Margaret Thatcher's files as Prime Minister, listed by subject 1979-81
Documents from the British files are being joined in the database by many from key archives in the US (such as the Reagan Library and the IMF) and Europe (including the European Union), as well as huge numbers from the private files of Margaret Thatcher, her party and closest colleagues.
what are these files & how did the system work?
Secret no more
Official papers submitted to the Prime Minister were handled by her Private Office and sent off, when done with - if thought worth keeping - to “Confidential Filing” a few steps away. Here even the most sensitive and historic state papers had holes punched in their top left corner and were stored in buff-coloured A4 files, held together by “Treasury tags”, bits of coloured string with shiny metal retainers on each end. These are something of a disaster in conservation terms – over time pages can tear at the weakened corner and fall out of the file, their original position not always possible to determine.
If a file had reached the maximum practical size, around 300 pages, a new folder with the same or similar name would be started, labelled “Part 2” or whatever (on the n+1 principle). The most important files would have many parts, as many as 5 or 6 within a calendar year. Files ran over year endings - there was no provision to open a new part on 31 December - but new files were opened when there was a change of government or Prime Minister, whichever came sooner. Many files opened during the first year of the Thatcher Government will not be listed below for this very reason: at year end they were not yet full enough to justify the expenditure of opening a new part - folders and Treasury tags cost money after all - and consequently they run into 1980 (or beyond) and are not yet declassified.
| PREM19/ |
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[1979 - ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/ |
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[1979 - ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/ |
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[1979 - ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/ |
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[1979 - ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/134 |
Afghanistan (Soviet Invasion) Part 1 |
[1979 Dec 17 - 1980 Jan 6] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2010
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| PREM19/135 |
Afghanistan (Soviet Invasion) Part 2 |
[1980 Jan 6 - 20] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2010
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| PREM19/136 |
Afghanistan (Soviet Invasion) Part 3 |
[1980 Jan 21 - Feb 28] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2010
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| PREM19/137 |
Afghanistan (Soviet Invasion) Part 4 |
[1980 Feb 28 - Apr 4] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2010
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| PREM19/1 |
Archives (Suez 1956 files) |
[1980 Feb 21 - 1986 June 30] |
| Declassified 1 Dec 2006 |
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| PREM19/2 |
Australia (MT visit to, Jul 1979) |
[1979 May 21 - Aug 3] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
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| PREM19/3 |
China (Premier Hua visit to UK, Oct 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 May 18 - Nov 29] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
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| PREM19/4 |
Civil Service (Dispersal) Part 1 |
[1979 May 22 - Oct 15] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/5 |
Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) Part 1 |
[1979 May 8 - Aug 28] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/6 |
Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) Part 2 |
[1979 Sep 7 - Dec 31] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/7 |
Civil Service (Christmas Message) |
[1979 Nov 20-26] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/8 |
Civil Service (Stock Criticisms) |
[1979 Dec 31] |
| Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/9 |
Commonwealth (Lusaka Heads of Govt Meeting) (CHOGM) Part 1 |
[1979 May 18 - July 31] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/10 |
Commonwealth (Lusaka CHGM - bilaterals) |
[1979 July 31 - Aug 17] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/11 |
Cuba (Soviet ground forces) |
[1979 Sep 5 - Dec 17] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/12 |
Cuba (UK credits) |
[1979 Nov 19 - Dec 14] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009 |
| PREM19/13 |
Deaths (Lord Mountbatten) |
[1979 Aug 27 - Dec 21] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/14 |
Defence (Strategic Nuclear Deterrent) Part 1 |
[1979 May 21 -Dec 15] |
Nothing available |
"Temporarily retained by department" |
| PREM19/15 |
Defence (Modernisation of Theatre Nuclear Forces) Part 1 |
[1979 May 16 - Nov 29] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/16 |
Defence (Anglo-German offset agreement) |
[1979 July 5 - Nov 27] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/17 |
Defence (Accidental US nuclear alert) |
[1979 Nov 10-16] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/18 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 1 |
[1979 May 8-31] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/19 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 2 |
[1979 June 1 - July 16] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/20 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 3 |
