In Argentina at the time of the Falklands war

This article is a retrospective on the author's term as South African ambassador to Argentina from 1980 to 1984. The Falklands War occurred during his term and the article illuminates a critical period in Argentine history as seen by a diplomat on the spot, covering the fall of the military dictatorship and the restoration of democracy. Public perceptions of diplomats and diplomacy often differ markedly from the private reality. The new circumstances in South Africa lend themselves to a more truthful assessment of the apartheid government's foreign relations than would have been the case if the old order had continued.