ABSTRACT
On 7 April it was announced that US Secretary of State Haig was coming to London to begin this mediation effort. From the start the Government was torn between its preference for an old ally as an intermediary and concern that performance of this role resulted in distance between the two, as the US sought to convince Argentina of its impartiality. Britain really wanted the US to become part of the campaign to secure an Argentine withdrawal from the Falklands. When Haig’s visit was announced, the press line was ‘that Haig was coming as a friend and ally to discuss ways in which the United States might most effectively support us…and not as a mediator.’ The official American announcement, however, suggested a different construction. This stated that the President had:
directed Secretary of State Haig to continue consultations with the Governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina in the interests of assisting both parties in the search for a peaceful resolution of the dispute in the South Atlantic.
