Archive

Large scale document archive

MT's official files as Prime Minister, 1979-90

MT's official files as PM can be read on this site as they are released, in full and free to all - the confidential files originally stored at No.10, constituting the core record of her premiership. This is the first time in Britain - in fact as far as we can tell, in any jurisdiction - that the declassified archive of a head of government is being published in full in this way, paper or online.

The files have been copied in collaboration with the British National Archives (TNA) at Kew in London and can be downloaded as documents in PDF format, to be read online precisely as they appear in the reading room.

We are doing something more to help people make sense of this mass of information. The files are subject-based, logically enough, but that system makes it a very difficult task to reconstruct the flow of paper across the Prime Minister’s desk at any point in time, depriving us of a sense of the interaction of issues, of context and cross-winds, some of them overwhelming.

To combat this effect we are uploading a large selection of the most important documents from these files – thousands in total - to our powerful site database. You will then be able to browse, search and sort by date, as well as subject and other parameters. Using the database you can go a long way towards reconstructing the Prime Minister’s daily Red Boxes, the rich diet of foreign and domestic policy papers submitted to her by the No.10 Private Office.

list & links to the files

Secret no more

Below are links to the downloadable files in numerical order, as catalogued by TNA. You can also view the list organised by subject. The subject terms were those used in the original filing system.

Some of these downloads are very big - as large as 50MB. Most are in the range 1-10MB. To keep sizes down, images have been compressed, though legibility should never be a problem.

Where documents within a file have been selected for the site database, they can easily be viewed by clicking the link after the file name ("Best documents from this file"), as well as via conventional searches from the archive search screen.

These selected items are the most important documents in the file. Over time most files will have had documents selected in this way, but it will take time and care is being taken not to allow the site database to become so large as to be unmanageable.

These selected documents include every minute, letter, conversation note ('memcon', to use the American term) by or involving the Prime Minister, as well as all minutes and letters sent her by the key ministers such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. If you read nothing else, read these. These selected items are stored in a higher quality format than the whole files. High quality copies can also be supplied, where a need is established, on application to the site editor.

1979 files


PREM19/1 - Archives (Suez files)

PREM19/2 - Australia (MT visit to Canberra, etc, July 1979)

PREM19/3 - China (Premier Hua visit to the UK, October 1979)


PREM19/4 - Civil Service (Dispersal) (Part 1)


PREM19/5 - Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) (Part 1)


PREM19/6 - Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) (Part 2)


PREM19/7 - Civil Service (Christmas Message)


PREM19/8 - Civil Service (Stock Criticisms)



PREM19/9 - Commonwealth (Lusaka Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM))


PREM19/10 - Commonwealth (Lusaka - bilateral meetings)



PREM19/11 - Cuba (Soviet ground forces)


PREM19/12 - Cuba (UK credits)



PREM19/13 - Deaths (Lord Mountbatten)



PREM19/14 - Defence (Strategic Nuclear Deterrent) (Part 1) [file "temporarily retained by department"]


PREM19/15 - Defence (Modernisation of Theatre Nuclear Forces) [Part 1] Best documents from this file


PREM19/16 - Defence (Anglo-German offset agreement)


PREM19/17 - Defence (Accidental US nuclear alert)



PREM19/18 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 1)


PREM19/19 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 2)


PREM19/20 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 3)


PREM19/21 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 4)


PREM19/22 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 5)


PREM19/23 - Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 6)



PREM19/24 - Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 1)


PREM19/25 - Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 2)


PREM19/26 - Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 3)



PREM19/27 - Economic policy (Tokyo G7) (Part 1) Best documents from this file


PREM19/28 - Economic policy (Tokyo G7) (Part 2) Best documents from this file



PREM19/29 - Economic policy (Budget - June 1979) (Part 1) Best documents from this file



PREM19/30 - Economic policy (National Economic Development Council) (Part 1)



PREM19/31 - Economic policy (Privatization) (Part 1)


