Falklands/Malvinas Chronology Prepared by Jack Child, 23 August 1996

1493: Alexander VI's Papal Bull Inter Caetera and the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas divide the New World between the Spanish and Portuguese crowns along a line "from Pole to Pole" 100 leagues west of the Azores. New discoveries east of the line were assigned to Portugal, and those west of the line to Spain.

1501-02: Voyage of Amerigo Vespucci to South America. Some reports indicate that he sighted islands in the area roughly corresponding to the Jason Islands (northwest Malvinas/Falklands). This possible sighting is the basis for the early discovery claim by Spain and Argentina.

1520: Alternative Spanish/Argentine discovery claim to the Malvinas/Falklands by Esteban Gomes, who was the captain of one Magellan's ships. However, the report was vague, and somewhat suspect, since he was accused of abandoning Magellan and returning to Spain rather than continuing the voyage around the world. The report was apparently used by Pedro Reinel in his 1522 map which shows islands close to the southern coast of South America.

1592: Englishman John Davis on the ship Desire sights the Falkland Islands. This is the basis for the British discovery claim.

1594: Sir Richard Hawkins sights what were probably the Falkland Islands and named them Hawkin's Maidenland.

1600: Dutchman Sebald de Weert sights the northwestern part of the Falkland Islands (Sebaldine or Jason Islands).

1675: A British expedition led by Antonio de la Roché may have sighted the Island of South Georgia.

1690: Captain John Strong lands on the Falklands (the first documented landing) and names the water between the two principal islands the Falklands Sound in honor of the Treasurer of the Royal Navy. The name is later extended to the whole island group.

1750's: Itinerant French and British sealers visit the Islands.

1756: The Spanish ship Leon sights and circumnavigates South Georgia.

1764: The Frenchman Louis de Bougainville and his group from St. Malo (a port on the English Channel) found the first settlement at Port Louis on East Falkland, named after King Louis XV. Because of the origin of these settlers, the Islands became known as "Les Isles Malouines", which in Spanish became "Las Islas Malvinas".

1765: British Commodore John Byron founds a settlement at Port Egmont on Saunders Island (off West Falkland). He takes possession in the name of King George III.

1766: The Spanish Crown buys the French settlement from the Compagnie de St. Malo for 24,000 pounds, ending the French claim. A Spanish governor (Navy Captain Felipe Ruiz Puente) is named by Real Cédula under the jurisdiction of the Buenos Aires Spanish Captaincy-General, which became a Vice-Royalty in 1776. The Spanish change the name of Port Louis to Puerto Soledad.

1770: The Spanish, backed up by 1,400 troops, force the British from their Port Egmont settlement, and a war almost breaks out between the two countries. A year later the Spanish allow the British settlers to return. The British argue that under a "secret pact" between Spain and Great Britain sovereignty was ceded by Spain. Argentina disputes this.

1774, 20 May: the British depart, abandoning Port Egmont, but "leaving marks of sovereignty and possession" (a lead plaque), which they claim is the basis for continued possession by George III. The Spanish have nine governors from 1774 to 1811, with no protest from the British.

1775, 17 Jan: British Captain James Cook lands at three places on South Georgia and takes possession for Great Britain. He later sights the South Sandwich Islands.

1806, 27 Jun: First British invasion of Buenos Aires led by Colonel William Carr Beresford (and under the over-all command of Sir Home Popham). In an action which was not authorized by the English government, Beresford lands his 1,635 troops at the town of Quilmes, near Buenos Aires, and attempts to take control of the city. The action was taken as a by-product of the British-French tensions that led to the Iberian Peninsular War and Napoleon's invasion of Spain, and had been discussed (but not authorized) by Prime Minister William Pitt. To the surprise of Colonel Beresford, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires put up a stiff fight ("La Resistencia") and the British were forced to surrender after two months (12 August 1806). The Spanish authorities had fled, leaving control in the hands of the local authorities, whose confidence was boosted by the ensuing military actions.

1807, 28 June: The British under General Whitelocke try to take Buenos Aires a second time, and again are forced to surrender to the local resistance forces (July 6) in what the Argentines call "La Defensa".

1810, 25 May: Argentina declares independence from Napoleonic Spain, and takes over the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata in the name of King Ferdinand VII (taken prisoner by Napoleon). On the Islas Malvinas the Spanish Governor, a naval officer by the name of Gerardo Bordas, ask for payment for services rendered from the Buenos Aires Junta of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.

