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Falklands: Rentschler telegram to McFarlane (1000Z) ("Talks with Thatcher on Falklands") [reinforces Haig's message - British lines leaves him "rather limited room for maneuver on the Buenos Aires leg"] [declassified 2000]

Document type: Declassified documents
Venue: En route London to Buenos Aires
Source: Reagan Library: Executive Secretariat, NSC: Records, Country File (Falklands War) (Box 91365)
Editorial comments:

Despatched from the US Secretary of State's aircraft at 1000 GMT.

Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 260 words
Themes: Foreign policy (USA), Foreign policy (Americas excluding USA), Defence (Falklands)
Declassified NLS F96-003-01,#70
By dIb NARA, Date 5/9/00

Top Secret

WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM

WPC HAS SEEN

PAGE 01 OF 02 SECSTATE/USDEL AIRC
DTG: 091000Z APR 82
PSN: 032009
TOR: 099/1325Z
SIT920

DISTRIBUTION: WPC MCF WHLR JP VP SIT /011
WHSR COMMENT: PLEASE ADVISE ON FURTHER DISTRIBUTION

OP IMMED
DE WTE34 #0001 0991000
0 91000Z APR 82
FM SECSTATE/USDEL AIRCRAFT (86972)

TO THE WHITE HOUSE IMMEDIATE

INFO SECSTATE WASH DC IMMEDIATE

TOP SECRET/NODIS/SECTO 5017

FOR BUD MCFARLANE

NODIS
E.O. 12065: RDS-3 4/8/02
TUGS: OVIP (HAIG, ALEXANDER M.)

SUBJECT: TALKS WITH THATCHER ON FALKLANDS

[Text following originally in upper case.]

1. I assume that you and the Judge William Clark will have seen the Secretary’s Alexander Haig unvarnished report to the President Ronald Reagan on his protracted discussions with Mrs. Thatcher and her colleagues Francis Pym John Nottlast evening (SECHM 5010). You should know that his views very accurately summarize the mood and mind-set of HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] at this critical point in the South Atlantic caper and delineate our rather limited room for maneuver on the Buenos Aires lsg [?leg] (whither we are now bound). I believe the substance of that report should be shared with Roger Fontaine and Dennis Blair, since it will undoubtedly condition our next immediate [end p1] steps. However the present situation turns out, it will clearly be a “close-run thing” – in fact Mrs. Thatcher herself may have recognized when she pointedly showed us portraits in Number 10 not only of Nelson but also Wellington. [sic]

Regards
Jim Rentschler