MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“I did everything possible to make Argentina loose Malvinas war”

”I did everything possible to make Argentina loose the (Malvinas) war”, is the spectacular introduction to a Chilean television program to be aired Wednesday night with a very special guest, General Fernando Matthei, former Commander of the Chilean Air Force and responsible for the secret coordination with the British in 1982.

In the interview the former Chilean Air Attaché in London assumes the whole responsibility for the strategic link with the Royal Air Force, which proved vital in gathering intelligence for the Task Force and ensuring a quick defeat of the Argentine forces with a minimum of British losses.

"The whole Argentine nation can feel resentment towards me, but I insist Chile had nothing to do with the Malvinas (war). It was me, on my own", stresses the former member of the military Junta headed by General Pinochet in the interview.

"We couldn't anticipate Argentina would commit such a folly, but General Galtieri said Malvinas was the first step and that following that was the recovery of other (disputed) territories".

According to Matthei when the British left for the South Atlantic they were completely ignorant of Argentine troop movements in Patagonia, so he decided to approach the British.

"I decided to talk to the British, but they arrived first", recalls General Matthei, adding that "an RAF Wing Commander by the name of Sidney Edwards arrived in Chile and we negotiated the exchange of jet fighters, anti aircraft missiles and radars for intelligence and information".

"Did I report it to Pinochet?, yes but sufficiently vague as to have him out of the deal if anything went wrong. This included other members of the Junta and all cabinet ministers", reveals Matthei.

"I was the only link, all went through me, we gave the British permanent radar monitoring, eavesdropping with sophisticated electronic gear and all possible useful intelligence".

At the time some strange (British) Hercules with Chilean colours which arrived from the west through Easter Island began flying over Chilean territory with spares and equipment, recalls Matthei.

"They were impeccably presented however instead of saying Fuerza Aerea de Chile, the reading was Fuerza Aera de Chile: they'd forgotten an "e"!"

General Matthei is categoric: "I did every thing I had to do to defend Chile. That's what I'm paid for. Friendship with the Argentines was somebody else's problem. I did everything possible to make Argentina loose the war in Malvinas - Falkland Islands".

The Chilean television Special Report also interviews a former Argentine conscript who recalls that, "when practicing shooting, the officers would tell us be grateful to the motherland and kill a Chilean".