1811, 18 Mar: the Spanish abandon their settlement on the Malvinas Islands and the last Spanish governor (Gerardo Bordas) departs, leaving behind a plaque as a sign of sovereignty. The islands are without government from 1811 to 1820, and the only inhabitants are itinerant sealers and a few gauchos living off of the wild cattle.

1816, 9 July: Full Argentine independence from Spain under the name of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.

1820, 2 November: Commander David Jewett (a U.S. citizen), serving Buenos Aires, arrives on the Islands with the frigate Heroina and raises the Argentine flag for the first time.

1822: Luis Vernet (from Hamburg) is granted fishing and sealing rights on the Malvinas Islands by the Buenos Aires government in Argentina.

1823: Pablo Areguati is designated governor of the Falkland Islands by the government of Buenos Aires. U.S. President James Monroe first enunciates the Monroe Doctrine to the U.S. Congress.

1829, 10 Jun: Argentina establishes the Political and Military Commandancy of the Malvinas Islands. Luis Vernet is named governor and rebuilds the old settlement at Puerto Soledad as the capital of the Islands. Britain protests the action, claiming sovereignty.

1831, 30 Jun: Governor Luis Vernet seizes the U.S. schooner Harriet under authority of the government of Buenos Aires on the grounds that it was hunting illegally in the Malvinas Islands. In August Vernet does the same with the U.S. schooners Breakwater and Superior, confiscating seal skins on board.

1831, 7 Dec: U.S. Navy Captain Silas Duncan of the U.S.S. Lexington, which is in the River Plate area, protests the seizures of U.S. ships to the Argentine government, accusing Vernet of piracy.

1831, 30 Dec: the U.S.S. Lexington, flying the French flag and carrying signals asking for a pilot lands troops at Puerto Soledad, captures many of the Argentines (including Vernet) and destroys the settlement. This is the first U.S. military action against a Latin American nation.

1832: The Argentines resettle Puerto Soledad. Commodore Rodgers, who is Captain Duncan's superior officer, writes the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that Captain Duncan mistakenly assumed that Vernet was a pirate; Vernet is released from U.S. custody.

1833, 2 Jan: British ship H.M.S. Clio (under Captain Onslow) arrives to expel the remaining Argentines (around 25) and forces the Argentine ship Sarandi to leave. Continuous British control (until 2 April 1982) begins. The Argentines protest to the British in Buenos Aires and London. The US ignores the Argentine request that US apply the Monroe Doctrine.

1833: Several further protests to the British Government by Mariano Moreno, the Argentine ambassador in London.

1834, 8 Jan: Viscount Palmerston's reply to the Argentine representative in London states that the British have sovereign rights in the Falkland Islands due to discovery and occupation.

1843: British Royal Letters Patent set up a civil government for the Falkland Islands and its Dependencies.

1845-47: The Franco-British blockade of the River Plate in opposition to the government of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas.

1851: The British grant "The Falkland Islands Company" a virtual monopoly of the economy and land ownership.

1884: Argentina restates its sovereignty over the Malvinas using the propinquity argument (proximity to the Argentine mainland).

1904: Norwegian Captain Larsen forms the "Compañia Argentina de Pesca" in Buenos Aires and establishes a whaling station at South Georgia (one of the British Falkland Islands Dependencies). An Argentine meteorological station is established at Grytviken as part of the whaling station, and is operated from 1905 to 1943.

1904, 4 Jan: The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition base station in the South Orkneys (another Falklands Islands Dependency) is turned over to Argentina by the expedition leader, Dr. Wm. Bruce.

1906, 1 Jan: the British grant the Compañia Argentina de Pesca a lease for 500 acres of land in the South Georgias.

1906, 23 Aug: the British government informs the Argentine government that the South Orkneys are British.

1908: the British send a magistrate to Grytviken, South Georgia, and also establish a post office a police constable's office.

1908, 21 Jul: British Royal Letters Patent declare that South Georgia, the South Orkneys, the South Shetlands (Antarctica), the Sandwich Islands and the territory of Graham Land (Antarctic Peninsula) are Dependencies of the Colony of the Falkland Islands. The Letters Patent contain a geographical error which includes parts of mainland Argentina and Chile in the Dependencies.

1913: Talks between Argentina and Great Britain over the status of the South Orkneys produce no results.

1914, 8 Dec: naval battle of the Falkland Islands; British defeat German Admiral Maximilian Graf Spee's Pacific Fleet.

1917, 28 Mar: the 1908 British Letters Patent are revised to correct the geographical error.

1925: Argentina begins to build a radio station at its South Orkneys base, and applies for a call sign from the International Telegraph Bureau.

1926, 14 Apr: Great Britain protests the Argentine request for a radio call sign for the South Orkneys wireless station, arguing British sovereignty. A further protest is lodged the next year.

