Operación Soberanía (Operation Sovereignty) was a planned

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

military invasion of territory disputed with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, and ultimately possibly of Chile itself, due to the

Beagle conflict The Beagle conflict was a border dispute between Chile and Argentina over the possession of Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands and the scope of the maritime jurisdiction associated with those islands that brought the countries to the brink of war ...

. The invasion was initiated on 22 December 1978 but was halted after a few hours and Argentine forces retreated from the conflict zone without a fight. Whether the Argentine

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

actually crossed the border into Chile has not been established. Argentine sources insist that they crossed the border. In 1971, Chile and Argentina had agreed to binding arbitration by an international tribunal, under the auspices of the British Government, to settle the boundary dispute. On 22 May 1977 the British Government announced the decision, which awarded the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands to Chile. On 25 January 1978 Argentina rejected the decision and attempted to militarily coerce Chile into negotiating a division of the islands that would produce a boundary consistent with Argentine claims.

Date, objective and name of the operation

According to Argentine sources, after the Argentine repudiation of the arbitration award in January 1978, the invasion plans were given different names depending on the planning level and phase.Website Histamar
Preludios de Acción Militar Conjunta
Una operación conjunta planificada durante el conflicto de 1978 por la soberanía de las islas del canal Beagle, by Alberto Gianola Otamendi, retrieved on 21 November 2012 Also, the targets of the invasion changed according to the political situation and to information about the Chilean defense: the target being first only the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands, then the "little" Evout, Hoorn, Deceit and Barnevelt islands, then both groups of islands. Finally, on Friday 15 December 1978 Argentina's President Jorge Videla signed the order to invade on 21 December 1978 at 04:30 as the beginning of the invasion, but it was postponed to the next day because of the bad weather conditions in the landing zone.

Military imbalance

At the time of the crisis, the Argentine military was substantially larger than that of Chile; in addition, the Chilean regime was more politically isolated and had suffered deteriorating relations with its main suppliers of arms. The Chilean military, however, had the advantage of defending difficult terrain, as well as being a more professional force, while decades of intervention by the Argentine armed forces in day-to-day politics had degraded their professional skills. There was considerable international condemnation of the Chilean regime's

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

record, with the United States expressing particular concern after Orlando Letelier's 1976 assassination in Washington D.C., though the U.S. had helped to install the Pinochet administration initially. The United States banned the export of weapons to Chile through the Kennedy Amendment, later ''International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976''. 16 Northrop F-5's were delivered to Chile before the embargo took effect, but they arrived without any armament. In 1980 Chile was excluded from UNITAS joint naval maneuvers because of human rights violations.

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

the traditional supplier of the Chilean Armed Forces, did not supply weapons to Chile. In 1974, the Argentine Navy commissioned two modern

Type 209 submarine The Type 209 () is a range of diesel-electric attack submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany. Five class variants (Types 209/1100, 209/1200, 209/1300, 209/1400 and 209/1500), including modificatio ...

s, and , complementing two older GUPPY submarines, and . In 1978, the United States extended the Kennedy amendment to Argentina as well because of its human rights record, which led to the Armed Forces purchases shifting to Europe: France, Germany, and Austria exported weapons to Argentina even during the critical phase of the Beagle conflict, as Argentina had already rejected the international binding Arbitral Award. In December 1978, when the outbreak of war appeared unavoidable, the German shipbuilders

Blohm + Voss Blohm is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Hans Blohm C.M. (born 1927), photographer and author * Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), German businessman and co-founder of German company Blohm+Voss * Irma Blohm (1909–1997), German pol ...

agreed to build four destroyers for the Argentine Junta. In November 1978 France delivered two

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

s, ''Good Hope'' and ''Transvaal'', to Argentina, originally built for the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

Regime in South Africa, but undeliverable because of anti-apartheid embargoes; in Argentina they were renamed and . United States President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

(1981–1989) later improved relations with Argentina in recognition of their military support for Nicaragua's Contras. (See

Operation Charly Operation Charly () was allegedly the code-name given to a program during the 1970s and 1980s undertaken by the junta in Argentina with the objective of providing military and counterinsurgency assistance to right-wing dictatorships and insurge ...

). The United Kingdom delivered Type 42

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s to the Argentine junta. On 19 September 1977 (built and completed in the UK) sailed to Argentina from the Vickers Shipbuilding yard in

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...

