Man who accidentally set off Falklands War

BBC News - Scrap dealer who accidentally set off the Falklands War

Constantino Davidoff played a small but significant role in a small but significant war.

At the end of March 1982, a party of Argentine scrap metal merchants landed on the distant and inhospitable South Georgia island - 900km (600 miles) east of the Falkland Islands.

He was the owner of a company contracted to dismantle a whaling station on the British-owned island.

It was a simple business deal that promised to make him a lot of money - but ended up provoking a war and ruining his life.

At the end of 1981, he visited the British ambassador in Buenos Aires, spoke to the Falkland Island authorities, signed a deal worth $270,000 (£180,000) with the Scottish owners of the derelict whaling station and then went back to the British ambassador to ask if there was anything else he might need to do.

His claims are confirmed by the 1983 Franks Committee report carried out by the British authorities into the events leading up to the conflict.

But some in London thought the scrap metal workers were the advance party of an invasion of South Georgia island, by the then ruthless Argentine military government.

It was reported that they had planted the Argentine flag and were singing their national anthem.

British Royal Marines were despatched from the Falkland Islands to find out.

The 39 scrap metal workers were detained. Argentina sent its troops to rescue them and, while they were about it, invaded the Falkland Islands.

"There were no military among my workers. And they didn't sing the national anthem or plant a flag. This was a business deal. I'd have been crazy to ruin it. All it needed was a phone call from the British embassy and I would have withdrawn my workers. I'd have cancelled the contract," Mr Davidoff says. "A war could have been avoided."