coordinated the 1956 Suez crisis; the agreement is documented by diplomatic records.
In October 1956, Britain, France, and Israel secretly agreed on a sequence designed to provide a pretext for Anglo-French intervention in Egypt after Israel attacked the Sinai. The Protocol of Sèvres is an authenticated secret agreement, distinct from later speculation about the crisis.
Claim and historical context
The claim is that the three governments planned an apparent mediation crisis to justify British and French military action and regain control around the Suez Canal. Israel would invade Sinai; Britain and France would issue an ultimatum and then intervene.
Chronology and primary record
Israeli, British, and French representatives met at Sèvres on 22–24 October 1956. Israel invaded Egypt on 29 October. Britain and France issued an ultimatum and began military action in early November. U.S. and international pressure forced a ceasefire and withdrawal.
What the record establishes
The signed protocol, participants’ papers, British cabinet records, and later official inquiries establish the agreement. The operation’s sequence closely followed the plan. British Prime Minister Anthony Eden’s public account concealed the prior coordination.
Competing interpretations and counterevidence
The protocol explains the tripartite plan but not every domestic calculation or military action. Individual participants later disputed aspects of intent and responsibility. U.S. opposition, UN action, and financial pressure shaped the outcome, so the secret plan did not guarantee control.
Calibrated verdict
Very high confidence in the secret Anglo-French-Israeli coordination and its use of a manufactured pretext. The evidence documents a specific diplomatic conspiracy, while the crisis’s broader causes and effects require separate analysis.
Evidence that could change this assessment
Additional cabinet files or private correspondence could clarify each government’s internal authorization and post-crisis account. The core verdict would change only if the signed protocol’s provenance were convincingly disproved.
Source notes and limitations
These selected primary and scholarly sources address The Secret Protocol of Sèvres. Each annotation identifies the evidence it can support; no single source establishes every interpretation in this dossier.
- The National Archives (UK), Suez Crisis education resourcesBritish archival documents contextualize the secret agreement and the public chronology.
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, Suez Crisis, 1956Diplomatic records document the crisis and U.S. response to the covert plan.
- Keith Kyle, Suez (I.B. Tauris)Scholarly history based on archival research and participant accounts.