; on 28 November 1981 (built in Argentina, completed in the UK) sailed from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. An overview of both countries' defense spending: * Costs in millions of 1979

US dollars The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

. The Argentines' numerical advantage was counterbalanced by the following factors: * Defense is less risky than attack * Chile spent a higher portion of its

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

* The politicization of the Argentine

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

diminished their military readiness * The

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

mountain range is a difficult natural barrier and the geography of the

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...

provided advantages to Chilean naval forces in the immediate operational theatre The Ambassador of the United States in Argentina (1978)

Raúl Castro Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz ( ; ; born 3 June 1931) is a Cuban retired politician and general who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the One-par ...

described the attitude of the Argentine military towards a possible war with the following:

Argentine plan

No Argentine official documents or statements concerning the planning of the war of aggression against Chile have been released. But there have been so many individual accounts from the Argentine ranks that the existence of a plan has not been disputed. The Argentine Government planned to first occupy the islands around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

and then, in a second phase, either to stop or continue hostilities according to the Chilean reaction. Argentina had already drafted a

declaration of war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the public signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national gov ...

. An Argentine complaint in the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

over Chile's military occupation of the disputed islands was to precede the attack. Rubén Madrid Murúa in ''"La Estrategia Nacional y Militar que planificó Argentina, en el marco de una estrategia total, para enfrentar el conflicto con Chile el año 1978"'', ("Memorial del Ejército de Chile", Edición Nº 471, Santiago, Chile, 2003, S. 54-55), stated that the Argentine General Staff planned the operation under the name "Planeamiento Conjunto de Operaciones Previstas contra Chile". The Argentines planned amphibious landings to seize the islands southwards of the Beagle Channel, along with massive land-based attacks: # at 20:00 on 22 December 1978 a task force of the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...

and the Argentine Marines ( Batallón N° 5 ) under the command of Humberto José Barbuzzi would seize the islands Horn, Freycinet, Hershell, Deceit and Wollaston. # at 22:00 on 22 December 1978 the Argentine task force (with Naval Infantry Battalions N° 3 and N° 4) would seize Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands and secure for the navy the east mouth of the Beagle Channel. # at 24:00 on 22 December 1978 the invasion of continental Chile would begin. The Fifth Army Corps under command of José Antonio Vaquero would seize

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

and Puerto Natales, the largest two cities of the Chilean

Magallanes Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region () or Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctica Region in English, is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and sec ...

. # at daylight 23 December 1978 the

Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...

would begin attacks against

Chilean Air Force The Chilean Air Force () is the air force of Chile and branch of the Chilean military. History The first step towards the current FACh is taken by Lieutenant Colonel, Teniente Coronel training as a pilot in France. Although a local academy was c ...

. # Later, Third Army Corps under the command of Luciano Benjamín Menéndez would start an offensive through the

Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

passes of " Libertadores", "Maipo" and " Puyehue" (today Cardenal Samore Pass) to seize

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

and the

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...

. The Second Army Corps under the command of

Leopoldo Galtieri Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli (15 July 1926 12 January 2003) was an Argentine military officer who served as the ''de facto'' President of Argentina from December 1981 to June 1982. Galtieri ruled as a military dictator, military ruler d ...

would protect the north of Argentina from a potential Brazilian attack and its II Brigada de Caballería blindada would protect the Argentine region of Río Mayo in

Chubut Province Chubut ( from Tehuelche language, Tehuelche 'transparent'; ) is a provinces of Argentina, province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa ...

from a possible Chilean attack. The Argentine Armed Forces expected between 30,000 and 50,000 dead in the course of the war. Argentina solicited a Peruvian attack in Chile's north, but Peru rejected this demand and ordered only a partial mobilization.

Plan for the time after the invasion

For the postwar phase of the operation, the

prepared political instructions to be followed in the southern zone after the disputed islands were under Argentinian sovereignty. They defined the new border, navigation rights for Chilean ships, instructions in case of confrontations with the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

, dealing with injured personnel, prisoners of war, etc.

Chilean preparedness

There was no surprise factor, since the Chilean military kept movements of the Argentine fleet under surveillance and monitored the build-up of Argentine troops. Chilean troops were deployed along the border, ready to meet any invaders. Chile planted mines in certain areas along its borders with Argentina, Bolivia and Peru and dynamited some mountain passes. Parts of route 9-CH between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales were selected to serve as extra

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

s in the case of an invasion."La escuadra en acción", by Patricia Arancibia Clavel and Francisco Bulnes Serrano. Editorial Grijalbo, Santiago de Chile, 2004 A defensive position was built up the narrowest part of Brunswick Peninsula to avoid or delay an Argentine capture of

. In contrast to the defensive war planned by the Chilean Army in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, the Chilean army had plans for an attack to invade the Argentine part of

, but control of the island of Tierra del Fuego was considered a secondary goal since its control was believed to depend on the outcome of the clash of the navies. The combat-ready Chilean fleet sailed on 22 December 1978 from the

fjords In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the no ...

