The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Vol. 1: The Origins of the Falklands War

Drawing on a vast range of previously classified government archives as well as interviews with key participants, this first volume of the official history of the Falklands Campaign is the most authoritative account of the origins of the 1982 war.

In the first chapters the author analyses the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the Islands, the difficulties faced by successive governments in finding a way to reconcile the opposed interests of the Argentines and the islanders, and the constant struggle to keep the Islands viable. He subsequently gives a complete account of how what started as an apparently trivial incident over an illegal landing by scrap-metal merchants on the island of South Georgia turned into a major crisis. Thanks to his access to classified material, Sir Lawrence Freedman has been able to produce a detailed and authoritative analysis which extends the coverage given by the Franks Committee Report of 1983.

This volume is ultimately an extremely readable account of these events, charting the growing realisation within the British government of the seriousness of the situation, culminating in the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands at the start of April 1982.

Reviews

'A masterpiece of even-handed scholarship, and will undoubtedly remain the definitive word on the conflict.’ ~ Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph

‘Freedman is not just a good historian but a terse, readable writer. This is a fine book about modern war, warts and all, in an age when such evenly balanced conflicts are rare.’ ~ Simon Jenkins, Sunday Times

‘Freedman has the rare gift of offering both strategic guidance and a fine grasp of tactical details.’ ~ Jeremy Black

‘In Lawrence Freedman, the campaign has found an impeccable chronicler’ ~ Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph

‘Official this history certainly is, and something more. But is it definitive, critics may cry? With its personal panache and incisiveness, it is better than that – at least for this critic.' ~ Robert Fox, Evening Standard

‘Fascinating, balanced, fantastically well-researched and well-written.’ ~ Andrew Roberts, New Statesman