1928, 20 Jan: Argentina responds to the British protests arguing that the South Orkneys are Argentine because of constantly maintained first occupation.

1937: the population of the Falkland Islands peaks at about 3,000.

1939: Battle of the River Plate (World War II). A British naval task force bottles up the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the River Plate. The Captain of the Graf Spee eventually scuttles his ship off Punta del Este. The British force uses the Falkland Islands as a supply and repair base.

1947: Rio Treaty Conference. A security zone is established around the Hemisphere, and Argentina states that it does not recognize any British colonies or possessions within the zone. Argentina also specifically reasserts its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, as well as South Georgia, South Sandwich. Chile and Argentina both state their Antarctic claim, and push for including the "South American Antarctic Quadrant" as part of the Rio Treaty security zone. The Quadrant overlaps the British Antarctic Territory claim. The US delegation to the Conference argues that the Treaty should not affect questions of sovereignty.

1947: In one of a series of incidents involving the United Kingdom, Argentina and Chile, Argentine troops land from two warships in the interior "caldera" (collapsed volcanic cone) of Deception island at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. There is a British base nearby in the caldera, and it calls for assistance. However, by the time the Royal Navy ships arrive the Argentines have left.

1947: An Argentine naval task force (cruisers and six destroyers) maneuvers near the Antarctic Peninsula and the Malvinas/Falklands Islands. The British send their own task force but there is no confrontation.

1950: The Argentine meteorological station at Grytviken, South Georgia is dismantled by the British and the equipment is turned over to the Compañía Argentina de Pesca.

1952: A British group attempting to rebuild their station at Deception Island, Antarctic Peninsula, is repulsed by the Argentines.

1953: The British send a warship (H.M.S. Snipe) to Deception Island.

1956: Argentine Navy station (summer only) is established on S. Thule Island, South Sandwich.

1957: By decree-law No. 2191, the Argentine Government creates the national territory of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the Southern Islands (Malvinas, Georgias, Sandwich).

1957: The Argentines send an officer to Grytviken to investigate an illegal liquor still. The British authorities refuse to let him land.

1960, 14 Dec: U. N. Resolution A/1514 (Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples) declares, among other things, that "All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development". The Argentines see this as a triumph which will force the British to give up sovereignty of the South Atlantic Islands. The British stress that any decolonization must depend on the wishes of the inhabitants (in the case of the Falklands, almost all the residents want to remain British). The possibility of a "leaseback" solution is raised, under which formal sovereignty would revert to Argentina, but with British control for a long period of time, perhaps a century.

1961, Jun: The Antarctic Treaty goes into effect, and the region below 60º South is demilitarized and preserved for science. National claims are neither recognized not denied by the Treaty.

1962: The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization includes the Falkland Islands in the "List of Non-Self-Governing Territories", with Great Britain as the administering authority.

1962, 3 Mar: British Order in Council establishes the colony of British. Antarctica Territory (BAT), separating it from the Falkland Islands. However, the capital of the BAT is Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, and the Governor is also the Falkland Islands Governor.

1964, 6 Mar: The British land a platoon of Marines who bivouac on the South Sandwich Islands until 22 March 1964.

1965,16 Dec: UN General Assembly Resolution 2065 declares the Falklands/Malvinas Islands a colony, and urges Argentina and Great Britain to institute negotiations and reach a peaceful resolution of the issue.

1966, 18 Sep: A group of twenty Argentine civilians calling themselves "Condor Commandos" reach the Falklands in a hijacked airliner. They are quickly subdued and returned to Argentina. The British send a warship (H.M.S. Puma) to the Islands. The Falkland Islands "lobby" begins to get itself organized in the United Kingdom

1968: The British Chalfont mission to Buenos Aires and the Falklands begins to shift the British emphasis from the "wishes" to the "interests" of the islanders.

1971, Jul: Britain and Argentina sign the "communication agreement" under which there is greatly increased contact between the Islands and the Argentine mainland, to include air transportation, fuel supplies, medical assistance, education. The assumption is that these steps will lead to the Islands being gradually integrated into Argentina.

1972: Under the 1971 agreement, Argentina builds the airstrip at Port Stanley, and starts regular air service to the mainland.

1973, 14 Dec: UN Resolution 3160 commends the integration efforts and urges continued progress toward peaceful resolution.

