Background
Mamdouh Salem was born in 1918, at Alexandria
ممدوح سالم
Mamdouh Salem was born in 1918, at Alexandria
He was educated, graduating from the Police Academy in 1940 at Alexandria.
His police career began at the Customs Office in Alexandria—a post giving him experience in investigating clandestine operations and security matters, which proved extremely useful afterwards. His diligence and toughness led to steady promotion right up to Chief of Investigations Branch at Alexandria.
When he was 49 he started moving into the higher administrative ranks. First in August 1967 came his appointment as Governor of Asyut, a key centre on the Nile 220 miles south of Cairo. Three years later he became Governor of Gharbia. Then three months afterwards in November 1970 he was appointed Governor of Alexandria. He was brought into the cabinet as Minister of the Interior in May 1971 when Sadat reshuffled the government after the arrest of Ali Sabri. He was elected to the central committee of the Arab Socialist Union in July 1971. At the reshuffle in September 1971 he remained at the Ministry of the Interior.
In the “confrontation government” formed by Aziz Sidki on January 17, 1972, Salem was promoted Deputy Prime Minister while retaining the Interior portfolio. Sidki took him to Moscow in October 1972 for the first meeting with the Soviet leaders since the expulsion of Russia’s military presence from Egypt in July 1972. The fall of Sidki on March 27, 1973, did not affect Salem's position. In fact, he was given even more powers in the government reconstructed with Sadat taking over the premiership. Although, politically, Hatem was No. 2, acting Prime
Minister in Sadat’s absence, there was new authority added to Salem’s position in terms of military and civil power as Deputy Military Governor-General. His extra authority was also signified in his appointment on March 29, 1973, as chairman of the Internal Security Committee one of six special committees established by Sadat.
After three years as prime minister, he was forced to resign after other ministers resigned in protest over the Camp David Accords and President Anwar Sadat appointed a new government. Salem served as an important aid to Sadat
Customs police officer from Alexandria who rose to be the strong man of the country’s internal security network. Once the personal protector of Nasser, he also became a close confidant of President Sadat after the arrest of Ali Sabri on treason charges in May 1971. His power was publicly acknowledged in a decree of March 29, 1973, making him Deputy Military Governor-General next to Sadat.
As Minister of the Interior he has established himself in a powerful position with control over all issues which could affect state security. His writ runs across most of the other ministries. Not a desk-bound minister nor a politician given to much public oratory but a man of bulldog action keeping a tight grip on the machinery of state preparations to meet any emergency.