The Diplomacy of Disaster: Losing the Falklands

Abstract

Stable and effective though the Thatcher-Carrington partnership appeared to be, it was destroyed by an unexpected event. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982 and the dependency of South Georgia the following day. The small British garrisons offered brief resistance in both cases, causing fatalities but suffering none themselves, and then surrendered to greatly superior forces. They, together with the governor of the colony and anyone else who wished to leave, were then taken off the Islands by the Argentinians and provided with safe passage to Uruguay. After a brief hesitation, the British government demanded that the Argentinians leave the Islands and resume negotiations, and it also declared its willingness to use force should they refuse. Carrington resigned, accepting formal responsibility for the disaster, although it is clear from their respective memoirs that neither Carrington nor Thatcher thought him particularly to blame. And while a response was prepared, a passionate debate developed in Britain as to what had gone wrong and who was to blame.