1975: The British begin a series of studies on the long-range economic potential of the Islands, including the possibility of very large oil fields (one is rumored to be nine times as large as the North Sea deposit), and the development of krill as a major food source. One of these missions is led by Lord Shackleton, and the Argentines react by attempting to intercept his ship (they do some 80 miles from the Islands, claiming that it is in their territorial waters), and fire at it from the destroyer ARA Storni. Tensions rise and ambassadors are recalled. The British increase the size of their Royal Marine contingent on the Falklands to 37.

1976, Dec: Argentines make the Sandwich base yearround; the British protest, take no other action.

1977, Feb: Foreign Office official Edward Rowlands visits the Islands and Buenos Aires: talks resume in Rome and New York regarding the Islands. Admiral Massera (commander of the Argentine Navy) apparently suggests to President Videla that Argentina take the islands by force. UK sends a nuclear sub to the area. Admiral Anaya, as commander of the fleet, draws up a contingency plan to invade the islands.

1978: Tensions rise between Argentina and Chile over the Beagle Channel Islands dispute. The countries almost go to war, but back off when the Vatican agrees to mediate the dispute.

1980, 2 Dec: The British House of Commons, influenced by the Falkland Island lobby, rejects the notion of "leaseback" of the Islands.

1980: The Argentine government also rejects the lease-back idea, and warns that talks with Great Britain cannot go on indefinitely. The symbolic date of recovery of Argentine sovereignty by the 150th anniversary of British occupation (i.e., January 1983) is mentioned.

1980, Aug: The Argentine Foreign Ministry approves the Constantino Davidoff salvage operation on South Georgia.

1981, Sep: Argentine Foreign Minister Oscar Camilion meets with British Lord Carrington.

1981, Nov: Large demonstration protesting economic conditions and the military dictatorship in Buenos Aires.

1981, Dec: General Viola is removed from the Presidency by General Leopoldo Galtieri on the grounds of poor health. Argentina's foreign policy begins to emphasize cooperation with the United States, especially in the battle against the Communists in Central America.

1981, 21 Dec: Davidoff goes to South Georgia to examine the prospects for his salvage operation.

1982, Jan: The Argentine military begins active planning for an operation to recover the Malvinas. The plans are based on long-standing contingency plans, and apparently do not include the possibility that the British will fight back by mounting an expedition from the British Isles. Various dates for the invasion are discussed (July, May), but activation of the plans is based on the assumption that talks in New York with the British will not yield results.

1982, 24 January: La Prensa (English: FBIS 2 February 82) comments that Argentina will soon present new conditions to UK; if they refuse Argentina will then take the islands by force, and the United States will support Argentina.

1982, 26 Feb: the last round of negotiations begin in New York (Richard Luce-Ros). When Argentina's delegate Ros makes positive statements about the talks, he is repudiated by the Junta in Buenos Aires, which states that Argentina will keep all its options open.

1982, 2 Mar: Argentine Foreign Minister Costa Mendez sends an ultimatum to London, and threatens to end the talks.

1982, 6 Mar: An Argentine Air Force C-130 makes an emergency landing in Port Stanley, claiming that it was on a routine flight to Antarctica.

1982, 8 Mar: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Thomas Enders visits Buenos Aires, and apparently gives the Argentines the impression that the U.S. would not stand in the way of their recovery of the Islands. Enders later denies he ever gave this impression.

1982, 9 Mar: Constantino Davidoff tells the British Embassy in Argentina that he is about to leave for South Georgia. He sails on Bahía Buen Suceso (an Argentine Navy supply ship) two days later.

1982, 10 Mar: The Washington Post reports that there is a $19 million covert action CIA fund to support the destabilization of Nicaragua using 500 Latin Americans. It later turns out that a key group of Argentine military intelligence advisors is involved.

1982, 12 Mar: The Latin America Weekly Report says Argentine President Galtieri is considering a range of options (to include military) to recover the Malvinas.

1982, 19 Mar: Argentine salvage group of 43 workers on the Argentina Navy transport Bahía Buen Suceso led by Constantino Davidoff (Argentine) lands at Leith, South Georgia (without going through the British authorities at Grytviken), and raises the Argentine flag. The landing is observed and photographed by a group of British scientists. The British send H.M.S. Endurance (Britain's lightly armed Antarctic ice-patrol ship) to evict the salvage workers. Argentina sends the naval scientific ship Bahía Paraíso. There are incidents of vandalism at the Argentine airline office in Port Stanley.

1982, 21 Mar: The Bahía Buen Suceso sails from South Georgia, leaving Davidoff's scrap-metal workers at Leith.

1982, 23 Mar: COHA (a Washington-based human rights group) reports that the Argentine military intelligence role is increasing in El Salvador and Honduras.