PREM19/32 - Economic policy (Privatization) (Part 1)



PREM19/33 - Economic policy (Monetary Policy - Domestic) (Part 1) Best documents from this file


PREM19/34 - Economic policy (Monetary Policy - Domestic) (Part 2) Best documents from this file



PREM19/35 - Economic policy (Price Commission & Competition Bill) (Part 1)


PREM19/36 - Economic policy (Invisibles in trade figures)


PREM19/37 - Economic policy (CPRS paper on UK economy)


PREM19/38 - Economic policy (Proposed Council of Economic Advisers)


PREM19/39 - Economic policy (Bank of England staff pay)


PREM19/40 - Economic policy (Executive perks)



PREM19/41 - Elections (Briefing for incoming PM) Best documents from this file



PREM19/42 - Energy (Energy Policy) (Part 1)


PREM19/43 - Energy (Energy Policy) (Part 2)


PREM19/44 - Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) (Part 1)


PREM19/45 - Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) (Part 2)


PREM19/46 - Energy (Offshore Supplies Interest Relief Grants Scheme)


PREM19/47 - Energy (Nuclear power safety - Schmidt letter)


PREM19/48 - Energy (Nuclear power plant industry)


PREM19/49 - Energy (UK/Australia nuclear safeguards agreement)



PREM19/50 - European policy (Agriculture) (Part 1)


PREM19/51 - European policy (Strasbourg European Council, June 1979)


PREM19/52 - European policy (Dublin European Council, November 1979)


PREM19/53 - European policy (Future policy towards EC, including budget) (Part 1)


PREM19/54 - European policy (Future policy towards EC, including budget) (Part 2)


PREM19/55 - European policy (Future policy towards EC, including budget) (Part 3)



PREM19/56 - Fishing industry (Mourne herring fishery)



PREM19/57 - France (MT visits to) (Paris, June 1979) (Part 1)



PREM19/58 - Germany (Chancellor Schmidt visit to UK, May 1979) (Part 1)


PREM19/59 - Germany (MT visits) (Bonn, October 1979) (Part 2)



PREM19/60 - Government machinery (Rayner review) (Part 1)


PREM19/61 - Government machinery (Rayner review) (Part 2)


PREM19/62 - Government machinery (Rayner review) (Part 3)


PREM19/63 - Government machinery (Population questions)


PREM19/64 - Government machinery (Judges' expenses)



PREM19/65 - Greece (PM Karamanlis visit to UK, October 1979)



PREM19/66 - Home Affairs (Sale of Isle of Iona)



PREM19/67 - India (Call on MT by Deputy PM Ram)



PREM19/68 - Indonesia (President Suharto visit to UK, November 1979)



PREM19/69 - Industrial policy (Meetings with the TUC) (Part 1)


PREM19/70 - Industrial policy (Industrial relations law) (Part 1)


PREM19/71 - Industrial policy (Future of British Leyland) (Part 1)


PREM19/72 - Industrial policy (Future of Rolls-Royce)


PREM19/73 - Industrial policy (Ford Motor Company)


PREM19/74 - Industrial policy (Employee stock ownership - correspondence with US Senator)


PREM19/75 - Industrial policy (National Enterprise Board - Hartlepool titanium project)



PREM19/76 - Iran (Internal situation) (Part 1)


PREM19/77 - Iran (Internal situation) (Part 2)


PREM19/78 - Iran (Jewish community - correspondence with President Carter)



PREM19/79 - Ireland (Taoiseach's visits to UK) (Part 1)


PREM19/80 - Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) (Part 1)


PREM19/81 - Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) (Part 2) [file "temporarily retained by department"]


PREM19/82 - Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) (Part 3)


PREM19/83 - Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) (Part 4)


PREM19/84 - Ireland (Intervention by Governor Carey of New York State)


PREM19/85 - Ireland (Information policy - correspondence with HRH Prince of Wales) [file "temporarily retained by department"]



