Includes bibliographical references (pages 429-442) and index.

Heading for Trouble (1941-1948). The beginning of the end -- The old imperialistic order -- Heading for trouble -- Sheep's eyes -- A pretty tough nut -- The Jewish problem -- Fight for Palestine -- Important Concessions (1947-1953). Eggs in one basket -- Exploring the wilder areas -- Going fifty-fifty -- An unfortunate turn -- Second fiddle -- Plotting Mosaddeq's downfall -- The man in the arena -- Descent to Suez (1953-1958). The gift of a gun -- Baghdad pact -- Overreach -- Ditching Nasser -- A sort of Jenkins' ear -- The Suez miscalculation -- Failed coups -- The year of revolutions -- Clinging On (1957-1967). Rebels on the Jebel -- Iraq and Kuwait -- Pandora's box -- Secret war -- Falling out.

"Using newly declassified records and long-forgotten memoirs, including the diaries of a key British spy, James Barr tears up the conventional interpretation of this era in the Middle East, vividly portraying the tensions between London and Washington, and shedding an uncompromising light on the murkier activities of a generation of American and British diehards in the region, from the battle of El Alamein in 1942 to Britain's abandonment of Aden in 1967. Reminding us that the Middle East has always served as the arena for great power conflict, this is the tale of an internecine struggle in which Britain would discover that her most formidable rival was the ally she had assumed would be her closest friend"--Provided by publisher