Page 113 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo II

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set forth as a “Strategic Military Concept” as regards the population, to “conduct military
government actions aimed at guaranteeing the maintenance of the present way of life of the
population, the protection of private property, an appropriate logistic support and the better-
ment of the living standards of the population in order to gain their voluntary acceptance of
the Argentine sovereignty”. 9
As a result, once the military operation was completed, the essential action foreseen to
be implemented in the recovered archipelago would be centered around Government action
on the population. And it was to this objective that DEMIL 1/82 dedicated a whole annex
(No.2), under the heading “Military Government”.
The Military Committee’s Directive 1/82 (Complementary to the National Strategic Di-
rective 1/82 of the Military Government), stated that the Political Objective was to “Consoli-
date Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich islands,
and contribute to assert its full exercise on the South Atlantic”, and order to plan concrete
measures to be taken once the Military Government was installed on the Malvinas.
As part of such preparations the Military Committee contemplated “to take into account
a detailed study of the geographic, human and political environment of the Theater of Ope-
rations as far as it may have been possible to obtain up to that time”.
The Military Committee prepared the Campaign Scheme Plan which contained a speci-
fic annex on the military government of the Islands (Annex 2). This Annex, in turn, made
reference to an Appendix 1, “Aspects to be resolved by the Military Committee before exe-
cuting the operation”, centered around analyzing: the final purpose as regards the Malvinas
population, including an analysis of the alternatives ; the differences between the islanders
10
and the argentine population ; and the uncertainties of the population that would have to
11
be resolved .
12
The ultimate intention was thus clear in the sense that, if an operation was to be started
for recovering the Malvinas, it would have to be carried out on the basis of three conditions
or basic requirements: without bloodshed with respect to the population and, as far as the
British troops were concerned, it would have to be executed by surprise in a very short time
span.
the operation would have to be bloodless on the population, which would be protected as

9 DEMIL 1/82
10 “Alternatives: 1) That all the present population get out of the islands; 2) That all the present population re-
main on the islands; 3) To allow an exodus of those desiring to leave, but not promoting it; 4) To promote the
exodus of as many people as possible, granting significant advantages to those desiring to settle elsewhere
in the Argentine territory; 5) Replacement of all present population by another of Argentine origin, be it
mediately or immediately; 6) To assimilate the present population of the islands through a process as brief as
possible.”
11 “a) Language; b) Religion; c) Laws to be applied; d) Concept of State and nationality; e) legal currency; f)
Restricted work possibilities; g) Pension system; h) Educational system; i) Military service; j) Trading sys-
tem and priced of common consumer goods.”
12 “a) Physical security for persons and property; b) Private ownership system; c) Labor dependence and
conservation of employment; d) Economic activity; e) Process of assimilation to the Argentine law and way
of life; f) Assimilation to the Argentine economic system; g) Conservation or loss of the British nationality.
Mandatory or voluntary acquisition of the Argentine nationality; h) Possibility to leave the islands perma-
nently or temporarily; i) Treatment of those deciding to leave the islands.”