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Issue Date: April 09, 1982

Argentine Invasion Force Seizes ; U.N. Demands Pullout; Britain Dispatches Task Force Diplomatic Solution Pursued Details of Invasion Argentine Hold Consolidated The British Reaction Economic Sanctions Imposed Task Force Puts to Sea War Zone Declared U.N. Calls for to Withdraw World Reaction U.S. Attempts Diplomacy History of the Falklands Diplomatic Solution Pursued

Several thousand Argentine troops seized control of the British-held Falkland islands, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the Argentine coast in the South Atlantic, the morning of April 2. The British dependencies of South Georgia and South Sandwich islands were also taken over by Argentine military forces, the Argentine military junta announced. [See 1982 Argentina: Falkland Islands Dispute with Britain]

The islands had long been a subject of diplomatic contention between British and Argentina. Argentina claimed the islands rightfully belonged to it, but Great Britain refused to cede control of the islands and observed that the inhabitants--who numbered slightly under 2,000--wished to remain a part of the U.K. and were by culture and descent British. Virtually the only economic activity on the islands at present was sheep herding, but the suspected presence of oil the offshore region meant that the islands might ultimately have considerable value.

The invasion produced a political crisis in Britain. Parliament met April 3 for its first weekend session since the Suez crisis in 1956, and Prime Minister said that the Falklands "remain British territory" and the government would take action "to see the islands are free from occupation." Britain had severed its diplomatic relations with Argentina April 2 in response to the first news of the invasion, and Thatcher told Parliament April 3 that a large naval task force was being dispatched to the islands. Economic sanctions were also invoked. Defense Secretary John Nott vowed April 4 that the government would "restore British administration to the Falklands even if we have to fight."

Thatcher and her government came under intense criticism, however, for not having taken measures to forestall the Argentine invasion. Members of Thatcher's own Conservative Party joined in the criticism, and there were calls for the resignation of leading ministers. Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington resigned April 5, acknowledging that Britain had suffered a "humiliating affront."

The British task force set sail April 5 from harbor, It would be joined by other British warships at Gibraltar. With the Falklands some 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) distant from Britain, the ships would need two weeks or more to arrived at their destination.

The two weeks' sailing time left some room for efforts at a diplomatic resolution of the crisis. The United Nations Security Council April 3 approved a resolution calling for an end to hostilities and the withdrawal of Argentine forces from the Falklands. Officials of both Argentina and Britain voiced hopes that the issue could be resolved peacefully, and it was announced April 7 that U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig would visit both London and in an attempt to find a compromise solution.

Details of Invasion

The invasion was preceded by weeks of increasing tension between Britain and Argentina over the islands.

Rex Hunt, the British governor of the Falklands, called an emergency meeting of government and other island officials April 1 at which he said that there was evidence of an Argentine naval task force steaming toward the islands, presumably bent on invasion. After the meeting, the island's contingent of about 80 was deployed at various sites and the hospital was prepared for casualties.

The Argentine invasion fleet included an aging aircraft carrier, the 25 de Mayo, and landing craft and destroyers. Some 4,000 to 5,000 Argentine troops took part in the invasion, the actual landing taking place about six in the morning of April 2.

The marines put up a resistance, holding out for about three hours with light arms and some rockets. No British casualties were reported, and there was some disagreement over the extent of Argentine losses. Hunt and the marines were repatriated to Britain, and at an April 5 press conference in London a marine officer said that at least five Argentine soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded, In addition, an Argentine armored car with 10 soldiers. inside was destroyed, the marine claimed. Argentina acknowledge

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some losses, but fewer than the British claimed.

Hunt ordered his forces to abandon the fight at 9:00 a.m. "We were prepared to do what was necessary, But there was no point in waiting for a 300millimeter cannon to blow up Government House when some civilians would have been injured,: Hunt said at the April 5 press conference.

There was brief fighting April 3 on South Georgia Island, a dependency of the Falklands about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) southeast of the Falklands. About 12 to 20 British marines stationed at Port Grytviken were overrun by an Argentine invasion Force. Three Argentine Marines were killed, while the British suffered no casualties.

The conquest of the Falklands appeared to enjoy strong popular support in Argentina. (In fact, some observers contented that the Argentine government embarked upon the undertaking partly as a way of shifting public attention away from economic and political discontent.) Lt. Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, the head of the ruling junta, was cheered by a crowd of about 5,000 people April 2 after he told of the invasion in a nationwide broadcast.

In the broadcast, Galtieri said, "We have regained the southern islands that legitimately form part of our national patrimony-- safeguarding the national honor--without rancor, but with the firmness demanded by the circumstances." The government had decided on the invasion "to put an end to the interminable succession of British evasions and delays designed to perpetuate their dominion over the islands and their zone of influence."

