Alastair Burnet
Prime Minister, do you expect an early conclusion to the Falklands crisis?
Mrs. Thatcher
One always hopes for an early conclusion, but one's learned throughout this whole Falklands campaign that things tend to take longer than you expect.
A. Burnet
Do you think diplomacy has got a part to play now?
Mrs. Thatcher
I think a decision to withdraw troops on the part of the Argentines may have a part to play, they haven't withdrawn them for the last seven weeks. I always thought it would be difficult for a dictator to withdraw but it is always just possible that at the very last minute Leopoldo Galtierihe might think that they have their backs to the sea and that he would quite like to avoid what could be a prolonged and difficult battle for all our people.
A. Burnet
Is there anything you can do to encourage him?
Mrs. Thatcher
I don't think there's anything more I can do, as you know we made up our own terms and published them—they were quite clear—about how far we were prepared to go to avoid a conflict and avoid loss of life. Everything, but everything has been turned down. there is just a possibility now but I don't rate it very highly.
A. Burnet
You've been told to be magnanimous in any victory, what does ‘magnanimous’ mean to you?
Mrs. Thatcher
It is not a word I use in connection with the Falklands, in connection with a battle on the Falklands. Sometimes I think people are using it to say— “all right, hand something to the Argentines.” Under these circumstances to an invader, and an aggressor, and a military dictator, that would not be magnanimity. It would be treachery or betrayal of our own people. we couldn't betray our own people.
A. Burnet
There is a view that one should not humiliate one's opponent, that merely makes life difficult for everyone.
Mrs. Thatcher
I'm not trying to humiliate anyone, I'm just trying to repossess islands which are British sovereign territory for people who are British, to have British administration, to live their own way of life under a government of their own choice. That's not humiliation, that is liberty. Justice and democracy.
A. Burnet
[words missing] [end p1] should be paramount—is paramount still the right word?
Mrs. Thatcher
Self-determination is the right word. We have it here, the United States have it, all democracies have it, where you have an island that is peopled, has been peopled for a very long time and after all the British people didn't displace any indigenous population, they went there, some of them have been there for seven generations. What we are concerned with there is that they should be able to continue the way of life which they have had.
A. Burnet
The idea of some sort of shared sovereignty with Argentina has been taken up and at least discussed by government. is that in the back of your mind now?
Mrs. Thatcher
No, I don't believe for one moment that after what people have experienced they would see Argentine government as playing any part in their future. They didn't want it before, they would not even consider a very long lease of say 250 years. They said “no, we want to stay with our British way of life” . Now that they have experienced what it's like to live with the Argentines on the islands, I think that their hostility to the Argentines would be even greater.
A. Burnet
It would be surprising if there were not divisions of opinion among your own advisers about what happens after the military action is over. How serious are those divisions?
Mrs. Thatcher
Divisions of opinion. I know what we are trying to do now are two things, well, three things really. First, when the islands have been repossessed, and there is still, as you say, a very big … . could be lengthy battle ahead, if the Argentines don't withdraw. That has to be completed and the islands repossessed. We are now thinking of the rehabilitation, repair, reconstruction and development that must take place. that will take quite a time. I have asked Lord Shackleton who did a wonderful report in 1976, which alas we did not fully follow up, to update his proposals in the light of present circumstances so that we will have something to go on to develop the resources of those islands. Thirdly we'll then have to consider the whole future with the Falkland islanders, of whether we can bring them to full independence or some kind of self-government, and fourthly, would have to try to get some arrangements for the security of the Falkland islands. We will have to stay there for some time but we will want some other help from other nations—after all when the United States asked us to go and join them with a multi-national force in Sinai, we did it. That's the kind of thing that I am thinking of. We said ‘yes’ to them and I think that they are naturally interested and I think perhaps they and some other nations would help. It's very important that we get security for the Falkland islands and for the Falkland islanders if we're to get the capital to go there to develop the islands to give greater opportunities for the people. So we have the immediate problem, the repossession, and all of the other things that we are thinking of. Oh, there are variations in view, there are many things that you can do but not fundamental differences of opinion in any way, only how can we best do it. [end p2]
A. Burnet
Would you consider a part for the United Nations, say, in the future supervision of the security of the islands?
Mrs. Thatcher
That would be possible but I think once we have repossessed the islands, I think it may be possible to do it by a multi-national force of the kind which I have indicated.
A. Burnet
It is suggested that Argentina might not accept a military defeat, would simply go on trying to bomb the islands, and thereby wait and prepare until Britain was caught napping again.
