Amin Howeidi (22 September 1921–31 October 2009) was an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

military leader, author and defense minister under Nasser's rule.

Early life and education

Howeidi was born in Munufiya on 22 September 1921. He attended the

Egyptian Military Academy The Egyptian Military Academy ( ar, الكلية الحربية) is the oldest and most prominent military academy in Egypt. Traditionally, graduates of the Military Academy are commissioned as officers in the Egyptian Army. However, they may se ...

and graduated in 1940. He held a master's degree in military sciences from the Chief of Staff College which he received in 1951. Then he attended the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

(CGSC) at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

and obtained another master's degree in military sciences in 1955. Next, he obtained a master's degree in translation, press and publication from

Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

in 1956.

Career

After his graduation Howeidi began to work as a teacher at the Military Academy. Later, he became a professor at the Military Chief of Staff College. In addition, he served as the head of military operations planning in the Armed Forces Command. He was part of the Free Officers who inaugurated the 1952 revolution in Egypt. Then he began to hold public posts. His offices included ambassador to Morocco (1962–1963), ambassador to Iraq (1963–1965), minister of national guidance (1965–1966), and minister of state for cabinet affairs (1966–1967). Howeidi was appointed defense minister and director of general intelligence by Gamal Abdel Nasser after the defeat of Egypt in the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

. His term as defense minister began in June 1967, replacing

Shams Badran Shams Al Din Badran ( ar, شمس الدين بدران; 19 April 1929 – 28 November 2020) was an Egyptian government official. He served as minister of defence of Egypt during Gamal Abdel Nasser's era and the unsuccessful Six-Day War of 1967. ...

in the post. Howeidi's term ended in March 1968, and he was succeeded by Mohammed Fawzi as defense minister. Howeidi served as director of general intelligence from 1967 to 1970.

Arrest

In 1971, Howeidi was detained along with 91 others accused of treason, and then tried at the Revolutionary Tribunal. He was sentenced to house arrest for nearly 10 years.

Personal life

Howeidi was married and had two children, a daughter and a son.

Publications

Howeidi was the author of various books, including ''How Zionist Leaders Think'', ''Lost Opportunities'', ''50 Years of Storms: Telling What I saw'' and ''The 1967 War: The Secrets and Mysteries''. In addition, he wrote

op-eds An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...

for ''

Al Ahram Weekly ''Al-Ahram Weekly'' is an English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt. History and profile ''Al Ahram Weekly'' was established in 1991 by the ''Al-Ahram'' newspaper, which also runs a French-langua ...

''.

Death

Howeidi died on 31 October 2009 at the age of 88.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howeidi, Amin 20th-century diplomats 20th-century Egyptian politicians 20th-century Egyptian writers 1921 births 2009 deaths Cairo University alumni Defence Ministers of Egypt Directors of the General Intelligence Directorate (Egypt) Egyptian expatriates in the United States Egyptian Military Academy alumni Egyptian military leaders Egyptian prisoners and detainees Free Officers Movement (Egypt) Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College Ambassadors of Egypt to Iraq