New Book Reveals Secret Chilean Support for United Kingdom During Falklands War

A new investigative book titled El pacto perfecto by journalists Daniel Avendaño and Mauricio Palma details the secret collaboration between the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and the United Kingdom during the 1982 Falklands War. The authors used classified British National Archives documents and interviews to establish that Chile provided critical intelligence and logistical support to the British while publicly claiming neutrality. This collaboration was later confirmed in 1998 by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who stated that Chile's help made the conflict shorter and saved British lives.

According to the reports, the support operated in several phases. Chile allowed British Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft to use landing strips in Easter Island, Carriel Sur, Concepción, Punta Arenas, and San Félix. These aircraft were reportedly repainted with Chilean Air Force insignia to hide their identity. Additionally, British soldiers installed a portable Marconi radar in Balmaceda to track Argentine movements. The Chilean Navy also provided the petrol tanker Tidepool to the British Task Force for refueling operations at Ascension Island, a move the authors describe as a vital contribution.

Chilean military leaders, including Admiral José Toribio Merino, were motivated by fears that an Argentine victory in the South Atlantic would lead to Argentine territorial claims against Chile or the installation of a strategic naval base in the region. In exchange for this assistance, Chile received three Canberra aircraft, purchased Hawker Hunter jets at a significantly reduced price, and sent nearly 30 Air Force officers to the United Kingdom for training.

The authors note that while former combatants and analysts in Argentina were open to discussing these events, they encountered more resistance and partial responses when seeking information through transparency requests in Chile.