Chile and Falklands: Documents on Cooperation with UK and Argentine Protest over HMS Medway

Two recent events revive the controversy over the Falkland Islands: the publication in Chile of the book El Pacto Perfecto, which documents that country’s collaboration with Britain during the 1982 war, and the formal protest by the Argentine government over the transit of the British vessel HMS Medway through waters under Argentine jurisdiction. Both episodes, although of a different nature, are part of the long sovereignty dispute and the persistent bilateral tensions.

The book that reveals Chilean collaboration

Chilean journalists Daniel Avendaño and Mauricio Palma published El Pacto Perfecto, an investigation that, according to the publisher Penguin Libros, is «the most complete on the role Chile played in the Falklands war.» The book is launched this week in Santiago and is based on documents from the National Archives in London, where Palma began researching in 2019.

According to the authors, Chile formally maintained a neutral position during the conflict, but in practice provided logistical and intelligence support to the British. One of the central documents is a British Ministry of Defence report, dated May 1, 1982, which evaluates military options to recover the islands. Option 14 suggests a landing in Tierra del Fuego with «active participation» of Chile, and option 15 recommends «increasing military cooperation with Chile, including the possibility of a military alliance.»

The journalists affirm that Admiral José Toribio Merino, commander-in-chief of the Chilean Navy, ordered the mobilization of the fleet southward and allegedly warned: «If necessary, on April 19 we enter the operations zone, we go to war.» This quote comes from a secret document that was leaked to Argentine intelligence services, according to the authors.

Concrete support: airstrips, airspace, and spies

Chilean collaboration included authorizing British aircraft to use its airspace and landing strips on Easter Island, Carriel Sur, Concepción, Punta Arenas, and San Félix. Royal Air Force officer Sidney Edwards, sent to Santiago in 1982 to coordinate the aid, stated in his memoirs: «Without Chile’s help, we would have lost the war.»

Avendaño and Palma argue that the relationship between Chile and Britain was not opportunistic but has historical roots dating back to Bernardo O’Higgins and Lord Cochrane. They also point out that the Argentine threat was perceived as real: General Galtieri had said that «the Malvinas is only the beginning,» which generated fear in Chile.

Argentine protest over HMS Medway

On a more recent note, the Argentine Foreign Ministry reported that on July 13 it filed a protest note with the British Embassy over the movements of the vessel HMS Medway, «illegally stationed in the Falkland Islands,» which were not notified according to bilateral agreements. The Argentine government considers that the transit through the Argentine territorial sea violates the Joint Declaration of September 25, 1991, which establishes confidence-building measures.

The protest is framed within UN General Assembly Resolution 31/49, which urges both parties to refrain from modifying the situation while the sovereignty dispute is pending. The official statement «firmly» rejects the incursion and calls it «unilateral» and «contrary to bilateral commitments.»

Practical impact on the bilateral relationship

These events directly affect the governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom, as well as the population of the islands and war veterans. The publication of the book could reopen historical debates, while the diplomatic protest strains bilateral relations.

• Immediate: The Argentine protest could generate a response from the United Kingdom and increase diplomatic tension.
• Conditional: If the United Kingdom continues with unnotified movements, Argentina could resort to international bodies.
• Still uncertain: The impact of the book on Chilean and Argentine public opinion, and whether it will generate any change in official policies.

What to follow

It is advisable to follow the British government’s reaction to the Argentine protest and whether there will be new movements of HMS Medway. It is also worth watching whether the book El Pacto Perfecto generates official statements from Chile or the United Kingdom that confirm or qualify its findings.