Adib Al-Shishakli: The hidden truth

Documents and certificates published for the first time By Bassam Bazi and Saad Fansa The Syrian President Adib al-Shishakli (born in Hama 1909) was assassinated in Goyas province in Brazil in 1964, and his short life journey did not allow him to record his memoirs. And perhaps he did not care to write memoirs because of his confidence that history would someday do him justice. This book presents - in addition to the biography and history of Colonel al-Shishakli, who carried out his third military coup in Syria on December 19, 1949 - testimonies and documents published for the first time. The importance of these testimonies and documents lies in the fact that they come from writings of politicians and witnesses of history, from military and civilian figures, some of whom opposed the coup of Colonel al-Shishakli, who later became President of the Republic. A team of this book translated hundreds of documents from the foreign ministries of the major powers at the time, the United States, France, and Britain. And they recalled the memories of many who knew President al-Shishakli or witnessed his struggle, whether in Palestine or Syria, in a project of historical review that took years. The significance of recounting the biography of Colonel al-Shishakli and documenting his era is that this period remains the subject of many books, research, and televised programs that have appeared over the past decades. So what does this book add to all that has been previously published? We see that this book will include what previous editions did not mention about the biography and life of Adib al-Shishakli. There are two issues that distinguish the era of al-Shishakli from all other periods that passed in Syria after he relinquished power.. The first: that Syria, according to documents and testimonies, experienced during his era its golden age in all fields of life—economically, militarily, and socially—an era that has not been repeated since independence until today. The second: when the president, in his final moments, felt that the conflicting forces vying for power—those supporting his rule and those opposing it—might push the country and the army, which he worked to build and strengthen, into a civil war or armed clash between factions of the army and its leaders, he chose to resign to prevent bloodshed, and left the country, even though he possessed the military strength to eliminate the coup plotters.