Lord Carrington


Lord Carrington was the Foreign Secretary and ultimately responsible for British policy. He had had to walk the delicate tightrope between the demands to reduce spending as put forward by the British Treasury and the FCO and the desire of the Falkland Islanders to retain their connection to Britain. He was sympathetic to the plight of the Islanders and instructed Nicholas Ridley to tone down his leaseback proposals for fear of alienating the Falkland Islanders and putting undue pressure on them. His willingness to trust to the use of diplomacy backfired when the military regime of Argentina believed that his willingness to negotiate and drawdowns on British military commitment to the area was a sign of Britain losing interest in supporting the Falkland Islanders. Lord Carrington resigned to take responsibility for the failure of his department.

He published his memoirs as: Reflect on Things Past


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