Originally Posted by
ORAC
[URL="http://www.falklandswar.org.uk/matthei_interview.htm"]
I visited their industries of war material and I had contact with British senior officers. While I was there, I signed contracts to buy six Hawker Hunter and six Vampires. They knew me, we had a fluid relationship. Been at London, I went to the Soviet Union, I gave the British a copy of the visit's report I gave to the FACH. They knew I was their friend, although Chile, ruled at that time by a socialist government, was considered by them a member of the "East block".
They will sell us, at one pound, Hawker Hunters. These would arrive by plane immediately. Also a long range radar, air-air misiles, and aerial recon Canberra aircraft. This material was very important, especially the Canberras because we didn't have any before. They fly very high, like the Americans U-2 and they have huge cameras. Also, they would send us a 'Moondrop', specialized in intelligence, communications and electronic espionage. It was very much like a passenger 707 but modified.
And the Argentinean spies?
There were no Argentinean spies and we didn't have spies in Argentina either. With this plane we did high altitude flights over Chilean Territory, getting signals from the other side. Ours, because of the Andes and type of plane, couldn't fly that high in order to gather signals.
Who piloted the plane?
The British, although we had our observers on board. They gave us the necessary information about the Argentineans but nothing we didn't know before. This flight didn't help us, but was done, so for the story, is good to know. The British were impressed for what they saw thru our systems in the south and the long range radar we had in Punta Arenas.