Mrs. Thatcher
That is exactly why we are spending some considerable amount of time on thinking how best to secure the future of the islands, they would have to be secured against invasion by sea, or invasion by air and I think that's why it's important to have more than one nation involved in their security.
A. Burnet
Would you think of a military base there which a number of nations might use?
Mrs. Thatcher
Well, we had a very very tiny little garrison, obviously there has to be far more there than there was in the past. You have to think of the two things: protection against invasion by sea and of course I believe we would have to lengthen the air strip, as a matter of fact if we had lengthened the air strip before and it had not been defended the invasion would have been even easier. But let me put it this way, we're very much aware of the problem, it mustn't happen again, we shall not be able to get the capital to develop the many resources that we could develop and we have to consider how to do it. First, with other nations, a possible United Nations force but the United Nations is already very heavily involved in various parts of the world, so if we could do it through a multi-national force I think that would be the best thing.
A. Burnet
What do you think of the United States' part in this crisis so far? Has America really been a good ally?
Mrs. Thatcher
The United States is as staunch in the principles of liberty, justice and democracy as the United Kingdom and in her heart of hearts she knew and always knew that there could never be any neutrality between the military junta and democracy. What she had hoped to do was to try to secure a peaceful settlement including the withdrawal of Argentine forces without a battle. We're very grateful to her for making that effort, it was not her fault that it did not succeed, it was the fault of the Argentines. She made the effort, we tried too. The Perez de CuellarSecretary General of the United Nations made the effort but he could not succeed in getting the Argentines to withdraw in accordance with that resolution. The fault lies, not with the United States, nor with the Secretary General, their efforts were splendid. It lies with an invader who's determined to try to keep the fruits of invasion as a condition of withdrawal. That was and remains totally unacceptable to us.
A. Burnet
[words missing] [end p3] as true allies should?
Mrs. Thatcher
They were absolutely splendid right at the beginning when they agreed to put on a ban against Argentine imports, agreed not to export any military equipment. They acted swiftly, it helped tremendously, along with the United Nations resolution to make it clear to the world that we were right and the Argentine was wrong. It was as clear cut as that, we are right, they are wrong. We are the victims, they are the aggressors and I think they have behaved extremely well, of course we were disappointed that neither Italy, nor Ireland, co-operated to the full in extending those sanctions but we're very grateful for the others for remaining staunch and true and France and Germany led—and Holland—led on this but they didn't have any difficulty in getting the others to follow.
A. Burnet
Have you changed your mind about the media's coverage of the Falklands?
Mrs. Thatcher
I had one or two rather acid things to say about certain programmes. I notice that other people had acid things to say about those particular programmes, may I say that I think since then it is very much better. I think in the early days there was a problem. I think some of your people didn't fully realise that if you are fighting a battle in South Georgia and so on—we hadn't perhaps made provision for getting photographs home, we thought the most important thing was to win the battles, to repossess and we hadn't put the equipment down there to get photographs home. Undoubtedly in the early days that caused a problem because we were getting the actual news but we weren't getting the photographs as you were getting them from the Argentine which was much closer. I hope the co-operation is very much better now. It was our decision, you know, to put correspondents on board the ships—I think some of them have been very very helpful indeed and given very very vivid accounts and helped us to know what is going on, so I hope all is working well … . we all stand for the same things, we all believe in the same things and you couldn't do without that liberty which is part of our tradition.
A. Burnet
Finally, do you think that the bodies of the British forces should be brought home for burial?
Mrs. Thatcher
I know that there's quite a lot of strong feeling about this and I think the other side has been put today, that usually the soldiers are buried on the field of battle, that … . how the battle is won. I think everyone understands that the important thing is to win it and then wherever we've been we've had the most wonderful Commonwealth cemeteries which are looked after beautifully. I have visited some and they're looked after for ever and honour is done to each and every person who's fallen in a separate grave and of course one always tried to enable the relatives to go there. The sailors are buried at sea and the aircraftmen where they fall. If however people do feel very strongly then of course we'd have to take their feelings into account. If most of them feel that the tradition should obtain it will be honoured with great dignity and if they want to go and see, as of course they would, so would I, we'll manage with the help of the treasury and the M.O.D. to get them there, to reassure them, and of course the Falkland islanders would give them a wonderful welcome because they know the sacrifices that have been made for them and I would just like the relatives to know why their loved ones fell—they fell in the cause of liberty, justice and democracy.
A. Burnet
Thank you very much.