Hoste Island Hoste Island () is one of the southernmost islands in Chile, lying south, across the Beagle Channel, from Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and west of Navarino Island, from which it is separated by the Murray Channel. It is named after William Ho ...

to frustrate an Argentine landing. Rear Admiral Raúl López, Chief of the Chilean fleet, kept silent as to whether he would simply wait or initiate an attack on the enemy navy. Chilean

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

Eugenio Berríos is reported to have worked on a plan to poison the

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

in the event of war.

Operation aborted

On ''D-day'', a severe storm impeded Argentine operations in the disputed area. Meanwhile,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, alarmed by the situation, decided to act personally and informed both governments that he was sending his personal envoy, Cardinal Antonio Samoré, to both capitals. Six hours before landing, the Argentine fleet turned back and Operation Soberanía was called off. Whether the Argentine

actually crossed the border into Chile or only waited at the border for the result of the naval combat cannot be established. Argentine sources insist that they crossed the border which would be inconsistent with the two-phase war plan. Alejandro Luis Corbacho, in ''"Predicting the probability of war during brinkmanship crisis: The Beagle and the Malvinas conflicts"'

considers the reasons for cancelling the operation (p. 45): On p. 46:

Analysis

Unlike the prelude to the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, from the beginning of Operation Soberanía there were no critical misconceptions on Argentina's side about Chile's commitment to defend its territory: the entire Chilean Navy was in the disputed area, an unequivocal fact at Cape Horn. As stated by David R. Mares in "Violent Peace: Militarized Interstate Bargaining in Latin America":Mares, David R
''Violent Peace''
New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. . Although it had called off the operation, the Argentine government never gave up on the use of military force to pressure Chile. After the invasion of the Falklands on 2 April 1982, the Argentine junta planned the military occupation of the disputed islands in the Beagle channel, as stated by Brigadier Basilio Lami Dozo, chief of the Argentine Air Force during the Falklands war, in an interview with the Argentine magazine '' Perfil'':

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

foresaw a long and bloody war, a kind of partisan war: Argentine Falklands War veteran Martín Balza, Chief of Staff of the Argentine Army (1991–1999), caused a stir in 2003 when he declared his conviction that in 1978, Chile would have won the war had it broken out.Mendelevich, Pablo
"Martín Balza: Chile hubiera ganado una guerra."
''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal ''Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argen ...

'', 14 December 2003. Retrieved: 4 September 2010.

References

Bibliography

"Beagle Channel Arbitration between the Republic of Argentina and the Republic of Chile."
''Report and Decision of the Court of Arbitration'' via ''legal.un.org.'' * Cisneros, Andrés and Carlos Escudé
"Las relaciones con Chile."
''Historia general de las Relaciones Exteriores de la República Argentina'' . Buenos Aires: Cema. * Corbacho, Alejandro Luis
''Predicting the Probability of War During Brinkmanship Crises: The Beagle and the Malvinas Conflicts.'' (Spanish Language)
Universidad del CEMA, Argentina, Documento de Trabajo No. 244, September 2003. * Escudé, Carlos and Andrés Cisneros

* Gugliamelli, Juan E., Divisionsgeneral (a.D.). ''Cuestión del Beagle. Negociación directa o diálogo de armas'' (Trans.:''The Beagle-Question, direct Negotiations or Dialog of the Weapons''), in Spanish Language. (Book compiled from articles of Argentine Magazin "Estrategia", Buenos Aires Nr:49/50, enero-febrero 1978, published. * Haffa, Annegret I. ''Beagle-Konflikt und Falkland (Malwinen)-Krieg. Zur Außenpolitik der Argentinischen Militarregierung 1976-1983'' (in German). München/Köln/London: Weltforum Verlag, 1987. . * Hernekamp, Karl. ''Der argentinisch-chilenisch Grenzstreit am Beagle-Kanal'' (in German). Hamburg: Institut für Iberoamerika-Kunde, 1980. * Laudy, Mark
''The Vatican Mediation of the Beagle Channel Dispute: Crisis Intervention and Forum Building''
i

of Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. * Madrid, Alberto Marín. ''El arbitraje del Beagle y la actitud Argentina''. 1984, Editorial Moisés Garrido Urrea, id = A-1374-84 XIII, * Madrid Murúa, Rubén
''"La Estrategia Nacional y Militar que planificó Argentina, en el marco de una estrategia total, para enfrentar el conflicto con Chile el año 1978"''
Memorial del Ejército de Chile, Edición Nº 471, Santiago, Chile, 2003, Spanish Language * Martín, Antonio Balza General and Mariano Grondona: ''Dejo Constancia: memorias de un general argentino''. Editorial Planeta, Buenos Aires 2001, , Spanish Language * Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile. ''Relaciones Chileno-Argentinas, La controversia del Beagle''. Genf 1979, English and Spanish Language * Oellers-Frahm, Karin
''Der Schiedsspruch in der Beagle-Kanal-Streitigkeit''
Berichte und Urkunden: Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht, German Language * Olivos, Sergio Gutiérrez

