The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2 War and Diplomacy [Hardcover]

In this official history of the Falklands Campaign, Lawrence Freedman provides a detailed and authoritative account of one of the most extraordinary periods in recent British political history and a vivid portrayal of a government at war.

After the shock of the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in April 1982, Margaret Thatcher faced the crisis that came to define her premiership as she determined to recover the islands. Freedman covers all aspects of the campaign - economic and diplomatic as well as military - and demonstrates the extent of the gamble that the government took. There are important accounts of the tensions in relations with the United States, concerns among the military commanders about the risks they were expected to take, the problems of dealing with the media and the attempts to reach a negotiated settlement. This definitive account describes in dramatic detail events such as the sinking of the Belgrano, the battle of Goose Green and the final push to Stanley. Special attention is also paid to the aftermath of the war, including the various enquiries, and the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations with Argentina.

Introduction.  Acknowledgements.  Timings.  Section 1: At War  Section 2: Options for a Settlement  Section 3: Operation Sutton  Section 4: The Peruvian Initiative  Section 5: American Support  Section 6: Enforcing the Exclusion Zone  Section 7: International Opinion  Section 8: The Changing Military Balance  Section 9: Fortress Falklands  Section 10: The Franks Report

'In Lawrence Freedman, the campaign has found an impeccable official chronicler. There will be plenty of quibbling about details and nuancl“é