Who Owns the Falklands?
The only question is: Who did have the best claim when we finally annexed the islands ... I think undoubtedly the United Provinces of Buenos Aires [now Argentina]. We cannot easily make out a good claim and we have wisely done everything to avoid discussing the subject.
- Ronald Camp, Foreign Office official, internal foreign office minutes, July 1911
We can have no confidence in our claim to the islands succeeding in the event of it being submitted to arbitration.
- John Vyvyan, second secretary at the Foreign Office, internal minute, July 24th, 1935
Our case for sovereignty in the Falklands Islands has certain weaknesses.
- George Fitzmaurice, legal advisor, Foreign Office, February 1936
The difficulty of the position is that our seizure of the Falkland Islands in 1833 was so arbitrary a procedure as judged by the idealogy of the present day. It is therefore not easy to explain our possession without showing ourselves up as international bandits.
- John Troutbeck, head of American department, Foreign Office, October 1936
We are not in any doubt about our title to the Falklands and we never have been.
- Francis Pym, Foreign Secretary, in speech to House of Commons, May 4th, 1982
From The Guardian, Christmas 1982
