Office of the Historian

149. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs (Burt) to Acting Secretary of State Eagleburger1

Washington, April 19, 1982

SUBJECT

  • Exports to Argentina

Helicopters—The UK Embassy told us on Friday2 that the Argentine Government was attempting to ship “more than one” S–61 Sea King Helicopter out of the US to Argentina and gave us the names of the firms involved: Heavy Lift Marketing, U.S.A. and Columbia Helicopters Inc. of Aurora, Oregon. The latter firm is a logging contractor and would be a logical source for large helicopters like the S–61.

At our behest, Customs began to investigate last Saturday. So far, it has turned up nothing. Either a Munitions Control or Commerce “validated” license (depending on the helicopter configuration) would ordinarily be required for export but none has been requested. If, however, a civilian version of the S–61 were stripped of its avionics, its weight would fall below the Commerce licensing threshold of 10,000 pounds and it could be exported without a license; only a Customs declaration would be filed. No such declaration has yet surfaced. As a matter of interest, Commerce informs us that Columbia Helicopter [Page 325] Inc. is British owned, although we cannot confirm it. Customs will continue its investigation. We are keeping the British informed.

Telephone Equipment—As you will recall, last week, again from the UK, we were informed that a Bolivian L–100 aircraft was to load “communication equipment” and fly it to Rio Gallegos (due West of the Falklands) on the 20th of April. The consignee is INTEL, an Argentine telephone company.3

The L–100 has delayed its departure until 22 April apparently while its owners search for additional cargo. Meanwhile all we know of the communications cargo is that it was manufactured by the Harris Corp., a large respectable electronics conglomerate that does a lot of business with the US Government. It is not a firm likely to try illegally to evade export controls. The freight forwarder in Miami tells us that the equipment is in two very large crates marked “telephone communications equipment” but that he knows nothing more. We are trying quietly to find out from Harris Corp. exactly what is in them. As I noted earlier, an export license would be required only if the stuff is military telephone equipment.

  1. 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.↩
  2. April 16.↩
  3. See Document 134.↩