1982, 24 Mar: H.M.S. Endurance sails from Port Stanley to South Georgia with Royal Marines on board. The British intelligence system begins to pick up early warnings of an Argentine invasion (code named "Operation Alfa"), with late March or early April as the probable dates.

1982, 25 Mar: The Argentine navy ship Bahía Paraiso is at Leith Harbor with three landing craft and a helicopter. The ship is also carrying a special forces detachment of about 100 men under the command of Navy Lieutenant Alfredo Astiz; they are kept under observation by British Marines. London's protests over the scrap metal workers increases in intensity, but Argentina refuses to withdraw them or have them check in at Grytviken. The British nuclear submarine H.M.S. Superb sails for the South Atlantic.

1982, 26 Mar: The Argentine navy sends two frigates (ARA Drummond and ARA Granville) to South Georgia.

1982, 27, 28 and 30 Mar: Major anti-government demonstrations are held in Buenos Aires.

1982, 28 Mar: Major elements of the Argentine fleet put to sea from the main base at Puerto Belgrano.

1982, 30 Mar: The Reagan Administration offers to mediate the dispute on South Georgia, but the Argentine government rejects the offer because it does not deal with the larger Malvinas/Falklands issue. The two Argentine frigates reach South Georgia.

1982, 31 Mar: The Times of the Americas reports details of the Argentine-Central American link. "Up to 40" retired Argentine Army counter-insurgency specialists are reported in El Salvador; the 601st Intelligence Battalion may be sent.

1982, 31 Mar: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher calls an emergency cabinet meeting and later requests President Reagan to talk with General Galtieri to forestall an invasion.

1982, 1 Apr: The UK calls for UN Security Council session. President Reagan calls General Galtieri asking that he stop the invasion. Argentina informs OAS of UK violation of territorial waters.

1982, 2 Apr (Friday): Argentina invades/recovers the Islands, using 4-5,000 troops, the aircraft carrier 25 de Mayo, and 4 other ships; they secure the Port Stanley airfield for C-130 transport aircraft. The operation lasts around three hours and is relatively bloodless, although there are three Argentine casualties (one killed). General Mario B. Menéndez is named governor. The UK breaks relations with Argentina, and asks for a UN Security Council meeting. The EEC condemns Argentine actions. UN Ambassador Kirkpatrick attends dinner at Argentine Embassy. British cabinet approves a proposal to send a task force to The South Atlantic. Speaking from the Casa Rosada government house, President Galtieri tells a large cheering crowd that the Islands have been recovered and will never return to British control. Diplomatic relations are broken.

1982, 3 April (Saturday): UN Security Council adopts British proposal (Resolution 502) demanding Argentine withdrawal, cease of hostilities and diplomatic solution; the resolution is considered a diplomatic victory for Britain. The vote is 10-1 (Panama) with USSR, China, Spain and Poland abstaining. Argentina proclaims the Malvinas to be the 23rd Province; Puerto Stanley's name is changed to Puerto Rivero (the Argentine gaucho who resisted British control in 1833). Galtieri in an emotional speech promises that "not one meter" of Argentine soil will be given up. Costa Mendez offers to resign, feeling that diplomatic solutions are foreclosed; his resignation is rejected by Galtieri. Argentine assets are frozen in UK. Governor Rex Hunt, 80 Royal Marines and some civilians arrive in Montevideo.

1982, 4 Apr (Sunday): UK Minister of Defense reports that 22 Royal Marines on South Georgia were overwhelmed after destroying an Argentine helicopter and damaging a corvette. General Menéndez arrives on the Islands.

1982, 5 Apr (Monday): The OAS meets to hear Costa Mendez. Expressions of support for Argentina come from Venezuela, Panama, and Uruguay. Lord Carrington resigns as foreign secretary, and is replaced by Francis Pym. Thatcher quotes Queen Victoria to the effect that defeat is unthinkable. A British armada sails from Portsmouth (36 ships).

1982, 6 Apr: U.S. Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig starts his involvement in mediating the dispute by contacting Argentine Ambassador Esteban Takacs and British Ambassador Sir Nicholas Henderson in Washington.

1982, 7 Apr: Great Britain declares a 200-mile exclusion zone around the Islands. Argentina formally installs Governor Menéndez as governor, and declares its own 200-mile military zone. Reagan approves Haig's peace mission.

1982, 8 Apr: Haig (with Thomas Enders and Vernon Walters) meets in London for six hours of talks with Margaret Thatcher, John Nott, and Francis Pym. The British position is firm: Argentina must withdraw from the Islands. The British and Spanish governments announce a postponement of the 20 April opening of Gibraltar border.

