Falklands War

[Westenra-Fan]

Did the USA have any involvement in the Falklands War?

[Octavius]

See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War#Shuttle_diplomacy_and_US_involvement

[Skids]

They tried to act as mediators between us and Argentina. Being the great allies that they are, they also witheld important intelligence and reconnaissance information from us.

[spacechimp]

You've got to love France.

[spacechimp]

And that dictator torturing b*stard Pinochet.

[johnlambert]

they let the Task Force use Assention Islands as an staging post as they are half way between UK and the Falklands

[mata hari]

spacechimp, whats France got to do with it?

[silly moo]

Didn't France supply the argentinians with missiles and stuff?

[NapoleonSolo]

Assention Island was and still is a UK dependancy. The UK had let the USA use it as a base before 1982; the UK simply took over the base again when the War kicked off and we have been there ever since.

The USA let the UK purchase the latest vesion of "Sidewinder" air to air missles even before their own forces had recieved the new versions which many historian credit why there was such a massive disparity between British v Argentine dogfight kills

The USA gave the UK access to satellite photos of the combat area. And if you believe Alexander Haige the American Sec' of State at the time, the USA was even prepared to putone of their aircraft carries at the UK's disposal but that was after their inital "Sitting on the Wall" diplomatic stance.

[johnlambert]

thanks NapoleonSolo

at the time of the conflict I was sitting in a blackthorn hedge outside Crossmaglen in Northern Ireland dodging IRA bulets, by the time I got some R+R all the so**ing Paras and Marines were home, guess how p!ssed off I was to have missed it, but I got my chance in Gulf War 1

[brachiopod]

With respect to the France question;

Yes, the Exocet missiles, for example, that had such devastating on the British Navy's shipping fleet were made in France. But you can hardly use that as a dig at France - they were supplied well before the Conflict.

That is the nature of the arms trade - who cares who you supply weapons to, as long as they are paying !! (Unless, of course, there is a UN embargo against supply of arms to a particular nation, in which case, you just get your Government to help you sell them anyway, by changing laws or otherwise supplying illicitly.)
There are many examples where one power has supplied another nation with weapons to help their faction win a civil / guerilla war etc. Then, some time later, have been on the receiving end of those very same weapons when things didn't proceed as they wished, and they have ended up invading, er.., I mean 'liberating' that country.
(qv. Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Nicaragua etc etc etc.)

Incidentally, once British troops landed in the Falklands, they were faced with a largely young, conscripted army, armed, in the main, with rifles that were made in....

...Birmingham.

[brachiopod]

Billy Bragg? Don't know what you mean, DocSos ?

(Thread of no return....... ;o)

[pugwashjw]

for Spacechimp. Pinochet was in Chile, not Argentina.

[pugwashjw]

Mata Hari. Its not France either!.

[johnnybriggs]

Its a long time since I read the book but Vincent Bramley in his book "Excursion to Hell" said he fought against (and was present at the capture of) American mercaneries during the Falklands conflict.