Argentine Hold Consolidated

The Argentine government announced April 2 the appointment of Brig. Gen. Mario Benjamin Menendez as governor of the islands, which Argentine referred to as the Malvinas.

Menendez arrived in the Falklands April 45, having told reporters that day in Buenos Aires that "we're going to begin a period of consolidation now in which all military action confronting an English threat is still tremendously important to affirm our hold of the archipelago." In the days following the invasion Argentina continued to dispatch troops and equipment to the islands to fortify them against possible British action.

Menendez was formally installed as government of the islands April 7. Interior Minister Gen. Alfredo St. Jean attended the ceremony, and he was accompanied by leaders of the political opposition in Argentina. Criticism of the military junta had temporarily abated in a general upwelling of support for the seizure of the Falklands. Visiting the Falklands with St. Jean were Deolindo Bittel, head of the Peronist party, and Saul Ubaldini, head of the General Confederation of Labor, which had shortly before staged the largest antigovernment demonstrations since the military seized power six years before. [See 1982 Argentina: Protests Against Military Rule]

Ubaldini commented April 7, "What we want more than anything is sovereignty over all the nation," while Bittel said he was going to the islands "to ratify the military."

The Argentine government had announced April 5 that it was sending education, welfare and legal experts to begin the process of bringing the islands into conformity with Argentine systems. On April 2, the government had promised to "guarantee the safety, lives, property and rights of British citizens and English-speaking Argentines in the islands.

The following day, April 3, the government issued orders requiring the inhabitants of the islands to remain indoors. They were instructed to hang a white flag from their windows if they needed help, and they would be provided with assistance by Argentine soldiers. Schools, banks and business were all temporarily shut down. Penalties were announced of 15 days' imprisonment for going outside, 30 days for "inconsiderate" acts toward the military, 60 days for any "irreverent act" toward "the patriotic symbols" of Argentina, and 180 days for disturbing the political order. The foreign ministry announced April 5, however, that the rule against going outdoors had been relaxed.

Argentine officials indicated that they would welcome a diplomatic resolution of their differences with Britain, but they also insisted that any British attempt to retake the islands by force would be repulsed. President Galtieri dais April 4 that it should be "made very clear to all the international community, that if the Argentine people are attacked by military, naval, land or air means, the Argentine nation in arms, with all the means at its disposal, will present battle."

The British Reaction

The Falklands invasion posed the most serious threat to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government since it had taken power three years before, and she responded by taking a firm line that Britain would use military force if necessary to regain the islands.

The first wave of popular reaction appeared to favor Thatcher's stand. She and her government nevertheless came in for harsh criticism for having allowed Argentina to seize control of the islands. Lord Wigg, a Laborite, observed April 3, "We have spent 111 billion pounds on defense since the end of the last war and we can't knock the skin off a rice pudding."

The criticism came from within the ranks of Thatcher's own party as well. "We appear to have been so woefully unprepared," said Edward DuCann, a Conservative MP. "It is extraordinary that conventional forces were not deployed earlier. Let's hear no more talk about logistics," DuCann said, referring to the remarks by government ministers that the great distance separating Britain and the

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Falklands had forced the government to rely on a strategy of diplomatic pressure and the threat of retaliation rather than the actual deployment of force.

John Stokes, another Conservative MP, commented April 3, "In order to save the prime minister and the government, I am afraid that certain heads must roll, including that of the foreign secretary and, I very much regret to say, that of the defense secretary as well."

Stokes' comment was to an extent prophetic, as Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington submitted his resignation April 5. Also resigning were , the deputy foreign secretary, and Richard Luce, the Foreign Office official with direct responsibility for Latin America and the Dependent Territories, which included the Falklands.

Defense Secretary John Nott offered his resignation, but Thatcher refused to accept it, saying that his presence was needed with the possibility of hostilities occurring.

In his resignation letter, Lord Carrington said that since he had been in charge of British policy, it was "right" that he should resign in view of the "humiliating affront" Britain had suffered as a result of the Argentine invasion. Carrington pledged his continued "active support" of the government. In a radio interview April 5, Carrington remarked, "I don't think we did anything wrong, but the result was wrong. There has been a British humiliation."

Carrington's resignation was deemed inadequate by the opposition Labor Party. , the deputy leader and foreign affairs spokesman for Labor, said April 5 that "the person who should have resigned is Mrs. Thatcher. It is the prime minister who is responsible in the British government for managing crises. She is trying to save her neck by sacrificing others, but it won't work."

Thatcher April 5 named , the Conservative leader of the House of Commons, to succeed Lord Carrington as foreign secretary. , the trade secretary, took over as leader in the Commons.

The April 6 Times of London carried a story from Buenos Aires alleging that British intelligence in Argentina had received and studied the invasion plans some two weeks before and had transmitted full summaries to London during the last week in March.