1982, 9 Apr (Good Friday): Haig and Enders are in Buenos Aires, and meet with Costa Mendez, Galtieri, and the Junta. EEC suspends arms sales to Buenos Aires, and approves economic sanctions. British Commando Brigade 3 sails on Canberra.

1982, 10 April: Haig in Buenos Aires, leaves as major demonstration begins.

1982, 12 April: Haig in London, and presents the British with a tree-point proposal which would involve simultaneous pullback of both forces, British long-term recognition of Argentine sovereignty, and temporary control of the islands by a tri-partite arrangement (Argentina, UK, US). The maritime exclusion zone is in effect around the Islands. The British nuclear submarine H.M.S. Spartan is near the Falklands.

1982, 13 April: Argentina rejects US proposal for a tri-partite administration. Haig returns to Washington. An OAS Resolution (359) expresses concern over developments; splits begin between English and Spanish speaking nations in the OAS. There are media reports that US and USSR are supplying intelligence to UK and Argentina, respectively. Bolivia offers aircraft to Argentina.

1982, 14 April: President Reagan in a press conference tells Soviets to "butt out" of any involvement in the conflict. Argentina says two patrol boats slipped through the British blockade.

1982, 15 April: Haig returns to Buenos Aires. Reagan talks to Galtieri

(phone). The Pentagon says US has no intelligence satellites over the Islands, but confirms that British are using US satellite communications. USSR (TASS) says the US is trying to get a base in the Falklands through the "joint administration" approach. The Argentine fleet leaves port. A British task force (destroyer group) is in a holding position in the mid-Atlantic.

1982, 16 April: The Argentines give Haig a detailed proposal. Argentina calls for an OAS session. Great Britain sends more ships: the total is now over 50; 20 more Harrier aircraft are also sent.

1982, 17 April: Haig presents the Junta with a 5-point peace plan and then returns to Washington after the Argentines insist that their sovereignty is non-negotiable. The British also object to the proposal on the grounds that it does not respect the wishes of the Islanders.

1982, 18 April: Argentine aircraft carrier 25 de Mayo returns to port with engine trouble. British special forces detachments (Special Boat Squadron and Special Air Squadron) are put ashore in the Islands. Argentina declares that it is prepared to invoke the Rio Treaty (Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance) despite US objections.

1982, 20 April: The OAS (over US objections) votes to meet on Monday 26th to consider Argentina's call for assistance and formally convoke the Rio Treaty's Organ of Consultation on 26 April. The vote is 18-0 with 3 abstentions (US, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago). Reagan calls for Argentina and GB to resolve the dispute peacefully.

1982, 21 April: The British South Georgia recovery operation begins. Galtieri visits the Islands.

1982, 23 April: Argentina charges that British ships have entered the Rio Treaty security zone as they approach South Georgia. BBC advises 17,000 British residents in Argentina to leave.

1982, 25 April: The British retake South Georgia in a two-hour firefight, taking 190 prisoners. The Argentine sub Santa Fe is captured at Grytviken.

1982, 26 April: The OAS meets; Costa Mendez is received effusively, while Haig gets a cold reception. Haig argues that the best solution is UN Resolution 502, and that Rio Treaty is not appropriate since Argentina used force. The OAS foreign ministers then vote 17 to 0, with 4 abstentions (including the US) to support Argentine claims to the Islands and urge both sides to cease fire and withdraw their forces from the area.

1982, 27 April: In the OAS Peru and Brazil push for a moderate resolution; Argentina's strongest supporters are Venezuela, Nicaragua and Panama. Argentines reject a request for Haig to return to Buenos Aires. Times of London reports recon troops are on Falklands. The US makes public a draft memorandum of agreement between Argentina and UK. It calls for a cease fire, withdrawal of forces, lifting of economic and financial sanctions against Argentina, a tri-partite interim administration (with three flags), and negotiations on the sovereignty issue to be concluded by the end of the year.

1982, 28 April: An OAS Resolution backs Argentine sovereignty for the islands, calls for truce and withdrawal of British troops. But it also calls for protecting the interests of the islanders and for support of UN Resolution 502. The vote is 17-0, with 4 abstentions (US, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Colombia). Senator Biden introduces a "back Britain" resolution as Haig briefs Senators. The State Department says renewal of military assistance to Argentina and Chile has been delayed. The Peruvian Air Force sends some of its 36 Soviet SU-22 aircraft to Mendoza. London announces total air and sea blockade; Ministry of Defense says Chile has agreed to let the UK use a tanker it had just purchased. Argentine prisoner dies on South Georgia in a shooting incident; 156 prisoners are held. Argentina says its commandos are still fighting on South Georgia, but Britain denies this. Brazil says it will sell Argentina two EMB-lll maritime patrol aircraft.

