University of Virginia Library

Nasser's Death At 52
Complete Surprise

Arab capitals throughout the
Middle East including Amman,
Jordan, where peace-keepers were
trying to implement the Cairo
agreement between the Palestinian
guerrillas And King Hussein reached
tender Mr. Nasser's leadership
Sunday.

In Cairo, Egyptians were at first
dazed And incredulous at the news.
Then, they broke into tears And
wept without shame.

"No! No!" screamed one driver
as he beat his head with both
hands. "It is not possible!" Women
screamed from balconies. Crowds
converged on the palace.

There was weeping, too, in
Beirut, Lebanon, where portraits of
President Nasser's smiling fact
looked down from many walls. The
tall, bulky And graying Nasser was
the idol of the Arab masses.
Shopkeepers in Beirut slammed
down their iron gates And closed in
mourning when news of the death
was received.

Mr. Nasser's health had never
been good; he was treated earlier
this year for diabetes And a
circulatory ailment in the Soviet
Union. But his death was a
complete surprise. He appeared hale
And hearty Sunday as he greeted
Arab leaders at the Cairo meeting
And embraced And kissed King
Hussein, a man he had castigated
last week for waging war against the
Palestinian guerrillas.

Radio Cairo, after announcing
President Nasser's death, suspended
regular programs And broadcast
readings from the Koran. Mr.
Nasser, a devout Moslem, obeyed
its rules of abstinence from alcohol
although he was a heavy smoker.

"The United Arab Republic, the
Arab nation And the whole of
humanity have lost one of their
most precious, most courageous
And most sincere men," Vice
President Sadat said. "He is
President Gama Abdel Nasser who
gave up the ghost at 6:15 p.m.
today September 28, 1970, as he
stood in the arena of struggle
fighting for the unity of the Arab
nation And for the day of its
victory."

Mr. Sadat's statement said
President Nasser was "bigger than
words And he will remain a longer
time than words." It concluded by
saying: "Peaceful spirit, return to
your God content. Go into my
kingdom, go into my heaven."

U.S. diplomats considered
President Nasser a moderate despite
his fiery statements against Israel.
There were fears that his death
might bring radical young Egyptian
army officers to power in Cairo And
with them a new full scale war
against Israel. But first indications
were that there would be no
immediate power struggle.

President Nixon, in a statement
issued from the U.S. aircraft carrier
Saratoga in the Mediterranean,
called for calm in the Middle East a
few hours after Nasser's death was
announced.

"The tragic loss requires that all
nations And particularly those in
the Middle East clam passions,
reach for mutual understanding And
build lasting peace," Mr. Nixon
said. The President announced he
was canceling 6th Fleet air And sea
maneuvers in respect for President
Nasser.

Mr. Nasser broke relations with
the United States During the 1967
Arab-Israeli war, but there had been
a slight warming between Cairo And
Washington in recent months which
led to President Nasser's acceptance
of a U.S. peace formula for
Arab-Israeli strife.