Iceberg Manners

Boarding the naval transport Les Eclaireurs one day last month, Argentine Minister of Marine Anibal O. Olivieri slipped out of the port of Bahia Blanca, bound for a quiet inspection of his country's Antarctic bases. The Buenos Aires em bassy of Great Britain, which has long claimed the area in which the Argentines have been setting up bases, was not caught napping. Les Eclaireurs was soon joined by Her Majesty's frigate St. Austell Bay, off Deception Island, 600 miles south of Cape Horn. Signaled St. Austell Bay to Les Eclaireurs'. "To the Argentine Naval Minister. Welcome to the waters of Her Britannic Majesty." Replied Rear Admiral Olivieri: "To the captain of the British frigate St. Austell Bay: Welcome to the waters of the Argentine Republic."

After the ships dropped anchor, the British commander paid a formal call on the admiral, his senior in rank. With im peccable punctilio, he asked permission to show his orders from the British Ad miralty "to escort the ship of the Argentine minister while it is navigating in the waters of Her Majesty." Not to be outdone, Olivieri replied that he would be pleased to act as guide for the British ship as long as it was navigating in Argentine waters.

Later Les Eclaireurs upped anchor; so did St. Austell Bay. Together the ships proceeded toward Hope Bay. There, under the watchful attention of the British frigate, Admiral Olivieri went ashore to open a new Argentine military base. With the base formally established, he unveiled a bust of the late Eva Peron presented for the purpose by the taxi drivers of Buenos Aires.

Back in Buenos Aires last week, Admiral Olivieri was asked the inevitable question: Who had been escorting whom? "I have no doubt about that," smiled the well-groomed Olivieri. "I was sailing in Argentine waters and in consequence I had the pleasure of guiding the ship of a friendly country." The British commander, if he had been present, doubtless would have insisted that the pleasure was all his.

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