Argentine Junta: Military Committee minutes No.8"M"/82 (?2100Z) (English translation, Spanish translation & original) [decision to reinforce the Argentine garrison on the islands] [declassified 2013]

Time estimated as around 2100Z (1800 in Buenos Aires), in part because the Junta tended to meet in the evening. More significantly, Rattenbach quotes a line from the Junta's own report of events which implies the meeting took place after Mrs Thatcher's announcement that a British Task Force would be sent, stating that the decision to reinforce the Argentine garrison on the islands (rather than draw it down as previously planned) was made "TO HANDLE THE ATTEMPTED RECONQUEST by Great Britain" (Rattenbach para 155).

According to Yofre 1982 (p245) the Junta had before it a telegram from London detailing a British opinion poll suggesting strong public support for a declaration of war, as well "other information", unspecified.

Transcript and translation by Ms Katiuska Borjas, a native Spanish speaker; the editor is deeply grateful for her help. The Rattenbach Enquiry was the Argentine equivalent of the Franks Review. Its archives supply the principal surviving record of Argentine decision-making immediately before and during the war. Read other documents selected from the Rattenbach files