Abstract
The « Ponting affair » started in August 1984 with the prosecution of Clive Ponting, Assistant Secretary at the UK Ministry of Defence, for having leaked documents relating to the sinking of General Belgrano during the 1982 Falklands war. Clive Ponting was acquitted in January 1985. This article examines the origins of the leaks, the attitude of the government and of the opposition, and the issues which the « Ponting affair » raised - i.e. government intervention in the course of justice, the workings of the Official Secrets Act, the political neutrality of British higher civil servants and the need for reform which might lead to the creation of French-style ministerial cabinets.
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