Word of the call leaked and as a consequence we prepared a short press
release3 which deals only with
generalities. Then, so as to relieve any concerns on Maggie’s part we
notified Prime Minister Thatcher
of the call through a cabinet line message.4
Tab A
Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between
President Reagan and
Argentine President Galtieri5
President: This is Ronald
Reagan.
Galtieri: Good afternoon,
Mr. President. This is President Galtieri of Argentina speaking to you. It’s a
pleasure to greet you, Mr. President. I wonder if you hear me well.
I can hear you very well.
President: Yes, I can hear just fine, and I know that you wish to
continue our conversations. I’m pleased to have this opportunity to
talk with you. I’m at your disposal.
Galtieri: Mr. President, I’m
very glad to be able to speak to you once again as a follow-up to
our first conversation that we had which, perhaps, was not very
fruitful on the night of April 16 at a time from
our standpoint the essence of the issue was resolved and we were not
in a position to accede immediately to your request. Can you hear
me, Mr. President?
President: Yes, just fine.
Galtieri: Mr. President, I
think it is highly important for Argentina, for us to have
assistance, the assistance of your government, in this very
difficult situation, that we are experiencing in our relationship
with Great Britain which, among other things, is affecting the
solidity of the Western World. Can you hear me, Mr. President?
President: I can hear you, yes, very well.
Galtieri: Mr. President, it
is the profound wish, my personal wish, and that of the government,
and the people of Argentina, to see to it that this situation does
not continue to deteriorate. And it is furthermore our wish that
with the assistance of the United States, that both countries seek
an acceptable solution within the framework of UN Resolution 502 taking into account
the whole background of this problem that goes back 150 years both
from the standpoint of the bilateral relationship as well as all
that has been debated, all that has been, the way the problem has
been dealt with, the whole record of the UN in its debates of the problem of the past 16 years
with reference to the issue of decolonization around the world. Did
you read me, Mr. President?
President: Yes, I have all of that.
[Page 279]
President: Was that all the President wanted to say BEFORE, or do you
want a response from me now or does he have more?
Galtieri: Mr. President,
going on for one more paragraph, if you would allow me, I also wish
to have you realize that with the advance of the British fleet
toward the South Atlantic region we feel that there is an
increasingly dangerous situation, not only between our two
countries, between the two countries involved in the South Atlantic,
but it also our concern that this issue not deteriorate to a point
where other nations might become involved and that this might not
become tangled up and exacerbated by outside interests. We wish to
continue the good relationships that have been established between
our two governments, your administration and my administration, over
recent times, relationships which have become so close, Mr.
President, and for this reason we wish to continue this relationship
with reference to all aspects of the international scene and within
this context it is my fear that if the British continue their
hostilities in the direction of the South Atlantic region the
situation may slip out of our grasp; may slip out of our control and
become an extremely delicate issue for the world at large. Did you
understand me, Mr. President?
President: Yes, let me just say I’m committed to a peaceful
resolution of this dispute. This is important to us because as I’ve
said both countries involved, yours and Great Britain, are friends
of ours so our good offices will continue to be extended to you
both. Now, Secretary Haig
will be arriving in Buenos Aires in a few hours to continue our
efforts, and he is my personal representative and I have full faith
and confidence in him. Now, Mr. President, I am committed
wholeheartedly to a peaceful resolution of this dispute. I agree
that a war in this hemisphere between two Western nations, both
friendly to the United States, is unthinkable. It would be a tragedy
and disaster for the Western world, and a bitter legacy for future
generations of Argentines, Britons, and Americans. The only one who
could profit from such a war would be the Soviet Union and its slave
state allies, and it would be a common misfortune for all the rest
of us. So I hope that we can work out a solution to this. Over.
Galtieri: Thank you, Mr.
President, I share your views. But with the passing of every hour
and with the continuation of the blockade by Great Britain along our
coasts and as the British fleet continues to advance toward the
South Atlantic, I fear that whether we wish to see this or not, this
may bring about some serious misfortune that we will not be in a
position to pinpoint or to keep under control immediately and will
have the consequence of aggravating the present situation. And this
is why I think that we must be very careful in regard to this
because it is obvious that there are attempts also on the part of
the
[Page 280]
American press7 and the world press as we noticed in some
of the coverage yesterday, in particular to bring about some split
in the very good relationships that have been established between
our two countries in recent times; between our governments, our two
governments, our two nations, and between our two administrations.
For this reason I fear that as time passes we may be faced with
certain events that would be very difficult to bring under control.
It goes without saying, Mr. President, that I am thankful to you for
dispatching Secretary Haig
once again to Buenos Aires and, of course, I will again be in touch
with him tomorrow and we will have lengthy conversations tomorrow to
focus on this problem which is of grave concern to us. Over.
President: Mr. President, as I said, I sincerely hope that we all can
reach an agreement soon. And I share your fears about some
inadvertent act creating the trouble that you will be unable to
retreat from. I know that you and the British Prime Minister are
leaders of courage, principle and determination and we’re going to
need all of that in these days ahead. We’re also going to need,
though, flexibility and restraint from both you and the British.
And, if we have that we can get through this together. I know we
have a ways to go but there must be a just and peaceful solution to
this very serious matter and one that, as I said the other night
when I spoke to you, that takes into consideration the interests of
those people living on the islands. And, Secretary Haig will be with you soon and I
will be relaying what we have just said to my own staff here, and
again you have my assurance about him and that he is my personal
representative. It’s a most sensitive situation and I want to assure
you that I know others have used propaganda to try and indicate that
there is some division between us. We are doing nothing to undermine
our role as an honest broker in these talks. Peace, Mr. President,
is our common cause. To preserve peace between our two good friends,
you and Britain. That is my personal goal. And that is our single
objective. We’ve been careful to maintain good relations with both
you and the British, because if we didn’t we couldn’t continue to
offer our help in this. At the same time, failure to live up to
existing obligations, going beyond them, would jeopardize our
ability to play an honest role. The role both Argentina and the
United Kingdom want. So, I want you to know that we are maintaining
this neutral attitude. I hope we can continue to, if fighting breaks
out this will be much more difficult. I have undergone some
criticism myself simply because we’re trying to remain neutral. But
I intend to do that as we continue to negotiate this and I just hope
and pray that there will be no hostile act from either side while we
continue to work this out.
[Page 281]
Galtieri: I thank you very
much, Mr. President, I’m sure that you are aware that the purpose of
this call was to continue the dialogue that we had initiated on the
first of April for a direct communication between two presidents and
to continue the cordial and friendly relationships in the
understanding that has been developed between both countries in our
search on behalf of the Western world for solutions to our problems
in order to avoid any divisions or splits between us. I only wish to
add, Mr. President, the following consideration. The people of the
United States in 1976 (sic)8 and the Northern Hemisphere
began their struggle against colonialism and achieved their
independence. We, in the Southern Hemisphere, began this struggle in
the last century, perhaps somewhat later than you did, and we
achieved independence for our people and now on the 2nd of April
1982, we have tried to make this independence complete. Perhaps
achieving complete independence, as I said, later than you did, Mr.
President. I hope that you can appreciate our sentiments in this
regard, Mr. President. Over.
President: I understand your concern and assure you again that we are
going to stay in this with the sincere hope that we can help bring
about a peaceful solution and maintain the friendship that we have
with the nations of the Western world and I appreciate your calling
me and look forward to hearing from Secretary Haig after you have had a chance
to discuss matters with him and so I will say thank you again and
good night.
Galtieri: Talk to you again,
Mr. President, thank you very much.
Galtieri: Good night to you,
Mr. President. We’ll talk again, some time.
President: Good night.
