London Calling: A look at the Falklands War nearly 40 years later

It's been nearly 40 years since the U.K. and Argentina fought over the Falkland Islands. Despite initial opposition to the conflict, the U.S. stuck by its allies. CBS News contributor Simon Bates takes a look back at the war in this week's installment of London Calling.
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[@dWFnZWVr]

“I was told by a Russian general that the Soviets had been firmly convinced that we would not fight for the Falklands, and that if we did fight we would lose. We proved them wrong on both counts, and they did not forget the fact.” - Margaret Thatcher

[@carlseddon2392]

The Russians for some reason think we are not capable of defending our way of life. We are warriors with high tech kit very professional.

[@chriswalford9228]

For a soldier to travel 8000 miles in a ship and then walk 30 miles and then be ready to fight. There aren't many who can do that

[@tennots]

Love the way she says just off the tip of Argentina, when in reality its about 950 miles from Argentina.

[@maxirofernandez]

The Malvinas/Falkland Islands are about 400 miles from the Argentine city of Rio Gallegos. The distance what you said is from Buenos Aires to the Malvinas/Falkland Islands.

[@tennots]

@@maxirofernandez countries distances are usually measured centre to centre, not coast to coast due to erosion and land reclaim. So my original statement stands However 400 miles is still not just off the coast.

[@flyinghigh2724]

RULE BRITAINNIA 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿74 DAY DEMOLITION JOB WHAT A COUNTRY NO RETREAT! NO SUDRENDER!

[@oliverdavis8279]

Actually the Islands have been British since 1765 and we didn't storm the capital. The decisive battles were fought on the hills surrounding Stanley.

[@anti-bullingjames]

Occupation doesn't equal legal ownership. You can measure how far UK crosses the ocean to invade there.

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

@@anti-bullingjames alright, time to tell the majority of South America to vacate then. Same with North America.

[@rodrigoaguilar2913]

@@pecadodeorgullo5963 The Duke of Wellington, British Prime Minister, wrote to the Foreign Office: "I have reviewed all the papers relating to the Falklands. It is by no means clear to me that we have ever held sovereignty over these islands."

[@rodrigoaguilar2913]

From 1810 to 1829, Argentina carried out various acts demonstrating sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands that were never protested by the United Kingdom, which did not express any claim on the islands. These acts include a public act of formal possession of the islands on behalf of Argentina by Colonel David Jewett in 1820, fishing legislation, land concessions, among others. Not even the United Kingdom made reference to the Malvinas Islands when in 1825 it recognized the Argentine state and signed a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation with Argentina. The United Kingdom only changed its position in 1829, when on June 10 the Argentine government created the Political and Military Command of the Malvinas Islands and appointed Luis Vernet as its head. After being silent for more than half a century, the UK protested this decision. . The occupation of the Malvinas Islands by the United Kingdom from 1833 was carried out in contravention of current international law regarding the acquisition of territories. Indeed, that occupation occurred through the invasion of a British ship to the islands on January 3, 1833, which took place after the expulsion of the Argentine authorities who refused to recognize authority. This act, carried out in time of peace and without prior communication, was immediately protested before the British Chargé d'Affaires in Buenos Aires. Said protest was renewed several times by the Argentine representative in London. . From 1833 to the present, Argentina never recognized the legitimacy of the British occupation of the islands and, moreover, continued to protest against that occupation and claim the exercise of effective sovereignty over the archipelago. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom there were several pronouncements over time that questioned the legitimacy of the British occupation of the islands and, in many cases, called for the return of this territory to Argentina. In 1966, the United Kingdom for the first time accepted the start of unconditional negotiations with Argentina on the sovereignty of the islands, and both countries signed written documents addressed to the UN to report on the progress of the negotiations. These negotiations, although they were suspended without satisfactory results years later, implied a recognition by the United Kingdom of the existence of a sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands.

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

@@rodrigoaguilar2913 words of one man don't make it true. Now, is all of South America vacating?

[@carwyngriffiths]

Outgunned? Oh come on CBS... do some research

[@Alexandros.Mograine]

They were outgunned by experience. Most Argentinian soldiers were simple conscripts while the british forces vast majority was made of SAS special forces.

