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Embassy in Paris. 489 Indeed, after Glubb’s dismissal Nuwar was promoted by the

King to become the head Jordan’s armed forces. 490 The American intelligence officer

Archie Roosevelt documented that Nuwar later launched a failed coup d’état against

the Jordanian monarchy. 491

When news of Glubb’s dismissal reached London, Nutting recalled arguing

the entire evening and through the night with Eden vis-à-vis the current

developments. To Nutting, Eden ‘put all the blame on Nasser’ and said that ‘the

world was not big enough to hold both him and Nasser’. Eden was fearful that

Nasser would succeed in obliterating Britain’s position in the Middle East and

thereby undermine the Prime Minister’s own status. 492 In his memoir Eden linked

the events in Jordan to Cairo’s radio propaganda campaign against Glubb Pasha that

opened on 15 February. He perceived the event to be a ‘coup against Glubb’.

Moreover, the Prime Minister believed that the decision by the Jordanian monarch

to sack Glubb was due to ‘constant articles in the press’ including British media, that

portrayed the Pasha as the real leader in Jordan. 493

The Manchester Guardian said that the move had ‘taken London completely

by surprise’. Glubb’s dismissal also included the sacking of two other Britons

employed by the Legion: Brigadier William Hutton and Colonel Sir Patrick Coghill. 494

The New York Times said the move had ‘stunned and mortified’ politicians in Britain.

489 Glubb, A Soldier with the Arabs, 421; and Lunt, Glubb Pasha: A Biography, 198.
490 S.P. Brewer, ‘Jordan Expands the Arab Legion: New Army Chief in Amman Reports Set-up of
Forces’, New York Times, 26 May 1956, 3.
491 Roosevelt, For Lust of Knowing, 366.
492 Nutting, No End of a Lesson, 18.
493 Eden, Full Circle, 347-48.
494 ‘British Reverse in Jordan: Gen. Glubb Dismissed: Future of Forces in Doubt Amman’s Abrupt
Action’, The Manchester Guardian, 3 Mar 1956, 1.

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