Academia Chilena de Ciencias Sociales, 1985, in Spanish language * Rojas, Isaac F. ''La Argentina en el Beagle y Atlántico sur 1. Parte''. Editorial Diagraf, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Spanish Language * Rojas, Isaac F. and Arturo Medrano: ''Argentina en el Atlántico, Chile en el Pacífico''. Editorial Nemont, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1979, . * Romero, Luis Alberto. ''Argentina in the twentieth Century''. Pennsylvania State University Press, translated by James P. Brennan, 1994, . * Serrano, Francisco Bulnes and Patricia Arancibia Clavel. ''La Escuadra En Acción'' . Chile, Editorial Grijalbo, 2004, . * Valdivieso, Fabio Vio. ''La mediación de su S.S. el Papa Juan Pablo II'', Editorial Aconcagua, Santiago de Chile, 1984, Spanish Language * Wagner, Andrea. ''Der argentinisch-chilenische Konflikt um den Beagle-Kanal. Ein Beitrag zu den Methoden friedlicher Streiterledigung''. Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt a.M. 1992, , German Language *

External links

* Chilean Telecast of

Televisión Nacional de Chile Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) is a Chilean Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. It was founded by order of President Eduardo Frei Montalva and it was launched nationwide on 18 September 1969. Since then, the company has been re ...

"Informe Especial", Theme ''El año que vivimos en peligro'', (sometimes i
YouTube
, Spanish Language * Chilean Telecast of Corporación de Televisión de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile "annonimos", Theme: ''Beagle: La guerra que no fue'', (i
YouTube
in Spanish Language * Argentine Telecast of Argentine

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

: ''Operativo Soberanía'' (i
YouTube
, Spanish Language * Special edition o

Santiago de Chile, 2 September 2005, Spanish Language. There are Interviews with contemporary witness like Ernesto Videla, Jaime Del Valle, Helmut Brunner, Marcelo Delpech und Luciano Benjamín Menéndez. Spanish Language. * Interview with the (later, in the nineties) Chief Commander of the Argentine Army Martín Balza i
El Mercurio
de Santiago de Chile, 2 September 2005, Spanish Language * Interview with Sergio Onofre Jarpa, Chile's

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

in Argentina 1978 to 1982 in
La Tercera
Santiago, Chile, 17 March 2002, Spanish Language * Interview with Argentine General Luciano Benjamín Menéndez, Commandant of the III Army Corps i
El Mercurio
de Santiago de Chile, (from the Argentine Magazine "Somos"), Spanish Language * Interview with Pio Laghi, Nuntius in Argentina, 1978, in
Clarín
, Buenos Aires, 20 December 1998. Spanish Language * Interview with the Ambassador of the United States of America in Argentina, Raúl Héctor Castro, i
Clarín
Buenos Aires, 20 December 1998, Spanish Language * Interview with the former Chief of the "Secretaría General del Ejército" (a Think-Tank of the Argentine Army), General

Reynaldo Bignone Reynaldo Benito Antonio Bignone (21 January 1928 – 7 March 2018) was an Argentine general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Argentina from 1 July 1982 to 10 December 1983, the last president to serve under the National Reorganization ...

, President of Argentina after the Falkland War, i
Clarín
, Buenos Aires, 20 December 1998, Spanish Language * Article ''Cartas desde el Abismo''

, Buenos Aires, 20 December 1998, Spanish Language * Article ''Beagle: historia secreta de la guerra que no fue'

Buenos Aires, 12. August 1996, Spanish Language * Article ''Historia de la santa mediación'' e

, Buenos Aires, 20 December 1998, Spanish Language
Chile-Argentina Relations
Spanish Language
''Toma de decisiones políticas y la influencia de los discursos oficialistas durante el Connflicto del Beagle: Chile - Argentina 1977-1979''
Spanish Language {{DEFAULTSORT:Operation Soberania Beagle conflict Military history of Chile National Reorganization Process Military history of Argentina Soberania 1978 in Argentina 1978 in Chile December 1978 in South America