to th

---

21

C•

FALKLAND ISLANDS EETILW In reply to a Parliamentary Question by Jo Grimond on 8 Aprl I saAd that I thought that there would in due course need to be a review of the way in which the Governmont Departments coucerne discharged their responsibilities in the period leading up to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. I said that I was considering

the form which this review rAght take, and that I

would make a statement

to the House of Commons in due course.

The Government has now given some initial thought to the timing, form, composition and terms of reference for the review. Before reaching and announcing firm decisions on these, I should weleoe your views. On timing, I think it is clear that the revicw must be pnick and thorough if it is to satisfy Parilamelltry and public opinim conduct it should he son tc.; This suggests that the group cho:-,,en vote a cosi*.=:i. and that its members should be in a ocsii it:u1to f.,1 amous-L ef their time to it over a reLic I ucla sheen 1)e:riod.. If the n:)view is to achievc its to Inun th(Jse eosducni up it will 1“.!(.2d docluilr2nt,

to th,_ I

,

it is evichni to all thc

(one Cebeefvati-k:e, one Lab

\Whe:a

Te havu

c=

a 1-1:1,li. L•

and

I doulct the7eTore

conteut.

the

to

The

il

jude;

ce,n

and sThce

whether

it is succep.sive

issue will be under

scrutiny

it cccitclbe TiL!,htto have Goveirn:ents

I am rmt sure

, that

baa cant

a of

it wou7d be

ri 1-t to have a. former civil servant. On balance I am inclinod to go for an academic, and probably an •historian; we already have one or two nmes in mind of people who would be appointed to the The seertary Privy Council and invited to chair this Committee. would be a civil servant from one of the Departments not directly involved. On the terms of reference, I am inclined to adapt the formula which I used in the House on 8 April, as follows: 'To review the way in which the Departments concerned have under successive Governments discharged their responsibilities in relation to the Falkland Islands, with particular reference to the period leading up to the Argentine invasion of 2 April 1982, and to report.' When annourcing these terms of reference I should make it clear that they would enable the Committee to examine, at least as far back as 1965 when this matter was revived by the Argentine and in as much detail as seemed appropriate to it, the historica7, background to recent events, the handling of issues relating to the Falkland Islands and relations with successive Argentine Governments concerning the islands. to give careful thought to the arini_;._• given that rmch for publication of the committee's will be highly sensitjve amid e:-:a,:ilination the ;:a..terial national iii be in ki,We should also ned

dmcc rc'1,

in adv

wl the fon- _

r

icl*ned

Ou

io in 111-.1.1_ 0-1:11',.H_iH_r:.H.

0

to 1-Jr?(.._h•repotC v.111J. wa.y in

ibc rct.

it ckh,AH

the p0--..-:',.17)J-1-iLy I wcitid uct exclucl±... (which.would not bepub:;_ici-.1)

consid,,tr:dthat

thc

to thr-

r.,attrs which ncor.h_.6 there ,,,-;E:te attention. but Gou-id not h• modrz,cH natioual interest;

but I would hoe

hout detriment to the of this kind t.nt ;:-Inything

would be kept to a minimum. The committee would be appointed by and would report to me. I should expect to present the report to Parliartent as a CoE.mand paper, excluding only material which ought in the national inte7est not to be published. I should be glad to discuss these points - and any others which you may wish to raise - with you at an early opportunity. If you agree, our private offices might be in touch in order to time and. date.

arrange a mutually convenient

Tlichael Foot,

, '