When Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, Margaret Thatcher sends a huge flotilla on an 8000-mile rescue mission – to save a forgotten remnant of the empire, and her premiership. Onboard HMS Conqueror, one of its nuclear submarines, Lieutenant Narendra Sethia starts to keep a diary.
The sinking of the General Belgrano was the bloodiest and most controversial military action of the Falklands War. This is the story of government cover-ups and conspiracies; of whistleblowers, crusading politicians and journalists fighting for the story. And caught in the middle of it all, a young officer whose account of what happened contradicted Thatcher’s in every crucial detail.
This is episode one of The Belgrano Diary, a new six-part podcast series hosted by Andrew O’Hagan. Listen here, or wherever you get podcasts at lrb.me/belgrano
We’ve brought a selection of relevant writing from the LRB archive – including pieces by Tam Dalyell, who plays an important part in the story – in front of the paywall for the duration of the series, links below.
Archive: ‘Good Morning Britain’/ITV/TV-Am, ‘Newsnight’/BBC/BBC News, ‘Falkands War – The Untold Story’/ITV/Yorkshire Television, ‘Leach, Henry Conyers (Oral history)’/Imperial War Museum, ‘President Regan’s Press Briefing in the Oval Office on April 5, 1982’/White House Television Office, ‘Diary’/James M. Rentschler, TV Publica/Radio y Televisión Argentina S.E, The Falklands War: Recordings from the Archive/BBC Worldwide, Parliamentary Recording Unit.