[@joe-vl3nd]

Reagan and Thatcher What a combination Brilliant

[@BAKEDPOTATOLARDYASS]

An outstanding military victory 🇬🇧

[@mrsrjlupin3650]

"Don't invade us, Argentina, the truth is, we'll evict you again!"

[@commanderbell1965]

When U.K. was tough under Thatcher

[@mikehutchison4892]

Thatcher was told exactly what would happen if we withdrew from SGeorgia……..a war was good for her Iron Lady image……the Belgrano ( + Murdoch and the Sun ) covered up HMS Sheffield and the Sir Galahad and the lack of air cover……and the muppets waved their flags and swallowed it……hook,line and sinker !!!

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

Tough to live in really

[@1IbramGaunt]

@@mikehutchison4892 nothing was covered up, the losses were known and accepted without it getting us down was all, the ships and men were lost but the war went on, both there and at home

[@henryvaltsart9849]

God bless the united kingdom and the british empire

[@marianlopez457]

🇬🇧=👹

[@212MPH]

Hahaha most Argentine troops were terrified of 1 Regiment. THE GURKHAS, THE FEAR OF GETTING CHOPPED UP ALIVE BY OUR BRAVE AND FANTASTIC GURKHA REGIMENT. GOD BLESS OUR GURKHAS X

[@joaquinsoncini9341]

Luckily my grandfather had the opportunity to defend them in a canberra one day a night bombardment a missile hit them to a certain degree, it is not known if it was because of the missile splinters or because of the abrupt movement. Landing deviated from the runway was due to the pelican radar that the canberra 101 was the only one with that radar, it is seen that if an engine died, the plane wanted to turn over, luckily they controlled it and it did not happen two years later, the same thing happened alone that did not have the same luck, two of the three died, the other had back problems for life

[@Otherdave008]

Not on since 1833 but had west Falklands from 1765.

[@SM-zm5xt]

You stole the islands in 1833

[@da90sReAlvloc]

​@@SM-zm5xt no your just mentally disturbed that's all

[@mrsrjlupin3650]

​@@SM-zm5xtWherever it is you live, you stole the land from someone

[@SM-zm5xt]

@@mrsrjlupin3650 No, because I have Native ancestors

[@mrsrjlupin3650]

@@SM-zm5xt So do the British citizens of the Falklands. Anyway, how do you know you are? Written records are not absolute; your ancestors may have committed genocide and it wasn't recorded

[@xfire7]

The American help was pivital . The latest version of the sidewinder missile gave us air superiority . I was serving and our airforce bombed the falklands from acension island . We showed them we could bomb their capitol .

[@1IbramGaunt]

True but the aircraft firing those missiles were British, as were the carriers launching them and the pilots flying them, and we had missiles of our own we'd have used instead if we had to. We did get outside help there and it was very valuable, but hardly the sole thing that decided who won

[@jdb47games]

That's a myth about the Sidewinder. The latest version could lock on from a much wider angle than the earlier versions, but all the kills by that missile were from within the angle at which any version could lock on. It was therefore irrelevant whether the later version was used or not.

[@martinmar555]

Well jeremy clarkson , Hammond and may with top gear team were the last bits of the Falklands war a few years ago😂😂 its not 40 years ago definitely

[@shanethetrain8132]

So that's where Simon Bates is now!!

[@stevenmartin6473]

Its true reagan was willing to loan us uss coral sea for a backup carrier

[@carlseddon2392]

Fair play to the yanks giving us a little hand

[@davidellis5141]

Maradona cheated 😒 in 1986 ✋ ⚽️

[@brandon-tech]

👌 fact

[@walrusnation2496]

It was god

[@rohanmarkjay]

