And Then There Were 13

The army Free Officers Committee that fired King Farouk and installed Naguib as ruler of Egypt has come to be known as The Fourteen. From the beginning they all knew that one of their number--Captain Yussef Sadek--was married to a Communist and himself talked like one. Still, Captain Sadek worked hard, did the jobs assigned to him efficiently and well.

As time went on, The Fourteen began to be aware of distressing leaks: the local Communists were tipped off and ready for everything. Even knowing what they did about Captain Sadek, The Fourteen hesitated to act against him.

One day Sadek paid a call on Chief Hassan el Hodeibi, head of the powerful right-wing Moslem Brotherhood. They fell to wrangling about Communism. Finally, Captain Sadek blurted out: "Oh, come now, sir. There is one thing you must realize. Our movement is Communist. We are all Communists."

Sadek was ordered to appear before Naguib's No. 2 man, Lieut. Colonel Abdel Nasser; he was asked whether he had made the remarks. Hotheadedly, Sadek answered yes, and what's more, he wanted five anti-Communists ousted from The Fourteen; he also demanded that martial law be lifted and imprisoned Reds be released.

Gently, Colonel Nasser told the captain that he had been overworking, called a staff car for him and suggested a few days' rest. Last week Captain Sadek was confined to an obscure Nile village under police protection, and The Fourteen were now The Thirteen.

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