Newly declassified documents reveal that Sir Michael Havers, the attorney general during the Falklands conflict, urged Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to consider stealing French-made Exocet missiles to prevent them from reaching Argentina. The proposal, described as more appropriate for a James Bond film, was outlined in a handwritten note dated 1 June 1982.
The scheme, devised by Havers' friend Charles Hughesdon, who ran an air freight company, involved tendering for the cargo contract of missiles being transported through South America. The loadmaster would then redirect the aircraft to Bermuda. Havers acknowledged the plan was 'highly unlikely' but argued it was worth keeping open given the risk of resupply to Argentine forces.
The documents also disclose that Chile secretly aided British forces during the conflict, despite publicly declaring neutrality. This included allowing a Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft to operate from an airfield on San Felix island and delaying the handover of a British tanker. Chile also remained silent when a UK special forces helicopter landed on its soil after a failed mission.
Separately, Thatcher sent an emotional telegram to French President François Mitterrand on 30 May 1982, pleading with him to halt the export of Exocet missiles to Peru, fearing they would be passed on to Argentina. She warned it would have a 'disastrous effect on the alliance'.
The documents also highlight concerns about Israeli arms sales to Argentina, despite assurances to the contrary, and the UK's own arms sales to Chile, including pilot training for Hunter fighter-bombers, which a Foreign Office official noted had been used in the attack on President Allende's palace.
