Are the UK and Argentina about to go to war…again?
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What secret tape revealed the tension between Reagan and Thatcher during the Falklands War?
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on the lands of the Awabakal and Gadigal people. In 1983, envelopes without any return address started showing up in the inboxes of European newsrooms. In each of them was a cassette tape and a note which said, Dear Sir, herewith I send you a taped telephone conversation between Mrs Thatcher and President Reagan. The conversation took place during the Falklands War. I regret I have to remain anonymous. The Falklands War had happened about a year earlier and this is what the tape sounds like.
The
bad quality and phone ringing sound indicate that this was recorded via a crossed line. Back then damaged phone wiring could sometimes cause you to hear other people's phone calls. It's very difficult to understand what they're saying, but the anonymous sender helpfully sent a transcript. Publicly, Reagan and Thatcher seemed to be very close allies. But according to the transcript of this phone call, they were furious at each
other.
Reagan was telling Thatcher that she overreached by sinking an Argentine naval ship. Thatcher was demanding that the US join her in exacting harsh punishment on Argentina for invading the
Falklands. The
news organizations who received a copy weren't really sure what to make of it. One Italian newspaper apparently reported on the contents of the tape, but the editor of a Dutch newspaper who also received a copy was concerned that it might be a hoax, and he took it to the US embassy in The Hague. A few months later, more papers reported on the recording, now saying that it was a hoax perpetrated by the Soviet KGB.
The American Intelligence Agency thought it was part of a Soviet disinformation plan. They were half right. It was a hoax,
but it wasn't done by the KGB.
We produced a tape which was a... cut up of a conversation between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. This
is Andy Palmer, guitarist for the British anarchist punk band Crass.
We cut up two speeches, one of Reagan and one of Thatcher. People know that governments are corrupt. People know that governments are violent. We did the tape to show that they're also small-minded, petty and stupid.
How did the 1982 Falklands invasion unfold and why did Britain win?
So, it wasn't really a conversation between Reagan and Thatcher. It was basically the 1980s version of a deepfake. But the fascinating thing is, years later, when real transcripts of Reagan and Thatcher's conversations during the Falklands War came out, the lads at Crass turned out to not have been all that far off. While it seemed publicly that Reagan was supportive of Thatcher's war in the Falklands, he was actually asking her to stop, fearful of what her total victory might mean for the world order. In the end, Thatcher won and the British got to maintain their hold on the Falkland Islands. Then, for the next four decades, there wasn't really a whole lot going on in the Falklands at all. Until now, because the whole debate is heating up again.
The Falkland Islands are once again in the
spotlight of a territorial dispute. Argentine President Javier Millet is striking a sharper tone over the contested Falkland Islands. Is Argentina about to invade the Falklands again? We need to recover these islands, he said. It's our obligation as a nation. Britain is struggling right now. I get it. But Argentina are an absolute joke. Why Malay thinks the Falklands are up for grabs is anyone's guess.
The question is, if it does come to war, will the US president, Donald Trump, back his strongest ideological ally, Javier Millay, or will he back America's strongest historical ally, the UK?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What secret tape revealed the tension between Reagan and Thatcher during the Falklands War?
0:00–3:30
2
How did the 1982 Falklands invasion unfold and why did Britain win?
3:30–6:58
3
Why did Margaret Thatcher reject Reagan’s proposal for a cease‑fire and peacekeeping force?
6:58–10:45
4
What caused the United States to flip its UN Security Council vote on the Falklands?
10:45–14:11
5
How has the “pie” metaphor explained shifting U.S. strategic priorities since the 1980s?
14:11–17:58
6
Why is President Trump reconsidering U.S. support for British sovereignty over the islands?
17:58–20:42
7
What actions is Argentine President Javier Milei taking that could spark a new conflict over the Falklands?
20:42–23:58
8
What are the possible outcomes if the U.S., UK and Argentina clash over the Falklands today?
23:58–27:09