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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, APRIL 9, 1982
advice from Argentine diplomats and civilian advisors.
miscalculated both British resolve and world reaction.
help in the U.N. Security Council than it got (one vote
Russia abstained).
PAGE 9
The government
It expected more
from Panama; even
Should a war come about, and should the British fleet and forces--admit
tedly superior on paper--win, the Argentine government would probably
collapse. The Argentine government was forced nearly to the wall in the
early-to-mid 1970's in fighting extremely radical leftist urban guerrillas.
With a discredited government and a defeated military command (virtually
the same thing) leftist insurgency could rise again, this time threatening
not only Argentina but neighboring countries in the hemisphere as well.
Will U.S. Sell Out British Interests--Again?
The U.S. is on a hot seat too, trying to balance traditional loyalty to
Britain with a perceived need to enlist Argentine aid in combating
Soviet/Cuban inroads in Central America. The belief now is that Argentina
is looking to the United States for a way out of a military confrontation.
Rumors persist that Argentina might be willing to negotiate a diplomatic
settlement--such as recognition of Argentine sovereignty in return for a
British dong Kong-style lease for, say, 25 years. Thus, American pressure
might force Britain to relinquish this sea gate (even if on the installment
plan}--similar to the manner in which U.S. pressure forced Britain and
France to back off from retaking the Suez Canal in 1956, after the Egyptians
had nationalized it.
Dangerous Precedent
If Argentina gets away with its aggression, hardly a nation in the Western
Hemisphere is safe.
Practically every nation has some kind of border
dispute with a neighbor.
Guatemala claims all of Belize, for example;
Venezuela claims 60% of Guyana. The new rulers of Guatemala applauded the
Argentine action. Other nations in Latin America defend Argentina's claim,
but do not endorse her methods. The aggression therefore sets a highly
dangerous precedent.
American journalists, it appears from watching TV news, appear to be blind
to the bigger questions of national honor, pride and principle, to say
nothing of dangerous precedent. One repeatedly hears the question asked of
British officials, "Are the Falklands worth fighting over?"
For Americans, pride and principle no longer are important. The United
States, threatened with violence, walked out of the Panama Canal Zone. In a
curious coincidence, on April 1, the day before the Argentine attack, the
United States officially terminated the authority of its police and court
system in the old canal zone, ending a 30-month transition period to full
Panamanian sovereignty.
If It Comes to War.••
Meanwhile the British task force continues its long ocean trek southward.
Leading the flotilla is the aircraft carrier Invincible, technically the
property of the Australian government, to which it is scheduled to be
delivered next year. The financially hard-pressed British government has