In the House of Commons April 6, opposition members called out to Thatcher that she should resign. "With regard to resignation, no," Thatcher said, adding, "Now is the time for strength and resolution."

Economic Sanctions Imposed

While most attention focused on possible military action, Britain also attempted to bring pressure on Argentina through various economic sanctions.

Thatcher April 3 told Parliament that she had ordered the freezing of Argentinian financial assets in Britain. New export credits to Argentina were suspended and military sales were banned. On April 6 a ban on imports of Argentine goods was announced, and Britain formally requested that its European Community partners join in the economic sanctions.

While the ban on trade was not seen as a major threat to Argentina, the freeze on assets could present substantial problems to the heavily indebted Latin American country, financial experts said, Argentina's current international debts stood at $32 billion, according to a New York Times report April 9, a figure that was more than four times higher than Iran's debts when the U.S. declared a similar freeze on assets following the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Teheran.

"Uncertainty over the effect of Britain's actions will probably cause funds for Argentina to dry up," said an American banker quoted in the April 8 Wall Street Journal. A Swiss banker quoted in the same issue remarked, "The situation for Argentina is very grim because they live on credit."

Argentina had responded to the British assets freeze by banning all payments to British Banks, This could lead to a situation in which the British banks would declare Argentina in default.

Task Force Puts to Sea

The first elements of the largest British assault force to be assembled in 25 years (since the Suez crisis) put to sea April 5, from Portsmouth.

The flagship of the force was the new aircraft carrier HMS Invincible. A second carrier, the Hermes, accompanied the force, with both ships equipped with Harrier jump-jet fighters. Two aging assault ships, the Fearless and the Intrepid, formed part of the fleet. Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Andrew, was aboard the Invincible. where he served as a helicopter pilot.

More British warships, including destroyers and frigates, joined up with the force near Spain. Overall, the battle fleet numbered about 30 major ships. A cruise ship, the P&O liner Canberra, was requisitioned by the many to serve as a troop transport. Over 3,000 troops, including sections of the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment, boarded the Canberra at Southampton April 8.

Adding to the British strength were up to four nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines. One vessel of this class, the Superb, was said by military sources to have arrived off the Falklands by April 7, and three other submarines were thought to be speeding toward the islands.

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The opposing Argentinian naval forces were considered weaker. In addition to the aging carrier, the 25th de Mayo, the Argentinian navy had an old cruiser. A number of destroyers equipped with missiles added some modern fire power to the navy.

Airpower and geography meant that a confrontation would not be entirely one-sided, however. The Argentine carrier was equipped with A-4 Skyhawk attack planes, which were also used by U.S. carriers. Planes based on the Argentinian mainland were also within range of the Falklands, while the British Harrier jets had a severely limited range.

The fact that the British fleet would be operating at an enormous distance from a friendly base also weighed in the favor of Argentina, as it meant that the British ships would face difficult supply problems. The British were expected to use Ascension Island as a regrouping point and forward base, but Ascension was itself 3,500 miles (5,600 kilometers) from the Falklands.

War Zone Declared

Defense Secretary John Nott told the House of Commons April 7 that Britain would sink Argentine ships that came within 200 miles (320 kilometers) of the Falklands, starting 12:01 a.m. April 12, Falklands time.

The policy, Nott said, was meant to "deny to Argentine Forces on the Falklands the means to reinforce and resupply from the mainland." In effect, it amounted to the imposition of a war zone around the islands. "We have no wish to shed blood," Nott said, "but we shall not acquiesce to any act of unprovoked aggression, under taken presumably in the false belief that we lack courage and the will to respond."

In a television interview April 8, Nott reaffirmed that Britain would "shoot first if any Argentine ship comes out. We will sink them, certainly within the 200-mile limit."

Argentina April 8 declared its own 200-mile zone and showed no sign of withdrawing ships from the Falklands area. Naval reservists were called up and a special command was created to oversee "acts of self defense."

U.N. Calls for Argentina to Withdraw

The United Nations Security Council April 3 passed a resolution calling for an end to hostilities and the withdrawal of Argentine forces from the Falklands.

The vote was 10-1, with Panama providing the sole negative vote. The Soviet Union, China, Poland and Spain abstained. The U.S. backed the resolution, although U.S. representative Charles Lichenstein voiced regret that two countries friendly to the U.S. were involved in a dispute.

Argentine Foreign Minister Nicanor Costa Mendez, arguing against the resolution, depicted the invasion as a last-resort measure to expel a colonial power when efforts at diplomacy had failed. Argentina, Costa Mendez said, had undertaken the invasion following "military preparations and the sending of warships' by Britain. "Argentina has not invaded any foreign territory," Costa Mendez argued, but simply reclaimed what was rightfully its own.