PREM19/86 - Israel (Farewell call by Israeli Ambassador, July 1979)



PREM19/87 - Italy (PM Andreotti visit to UK, June 1979)


PREM19/88 - Italy (MT visits to) (Rome, October 1979) (Part 1)



PREM19/89 - Legal procedure (Authority to order drafting of Bills)



PREM19/90 - Local government (Relations with Central Government) (Part 1)


PREM19/91 - Local government (Remuneration of local councillors)



PREM19/92 - Middle East (Situation in Middle East) (Part 1)



PREM19/93 - Ministers (Ministers' assessments of position they inherited on taking office)


PREM19/94 - Ministers (Propriety of appointing a Minister likely to become a member of the European Assembly)



PREM19/95 - National Health Service (Doctors' and Dentists' pay) (Part 1)



PREM19/96 - Nationalized Industries (Shipbuilding) (Part 1)


PREM19/97 - Nationalized Industries (Steel) (Part 1)


PREM19/98 - Nationalized Industries (British Rail - cutback in fuel supplies)



PREM19/99 - Pakistan (Sale of cargo ships to Pakistan by British Shipbuilders)



PREM19/100 - Parliament (Legislative programme) (Part 1)


PREM19/101 - Parliament (Legislative programme) (Part 2)



PREM19/102 - Prime Minister (Meeting with Cardinal Hume on Northern Ireland) (May 1979)


PREM19/103 - Prime Minister (Meeting with British Council of Churches) (October 1979)


PREM19/104 - Prime Minister (MT's visits to Departments & possible regional visits)



PREM19/105 - Regional policy (Review of Regional policy, including creation of Enterprize Zones)



PREM19/106 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (April 30 - May 31) (Part 1)


PREM19/107 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (June 1 - July 4) (Part 2)


PREM19/108 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (July 4 - 30) (Part 3)


PREM19/109 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (July 31 - August 9) (Part 4)


PREM19/110 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (August 9 - 30) (Part 5)


PREM19/111 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (August 31 - September 11) (Part 6)


PREM19/112 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (September 11 - October 10) (Part 7)


PREM19/113 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (October 11 - 31) (Part 8)


PREM19/114 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (November 1 - 18) (Part 9)


PREM19/115 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (November 19 - 30) (Part 10)


PREM19/116 - Rhodesia (Situation in) (December 2 - 21) (Part 11)


PREM19/117 - Rhodesia (Lord Boyd's Report on April 1979 election)



PREM19/118 - Royal Family (Security of The Queen during visit to Lusaka Commonwealth Summit) [file "temporarily retained by department"]

PREM19/119 - Security (Robin Cook's Bill on the Security Service)


PREM19/120 - Security (Security of the Secret Services - Anthony Blunt) [file "temporarily retained by department"]

PREM19/121 - Social services (Taxation of short-term, supplementary & strikers' benefits) (Part 1)



PREM19/122 - South Africa (Plessey Radar contract - possible breach of UN arms embargo)



PREM19/123 - South Korea (Call on MT by special envoy of South Korean President)



PREM19/124 - Soviet Union (MT's stopover in Moscow, en route to Tokyo G7)



PREM19/125 - Transport (Nationalized surface transport industries - consumer representation)



PREM19/126 - USA (President Carter's energy policy)


PREM19/127 - USA (MT visit to Washington - policy, December 1979)



PREM19/128 - Vatican (Possible papal visit to Northern Ireland; papal visit to Republic of Ireland)



PREM19/129 - Vietnam (Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong - resettlement in UK) (Part 1)


PREM19/130 - Vietnam (Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong - resettlement in UK) (Part 2)



PREM19/131 - Zaire (Call on MT by Foreign Minister of)



PREM19/132 - Zambia (Policy) [file retained under Section 3.4 of the Public Records Act, 1958]

PREM19/133 - European policy (Dublin European Council, November 1979 - briefing material for MT)