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A former head of the Argentine Army addressed the strategic alliance established by the regime Augusto Pinochet with the government of Margareth Thatcher during the 1982 Malvinas War, providing details of a secret pact that, he claims, benefited both countries.
Martin Balzaformer trans-Andean military chief and veteran of the Malvinas War, asserted that the confidential agreement between Chile and the United Kingdom during the war that pitted the European power against Argentina over the Malvinas Islands brought important rewards to both Santiago and London.
In a column published in the Argentine media ProfileBalza, who served as fire support coordinator of the Puerto Argentino Army Group in the war, indicated that the Chilean dictatorship carried out an “extensive campaign of psychological action,” for which it used “emissions typical of electronic warfare.”
“Our communications in the Malvinas were permanently interfered with by anonymous Chilean correspondents – I am a witness to this – who uttered insults and hurtful comments towards our troops. He also deployed military personnel in the area bordering our Patagonia, to force his own forces to be distracted,” explained the former uniformed man.
In that sense, he asserted that British spy planes, with the FACH logo, operated with pilots from the British Royal Air Force (RAF), “but sometimes, according to some sources, with FACH observers on board.”
Along with pointing to the Pinochet regime’s interest in becoming an important ally of the United Kingdom in Latin America, Balza pointed to another relevant precedent regarding this British-Chilean alliance.
“The most compelling revelation about Chilean support for Great Britain emerged publicly on October 9, 1999, at the annual conference of the British Conservative Party, when the so-called Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, among other things, expressed: ‘Chile is our oldest friend in South America, ever since Admiral Cochrane helped liberate Chile from oppressive Spanish rule.’”he mentioned.
The former military chief delved into Thatcher’s statements, who asserted that Chile provided timely warnings of imminent Argentine air attacks “that allowed the British fleet to take defensive actions.”
As part of this pact between Santiago and London, Balza stated that the United Kingdom was able to use the Punta Arenas air base for RAF aircraft and intelligence and espionage actions. indicating that even the machines used the FACH emblem.
“It also authorized British special forces to operate in its territory,” he pointed out, adding that there was an exchange of information and intelligence, “including the monitoring and description of Argentine codes and signals, which the Chilean Navy provided to them.”
For its part, Blaza said, Chile received six Canberra high-altitude bombers, used in secret operations during the conflict, and a Hawker fighter-bomber squadron.
In addition, the Malvinas veteran assured that London repealed British restrictions on the sale of weapons to Chile, the provision of enriched uranium and the offer of an English Magnox-type nuclear reactor.
The fighter maintained that Thatcher’s government also supported the neutralization of investigations carried out by the UN into human rights violations by the Pinochet regime.
Finally, Balza stressed that “nothing will weaken the feeling of friendship and brotherhood with the Chilean people, who were never affected by the decisions made by the Pinochet dictatorship.”
“They are consolidated with the historical truth expressed with sincerity and respect”closed in his column.
