Falklands: War Wrapping Up Loose Ends

. The 1982 Falklands War came back to haunt both sides in the conflict last week. In Buenos Aires three former junta members were convicted of bungling the ten-week conflict that ended in humiliating defeat for Argentina. Former President Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, 59, who launched the war, was sentenced by the country's highest military court to twelve years in prison. The navy and air force chiefs at the time received 14- and eight-year sentences.

Britons too were reminded of the war. In London the Defense Ministry confirmed that the May 4, 1982, sinking of the British destroyer Sheffield, and the death of 20 crew members, resulted from a bizarre coincidence. The ministry said that the Sheffield's captain was on a communications hookup to naval headquarters at the precise moment an Argentine warplane fired an Exocet missile at the ship. The captain's unfortunately timed call had jammed the destroyer's radar system, allowing the craft to take a direct hit.