1982, 29 April: The US House Foreign Affairs Committee adopts (by voice vote) a resolution calling for US "full diplomatic support" for Great Britain. The US Senate adopts, by a vote of 79-1 (Helms), a resolution from its Foreign Relations Committee saying the US cannot stay neutral, and calling for Argentine withdrawal. Argentina declares a 200-mile blockade zone of its coasts, Malvinas, and South Georgia, and says that the latest US proposal is unacceptable because it does not meet its requirement for Argentine sovereignty of the Islands.

1982, 30 April: Haig announces the failure of his mediation effort, calls for US sanctions against Argentina, and promises to respond positively to British requests for military aid. The sanctions include suspension of military sales (commercial, $5 million/year); further delay of military training funds (they had been cut since 1978; $50 million was pending certification); Export-Import Bank loans ($233 million in process); Commercial Credit Corporation loan guarantees ($2 million lumber loan was in progress). Reagan calls Argentina the aggressor. Costa Mendez says Argentina would comply with UN Resolution 502, but would never negotiate sovereignty. The British total exclusion zone is in force.

1982, 1 May: The British attack airfields on the Islands (Port Stanley, Goose Green) using a Vulcan bomber from Ascension Island and Harriers from the fleet. Argentine aircraft begin attacks on British fleet. Pym returns to Washington as "an ally".

1982, 2 May: US continues attempt to find UN solution. Peruvian and UN (Perez de Cuellar) peace initiatives launched. The Peruvian plan involves a cease-fire, withdrawal of forces in phases, a temporary international administration of the islands (with Argentine and British involvement), and negotiations on the sovereignty issue. The British nuclear sub Conqueror hits, sinks, cruiser Belgrano about 35 miles outside of the exclusion zone; over 300 Argentine sailors die.

1982, 3 May: Argentina says Peruvian peace proposal cannot be accepted because of the sinking of the Belgrano. UN Secretary General presents his peace plan. Both proposals are similar to that proposed by the US on 27 April. Argentine patrol boats are attacked.

1982, 4 May: An Argentine Super Entendard aircraft fires an Exocet missile at the destroyer H.M.S. Sheffield, which later sinks, with a loss of 20 British lives. First Harrier shot down. The U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution calling for full support of Britain and for Argentina to pull back from the Islands. Argentina denounces U. S. aid to Great Britain.

1982, 5 May: British cabinet, in an emergency session, approves accepting the Peruvian plan.

1982, 6 May: The Argentine Junta rejects the Peruvian peace plan again, and continues to insist on sovereignty. Two Harriers collide in fog.

1982, 7 May: UN Secretary General continues discussions (New York) with Argentines and British. The U.S. and Peru end their coordinated peace efforts in view of the Argentine rejection and the UN initiative. The total British exclusion zone is extended to 12 miles off Argentine coasts. Great Britain asks US for aerial tankers.

1982, 8 May: The unarmed Argentine ship Narwal attacked; the British accuse it of spying.

1982, 12 May: The Junta makes a concession (to Perez de Cuellar) that sovereignty is not a precondition to talks. The Queen Elizabeth II leaves Southampton with 5 Brigade. The Argentines lose two more A-4 Skyhawk aircraft.

1982,14 May: British special forces (SAS) mount a raid on Pebble Island, some 11 Pucará aircraft destroyed.

1982, 16 May: The British prepare their response to the Argentines (via UN Secretary General). US Embassy in Buenos Aires denies it was guilty of "inappropriate conduct" (apparently a reference to stories that it was trying to destabilize the Galtieri regime).

1982, 18 May. The Argentines reject the British response.

1982, 19 May: Admiral Woodward's San Carlos landing plan approved. Venezuela agrees to send 10,000 barrels of oil to Argentina per day and makes other economic support commitments.

1982, 20 May: PM Thatcher tells Commons that the peace process has failed.

1982, 21 May: UN Security Council debate. A British Sea King helicopter is found destroyed near Punta Arenas, Chile. San Carlos landing begins on East Falkland; 16 Argentine planes lost; H.M.S. Ardent sunk.

1982, 22 May: Argentina accepts the Peruvian peace proposals in principle.

1982, 23 May: 7 Argentine planes shot down. H.M.S. Antelope is hit and later sinks.

1982, 24 May: Argentina loses seven aircraft.

1982, 25 May (Argentine Independence Day): Haig asks Thatcher to be "magnanimous in victory". H.M.S. Coventry and Atlantic Conveyor sunk.

