How was their claim unjust? I admit with the lease expiring in 1966, and no liklihood that Egypt would renew it, it might not have been worth the effort. It's my understanding from secondary sources in his later years Ike acknowledged this as an error, as did Nixon. They thought they'd bring Egypt and the Arab world into the fold, it didn't work. Either way, I wouldn't look at this as particularly damaging to Ike's reputation.
I didn't say it was damaging to Ike's reputattion. I think he acted with his normal blunt, forthrightness when Britain and France tried to maintain their pre-WW2 Imperial pretensions.
As for the canal treaty, it was entered into and administered in an unequal fashion right from day 1 The west more than got their fair share from it and earlier dealings it had seen the Brits especially manipulate Egyptian politics to maintain that unequal relationship and control of the strategic asset. During WW2, etc that was understandable, but my sympathies with are with the Egyptians in terms of control of the canal revenues themselves. I still don't like Nasser.