Yes he did cheat and that was terrible. But equally bad was the referee and officials they had a really bad day. It would not happen today thankfully in the era of Video Analysis Review referreeing. I don't blame England for being upset over the hand of god. Years maybe decades of hard work and sacrifice by England players for their sport undone by a punch into the goal. Because England probably played their best game against Argentina in the whole of 1986 World Cup. Despite Maradona's brillaint second goal the English were far from out of it a number of times Lineker and Barnes especially were creating real problems for Argentina and hit the bar and had strikes on goal that were denied at last moment in the final 15 minutes. If VAR was in use that hand of god goal would have been struck off and there is a pretty good chance England might have even won the match in normal time. Then again the world would have been denied the brilliance of Maradona the footballer and very entertaining Argentine side. So I guess it all worked out well in the end as far as the sport is concerned. From a neutral point of view Argentina were definitely the most entertaining nation in that world cup. West Germany was pretty good too I remember in that world cup.

[@mickeyrat3369]

How do you justify colonizing land so far from London? What’s next? Northern Ireland & Gibraltar…

[@MrAmericaninUK]

No it's just that the people in the Falklands wanted and still do to be British

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

The Falklands were uninhabited when the British arrived on them ....unlike south America where the natives were slaughtered by the Spanish and Portuguese ...how do you justify Spanish and Portuguese people living so far from Madrid and Lisbon ?

[@tennots]

You do know the falklands are about 950 miles from Argentina. Maybe you should read up on the islands before making assumptions.

[@hachwarwickshire1718]

🙂 Mickey you're a cad !

[@joncullen5382]

We (Colonized ) penguins you fcn prxt 😂😂😂😂

[@joycastaneda7045]

🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

🇬🇧Rule Britannia 🇬🇧

[@SM-zm5xt]

@@lightfootpathfinder8218 United Shitdom

[@da90sReAlvloc]

@ joy Castaneda 🇬🇧 rule Britannia Britannia rules the waves

[@somewherenear3003]

That island belongs to Argentina. Give it back!

[@kennyhfc71]

Come and get them, oops tried that!

[@ovumregia8554]

British own that island

[@chrismcgoldrick1378]

Why don’t you try again to take them?!?

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

Been British since before Argentina was a thing but believe their baseless claims

[@rodrigoaguilar2913]

@@anguswaterhouse9255 The Question of the Malvinas Islands, understood as the sovereignty dispute between the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime spaces, has its origin on January 3, 1833 when the The United Kingdom, breaking the Argentine territorial integrity, illegally occupied the islands and expelled the Argentine authorities, preventing their return as well as the settlement of Argentines from the continental territory. Since then, Argentina has regularly protested the British occupation, ratifying its sovereignty and affirming that its recovery, in accordance with international law, constitutes a permanent and inalienable objective. The Malvinas Question has been classified by the United Nations as a case of special and particular colonial decolonization, where a sovereignty dispute underlies and therefore, unlike traditional colonial cases, the principle of self-determination of peoples is not applicable. On December 16, 1965, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2065 (XX), through which it recognized the existence of a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom and invited both countries to begin negotiations to find a solution. peaceful and definitive to the controversy, taking into account the interests of the inhabitants of the islands. Since then, more than 40 resolutions of the General Assembly and the Special Committee on Decolonization have reiterated this call. In addition to the successive resolutions of the General Assembly and the treatment of the issue in the Decolonization Committee, Argentina has the firm support of the Latin American countries for its legitimate sovereign rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia and Sandwich Islands. of the South and the surrounding maritime spaces, and the call for the resumption of negotiations is shared by the Organization of American States, the G77 plus China, and other multilateral and regional forums

[@lionelruiz7293]

Best airforce best attacks on uk navy 1982 ....😭 its you don't believe wach all videos

[@brutussmithers3777]

⭐️🇺🇸🦅TRUMP2020🦅🇺🇸⭐️

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

Dude move on

[@brutussmithers3777]

@@Galm1Cipher0 he’ll be back - prepare yourselves liberals…

[@revinhatol]

@@Galm1Cipher0 *dead as of January 18th 202q

[@wanderingquestions7501]

Western Imperialism: still alive and well

[@commanderbell1965]

No it U.K. defending their territory

[@john-lenin]

As opposed to Argentine imperialism?