1982, 26 May: UNSC Resolution 505 reaffirms Resolution 502 and asks Perez de Cuellar to continue his efforts. The British move out from their San Carlos beachhead and begin to cross East Falkland in two columns.

1982, 27 May: Costa Mendez attacks US bitterly at OAS. SAS land in force on Mount Kent; 3 Para and 45 Commando head for Teal Inlet; 2 Para to Goose Green.

1982, 28 May: OAS resolution condemns UK and support from US. The vote is 17-0, with 4 abstentions (US, Trinidad-Tobago, Chile, Colombia). Pope John Paul II is in London. In the battle for Goose Green the 2nd Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment (600 men) defeats 1,400 Argentine defenders, who surrender.

1982, 30 May: British forces capture the settlements at Douglas and Teal Inlet.

1982, 31 May: 42 Commando reaches Mount Kent, on the approaches to Stanley.

1982, 2 June: The Argentines seek a cease fire through the UN, and indicate a willingness to accept an interim UN administration. Galtieri says he will accept aid from anyone who will give it to him, and hints this might include the Soviet Union. Costa Mendez goes to Cuba for Non-Aligned summit meeting and embraces Fidel Castro. 2 Para leapfrogs to Bluff Cove.

1982, 3 June: Reagan's 5-point peace plan is given to British. Versailles G-7 summit begins.

1982, 4 June: Vote (9-2, 4 abstentions) on UN cease fire: the British veto the proposal, and the US (Kirkpatrick) initially vetoes then tries to change its vote.

1982, 6 June: Scots Guards land at Fitzroy; Welsh Guards embark for Fitzroy.

1982, 7 June: Reagan meets with Queen Elizabeth and PM Thatcher in London.

1982, 8 June: British landing ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristam are hit at Fitzroy; 51 die.

1982, 9 June: Thatcher calls for a joint UK-US defense of the Islands.

1982, 11 June: The final battle of Port Stanley begins. Pope John Paul II in Buenos Aires. Fighting on Mounts Longdon, Harriet, and Two Sisters.

1982, 12 June: Battle for Tumbledown and Wireless Ridge as the British close in on Stanley.

1982, 14 June: Argentine General Mario Menéndez surrenders to British General Jeremy Moore at Port Stanley. Almost 15,000 Argentines are now prisoners of war.

1982, 15 June: Major protests in Buenos Aires as angry mobs protest the deception by the Junta, which had been declaring it was winning the war. Thatcher says she will not accept any UN role in Administration of the Islands.

1982, 17 June: President/General Leopoldo resigns as President and Commander in Chief of the Army. Major General Cristino Nicolaides replaces Galtieri as Army Commander and Junta member

1982, 18 June: The bulk of Argentine prisoners are returned. They are received with little ceremony at a remote military base. About 1,000 Argentine officers remain in British custody.

1982, 20 June: The Argentine scientific base at Thule Island, South Sandwich, surrenders to H.M.S. Endurance.

1982, 22 June: Retired General Reynaldo Benito Antonio Bignone is named President of Argentina by the Junta, which promises restoration of civilian rule by 1984.

1982, 25 June: Secretary of State Haig resigns, and former Treasury Secretary George Shultz, replaces him.

1982, 26 June: Sir Rex Hunt, Governor of the Falkland Islands, returns to Stanley.

1982, 1 July: General Reynaldo Bignone inaugurated as President, and promises to restore democracy by March 1984. British losses in the war are announced as 255 dead and 777 wounded. Direct costs of the war to Great Britain are reported a $1.19 billion.

1982, 14 July: The last remaining Argentine prisoners are returned.

1982, 5 August: Air Force Commander Brigadier Lami Dozo is replaced by Brigadier Augusto Hughes.

1982, 14 Sept: Argentina and Great Britain lift financial sanctions.

1982, 1 Oct: Admiral Jorge Isaac Anaya retires.

1982, 4 Nov: UNGA adopts Argentine Resolution 37/9 calling for negotiations on Falklands sovereignty. The US votes in support of the resolution, which is attacked by the United Kingdom.

1982, 15 Nov: OAS 12th General Assembly in Washington.

1982, Dec: Britain launches an $2 billion infrastructure development program on the Falklands (to include a large airport at Mount Pleasant which will permit quick reinforcement), and a permanent military presence on the Islands of about 2,000 troops (this is one soldier for each civilian on the Island). Argentina begins a re-armament program designed to replaces weapons and equipment lost in the war.

1990: Full diplomatic relations are established between UK and Argentina.

1995: Sept: Oil agreement between Argentina and Great Britain signed for exploration around the Islands