General Matthei's revelation and Chile's role during the Falklands War: A new perspective on the conflict in the South Atlantic

Chile's controversial and little known role in the Falklands Islands War has been the subject of much speculation. Recently, retired General Fernando Matthei, a former member of Chile's military regime and Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, revealed key details about Chilean support of the British Task Force in the South Atlantic. This article analyses Matthei's statement and offers an initial assessment of the impact of Chile's contribution to the military campaign. It explains the regional and international factors that conditioned Santiago's decision to support London. The article concludes that while it is impossible to determine with absolute certainty if the outcome of the conflict would have been different without Chile's support, it is clear that the campaign would have been longer and much more complicated without Santiago's cooperation.