[@RackHasAttacked]

Ahh yes still alive and well 40 years ago

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

*argentine imperialism

[@TheDrummingWarrior]

I think you misspelt democratic nation defending its citizens from a military dictatorship

[@joesb4hose370]

Once the Mighty British Empire. Then the EU's lapdog. 🙁

[@john-lenin]

You can’t say that after Brexit - or before. They were never stupid enough to adopt the Euro

[@mikehutchison4892]

…….and now you’re a Tory serf,whilst they make themselves rich.

[@ganados0]

The US lapdog actually.

[@ngashjr]

Better than being a Chinese lapdog

[@anguswaterhouse9255]

Not really cause we can crash the eu’s single market via Northern Ireland so we’re doing just fine

[@theholykaremtheholyshibe2029]

All this belongs to Karen the clown 🤡🧡💙❤️

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Nyet. , Trump supporters suka blyat

[@betsyadala]

Island very far from Brexitland !

[@Valencetheshireman927]

So?

[@williammorley2401]

N Ramsa, island very far from Italy and Spain, the countries that most Argentines ancestors originate from!.

[@OlexColinn]

I was belive to British propoganda in the past ... Not anymoor

[@guacho30]

The Malvinas, also known as the Falkland Islands, rightfully belong to Argentina for several reasons. Firstly, before they were under Spanish control, Argentina had already declared its independence from Spain and had fought many years of armed struggle against its armies. As a result, Argentina has the right to claim any possessions that belonged to Spain, since the islands were part of the viceroyalty territory that inherited the United Provinces. Secondly, the Malvinas are an integral part of Argentina's territory and form a fragment of the Tierra del Fuego province. The situation represents a clear example of colonialism, which involves powerful states appropriating territories of weaker or newer nations. Thirdly, the United Kingdom's claim to the Malvinas is illegitimate since it usurped the islands when Argentina was already an independent and sovereign nation with dominion over them. Furthermore, the British cannot argue that the islands were empty or in a legal limbo. Fourthly, the Malvinas are located within the submarine platform of the South Atlantic, in the Argentine Continental Sea, and are a natural extension of Patagonia. This geographical reality further strengthens Argentina's claim to sovereignty over the islands. Fifthly, England accepted the sovereignty of the islands to Argentina in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1825. This agreement is an unequivocal recognition of Argentina's claim to the Malvinas. Sixthly, no other nation in the world can present better titles than Argentina for its possession and dominion over the islands. Argentina has always claimed the Malvinas and has never accepted their usurpation, and as such, the British are not in possession of any documents proving their dominion or Argentina's renunciation of its claim. Seventhly, England did not protest the acts of possession, national affirmation, and sovereignty fulfilled in the Malvinas by the frigate Heroína in 1820 and by the brig Belgrano in 1825, nor the enactment of the Buenos Aires law on the hunting of amphibious animals on the Patagonian coasts and adjacent islands. Eighthly, England did not oppose the exploitation and fishery contracts signed by the Argentine government with the merchant Jorge Pacheco and his partner Luis Vernet, who became the first governor of the Malvinas. Pacheco signed the contract in 1823, and Vernet in 1828. Ninthly, there are still toponymic and folkloric relics of the ancient Argentine domain in the Malvinas. For example, the Creole names of many places and all the coats and implements of horses. Lastly, the act of surrender of the Argentine Port on June 14, 1982, the agreements debated in Spain as of October 17, 1989, and the declaration (or treaty) of Madrid of February 15, 1990, did not close the debate regarding national sovereignty over the Malvinas. On November 5, 1982, the United Nations declared that the question of sovereignty should be resolved through negotiations and urged the parties to do so. In conclusion, the Malvinas rightfully belong to Argentina, and its claim to sovereignty over the islands is based on solid historical, geographical, and legal grounds.

[@dalebrown8771]

It's impressive how wrong you are on all fronts. They're British - accept it.

[@connoroneill9406]

1) The islands were discovered by Britain. 2) The islands were settled by Britain 3) The islands were invaded by Argentina and defended by Britain 4) The people of the island voted almost unanimously to remain British

[@JoeWilson738]

Try take them again then mate