Seeking a Negotiated Settlement, April 2–April 30, 1982


133. Action Memorandum From the Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (Middendorf) to Acting Secretary of State Eagleburger

Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, P880104–1183. Secret; Nodis. Sent through Bosworth. Drafted by Johnson and Middendorf. On the first page of the memorandum, Middendorf wrote: “Larry—This is the memo I spoke to [you] about this morning. Bill.” Above this note, Bosworth wrote: “Larry, I am also cutting USOAS into the broader contingency paper which we will have for you by COB. Steve.”


134. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (Burt) to Acting Secretary of State Eagleburger

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Special Handling Restrictions Memos 1979–1983, Lot 96D262, ES Sensitive April 10–19 1982. Secret; Sensitive. Cleared by Blackwill.


135. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Haig in Buenos Aires

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/15/1982–04/17/1982). Confidential; Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to Buenos Aires, London, and Moscow. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room.


136. Memorandum From Dennis C. Blair and Roger Fontaine of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Clark)

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/15/1982–04/17/1982). Secret. A stamped notation in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum indicates that Clark saw it. A second notation in an unknown hand reads: “President has seen.”


137. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Department of State

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/15/1982–04/17/1982). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room. Reagan initialed the telegram, indicating that he saw it.


138. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, Files of Vernon Walters, Lot 89D213, Trip to Buenos Aires (w/Secretary Haig); Spin-off to El Salvador/Honduras April 15–April 22, 1982. Top Secret; Sensitive. The conversation took place in Haig’s suite at the Sheraton Hotel. The original handwritten version of the memorandum is ibid.


139. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Department of State

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/15/1982–04/17/1982). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room. Reagan initialed the telegram, indicating that he saw it.


140. Telegram From the White House to the Embassy in Argentina

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/15/1982–04/17/1982). Secret; Flash; Nodis; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information to the Department of State. Reagan initialed the telegram, indicating that he saw it.


141. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 04/17/1982 (1). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Sent for information Flash to the Department of State.


142. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, Files of Alexander M. Haig, Jr., 1981–1982, Lot 82D370, (2) Falklands Crisis—1982. Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place at the Casa Rosada.


143. Information Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (Burt) to Acting Secretary of State Eagleburger

Source: Department of State, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, Falklands Crisis Historical Files, Lot 86D157, Unlabelled Folder. Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. Drafted by Haass. At the top of the memorandum, Burt wrote: “Larry: I think this is a good first cut. Let’s talk. RB.”


144. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between President Reagan and British Prime Minister Thatcher

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Subject File, Memorandums of Conversation—President Reagan (April 1982). Top Secret. In his personal diary entry for April 17, Reagan wrote: “Afternoon interrupted by phone calls—Bill Clark—re the Falkland situation. Al H. is there and as of noon things looked hopeless. I called Margaret Thatcher to tell her I’d cabled him to return home if there was no break in the Argentine position.” (Reagan, Diaries, p. 124)


145. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Haig in Buenos Aires

Source: Department of State, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Miscellaneous Files, March 1981–February 1983, Lot 83D210, D. Gompert. Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Stadis.


146. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 04/18/1982 (1). Secret; Niact Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Niact Immediate to the Department of State.


147. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, Files of Alexander M. Haig, Jr., 1981–1982, Lot 82D370, (1) Falklands Crisis—1982. Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in Haig’s suite. No drafting information appears on the memorandum.


148. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Department of State

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/18/1982–04/19/1982). Secret; Sensitive; Flash; Nodis. Reagan initialed the telegram, indicating that he saw it. Earlier, Haig had sent a similar summary of the day’s discussions to Pym in telegram Secto 6043 to London, April 19. (Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 04/19/1982 (1))


149. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (Burt) to Acting Secretary of State Eagleburger

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Special Handling Restrictions Memos 1979–1983, Lot 96D262, ES Sensitive April 10–19 1982. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Brown.


150. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the White House

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/18/1982–04/19/1982). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Sent for information Flash to the Department of State. A stamped notation at the top of the telegram indicates that McFarlane saw it.


151. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom, the Department of State, and the White House

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Falklands War [Cables 090131, 091000, 091154, 091640, 181715, 191620, 191740, 191754, 192115]. Secret; Flash; Nodis. A stamped notation in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of the telegram indicates that Clark saw it.


152. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom and the Department of State

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Latin America/Central, Argentina (04/18/1982–04/19/1982). Secret; Flash; Nodis.


153. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in Argentina

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 04/20/1982 (1). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Sent for information Flash to the Department of State and White House. Sent from the Secretary’s aircraft. Haig was then en route to Washington from Buenos Aires. The telegram is unsigned.


154. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Europe and Soviet Union, United Kingdom (04/01/1982–07/31/1982) (2). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to the Department of State. Sent from the Secretary’s aircraft. Haig was then en route to Washington from Buenos Aires.


155. Note From James M. Rentschler of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Clark) and the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)

Source: Reagan Library, NSC Political Affairs Directorate Files, Chron April 1982 (04/20/1982–04/22/1982). No classification marking.


156. Information Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (Burt) to Secretary of State Haig

Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, P880105–0941. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by T. Miller and M. Austin; cleared by Blackwill and T. Williams (INR). Blackwill initialed for Williams. Haig initialed the memorandum in the upper right-hand corner, indicating that he saw it. Haig also underlined numerous passages in the text of the memorandum. An attachment describing the Vulcan Aircraft is not printed.


157. Working Paper Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

[Source: Central Intelligence Agency. Top Secret; Codeword. 4 pages not declassified.]


158. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan

Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Agency File, Secretary Haig’s Evening Report (03/25/1982–04/21/1982). Secret.


159. Letter From Argentine Foreign Minister Costa Méndez to Secretary of State Haig

Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, P820069–0211. Secret; Nodis. Printed from an unofficial translation. In his memoirs, Haig recalled that Costa Méndez had presented him with a message upon his departure from Buenos Aires, April 19, which contained much of the text of this message. (Haig, Caveat, p. 289) It is unknown whether Haig was mistakenly referring to the April 21 message in this recollection. Costa Méndez was in Washington to attend the OAS meeting scheduled to begin April 26.


160. Note From the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (Williams) to Secretary of Defense Weinberger

Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files, FRC 330–84–0003, Argentina (Jan–15 May) 1982. Secret. A copy was sent to Iklé.


161. Information Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Montgomery) to Secretary of State Haig

Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, P820066–0656. Secret; Noforn; Nocontract; Orcon. Drafted by W. Lofstrom (INR/IAA). Haig initialed the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum, indicating that he saw it. A stamped notation also indicates that Haig saw the memorandum.


162. Message From British Foreign Secretary Pym to Secretary of State Haig

Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Special Handling Restrictions Memos 1979–1983, Lot 96D262, ES Sensitive April 20–23 1982. UK Confidential. The British Embassy in Washington sent the message to Haig under an April 21 covering note from Henderson. According to an April 21 memorandum from Eagleburger to Haig, Thomas delivered Pym’s message to the Department the evening of April 21. In the same memorandum, Eagleburger wrote that Pym had “sent word” that he wished to have a “scene setting discussion” with Haig when they met the following day as well as a discussion of a U.S. “military guarantee” to the United Kingdom and “the absolute need to maintain maximum security possible about British military plans.” (Ibid.)