The Falkland situation, Costa Mendez said, "is a colonial issue in the most classical meaning." For 150 years, Costa Mendez said, Argentina had "borne with the situation of continued usurpation of its territory by a colonial power." Diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation had been pursued for the last 15 years, the foreign minister added, but Britain had resorted to "evasive tactics."

British delegate Sir Anthony Parsons dismissed Costa Mendez's arguments, saying, "I cannot believe that the international community takes the view that Britain in the 1980s has a "colonialist" or "imperialist" ambition in the South Atlantic."

World Reaction

Reaction outside the U.N. to the Argentine invasion was mixed. Britain, however, succeeded in winning strong support from its partners in the European Community.

France, and Belgium April 7 banned the sale of arms and military equipment to Argentina, the Netherlands having already taken a similar action, according to a report datelined April 6. (Non-EC member Austria also banned military sales to Argentina April 7.) Switzerland barred military sales to both potential belligerents, according to the April 6 report.

A French spokesman said April 7 that France's arms embargo was prompted by "the hostility of France to all forms of aggression and its desire to promote respect for international decisions everywhere in the world," West Germany the same day called the invasion "a flagrant violation of international law."

In Africa, Kenyan President Daniel T. arap Moi, the chairman of the Organization of African Unity, called on Argentina April 4 to withdraw its troops and seek a diplomatic settlement.

The Soviet Union, after abstaining in the U.N. Security Council vote, issued statement April 7 declaring that its "position in the conflict is neutral" and urging a peaceful resolution. However, the Soviets also faulted Britain for resisting attempts to decolonize the islands.

Uruguay, Bolivia and some other Latin American nations supported Argentina, according to a report in the Financial Times of London

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April 5. No strong endorsements for Argentina were forthcoming from Brazil or Chile, however.

U.S. Attempts Diplomacy

U.S. Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. flew to London April 8 on the first stage of a trip that would take him also to Buenos Aires in hopes of finding a compromise solution to the crisis.

While criticizing the Argentine invasion, the U.S. had otherwise attempted to take an uncommitted attitude on the dispute. No position was voiced on the underlying issue of which country's claim to sovereignty was legitimate. President Reagan, in a news conference April 5, said that the dispute presented a "very difficult situation for the United States, because we're friends with both of the countries engaged in this dispute."

(The U.S. administration's apparent equating of its relations with Argentina and Great Britain drew some adverse comments, since historically Britain had been a much closer ally and Argentina's human rights violations had at times caused friction with the U.S. However, the Reagan administration showed no signs of curtailing its relationship with Argentina in the aftermath of the Falklands invasion. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jeane Kirkpatrick and Deputy Secretary of State Walter Stoessel Jr. attended a dinner at the Argentine embassy in Washington April 2, hours after in invasion occurred.)

Haig's mission to London and Buenos Aires represented a second U.S. attempt at defusing the crisis. On April 1, the eve of the invasion, British Prime Minister Thatcher had called Reagan to tell him that an Argentine invasion fleet was steaming toward the islands and had asked the U.S. President to intercede. Reagan then telephoned Argentine President Leopoldo Galtieri to try to dissuade him from going ahead with the invasion, but failed.

Haig admitted when he arrived in London April 8 that the "situation is very tense and very difficult." The secretary of state added that he did not have "any American-approved solution in my kit bag." The State Department, in announcing Haig's trip April 7, had said that Haig would hold "preliminary discussions" in an attempt to sound out the two sides and see if there was room for compromise.

Haig commented April 8 that lengthy discussions with senior British officials had left him "highly impressed by the firm determination of the British government."

History of the Falklands

Britain and Argentina's quarrel over sovereignty stemmed from the tangled history of the Falklands.

The British claim derived ultimately from the "probable" discovery of the uninhabited Falklands in 1592 by merchant captain John Davis. The Argentine claim was based on rights inherited from Spain. Possible discovery of the Falklands in 1520 by members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew was the source of Spain's claim.

The French established a colony in 1764, and the British within a year also sent settlers. France sold its interest to Spain, and in 1770 Spain and Britain nearly went to war over the islands, the Spanish having forcibly removed the British. A pact was reached in 1771 under which Spain and Britain agreed to share the islands, and the British settlement was reestablished. The British colony was withdrawn in 1774, but the claim to the islands was maintained. The Spanish settlement was also abandoned early in the 19th century.

Argentina, having gained its independence in 1816, established a settlement on the islands in 1828 or 1829. In 1831 the Argentine settlers seized some U.S. sealing ships, and the subsequent U.S. punitive mission led many of the settlers to abandon the islands. The remaining Argentines were forced out by the British in 1833 when Britain reasserted its claim to sovereignty and established a settlement that proved lasting, although not populous. © 2011 Facts On File News Services

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