[1979 July 17 - Aug 29] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/21 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 4 |
[1979 Sep 6-28] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/22 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 5 |
[1979 Oct 1-23 ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/23 |
Economic policy (Public Spending) Part 6 |
[1979 Oct 24 - Nov 19] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/24 |
Economic policy (Strategy) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4 - June 14] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/25 |
Economic policy (Strategy) Part 2 |
[1979 June 17 - July 13] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/26 |
Economic policy (Strategy) Part 3 |
[1979 July 16 - Oct 2] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/27 |
Economic policy (Tokyo G7) Part 1 |
[1979 May 8 - June 29] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/28 |
Economic policy (Tokyo G7) Part 2 |
[1979 June 30 - Oct 18] |
Key documents from file
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/29 |
Economic policy (Budget - June 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4 - June 11] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/30 |
Economic policy (Nat Econ Development Council) (NEDC) Part 1 |
[1979 May 15 - Dec 18] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/31 |
Economic policy (Privatization) Part 1 |
[1979 June 4 - July 20] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/32 |
Economic policy (Privatization) Part 2 |
[1979 July 23 - Dec 19] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/33 |
Economic policy (Monetary Policy - Domestic) Part 1 |
[1979 May 10 - July 25] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/34 |
Economic policy (Monetary Policy - Domestic) Part 2 |
[1979 Sep 7 - Dec 20] |
Key documents from file |
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/35 |
Economic policy (Price Commission & Competition Bill) Part 1 |
[1979 May 7 - June 28] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/36 |
Economic policy (Invisibles in trade figures) |
[1979 Sep 6 - Oct 26] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/37 |
Economic policy (CPRS paper on UK economy) |
[1979 May 1-8] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/38 |
Economic policy (Proposed Council of Economic Advisers) |
[1979 May 30 - Sep 10] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/39 |
Economic policy (Bank of England staff pay) |
[1979 June 20-21 ] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/40 |
Economic policy (Executive perks) |
[1979 July 16 - Dec 18] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/42 |
Energy (Energy Policy) Part 1) |
[1979 May 4 - June 16] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/43 |
Energy (Energy Policy) Part 2 |
[1979 June 17 - Oct 30] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/44 |
Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) Part 1 |
[1979 July 3 - Sep 12] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/45 |
Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) Part 2 |
[1979 Sept 13 - Dec 21] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/46 |
Energy (Offshore Supplies Interest Relief Grants Scheme) |
[1979 May 24 - Sep 20] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/47 |
Energy (Nuclear power safety - Schmidt letter) |
[1979 May 28 - June 29] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/48 |
Energy (Nuclear power plant industry |
[1979 May 29 - Aug 14] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/49 |
Energy (UK/Australia nuclear safeguards agreement) |
[1979 June 27 - July 12] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/50 |
European policy (Agriculture) Part 1 |
[1979 May 8 - Oct 26] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/51 |
European policy (European Council, Strasbourg June 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 May 30 - June 27] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/52 |
European policy (European Council, Dublin Nov 1979) Part 2 |
[1979 Oct 19 - Dec 7] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/133 |
European policy (European Council, Dublin Nov 1979 - briefing) |
[1979 Nov 19-24] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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Filed out of sequence |
| PREM19/53 |
European policy (Future policy towards EC, inclg budget) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4 - July 12] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/54 |
European policy (Future policy towards EC, inclg budget) Part 2 |
[1979 July 13 - Oct 25] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/55 |
European policy (Future policy towards EC, inclg budget) Part 3 |
[1979 Oct 25 - Nov 30] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/56 |
Fishing industry (Mourne herring fishery) |
[1979 Aug 22-30] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/57 |
France (MT visits to, Paris June 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 May 8 - Aug 28] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/58 |
Germany (Chancellor's visits to UK, Schmidt May 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4-25] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/59 |
Germany (MT visits to, Bonn Oct 1979) Part 2 |
[1979 June 11 - Dec 7] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/60 |
Government machinery (Rayner review) Part 1 |
[1979 May 7 - July 13] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/61 |
Government machinery (Rayner review) Part 2 |
[1979 July 16 - Sep 14] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/62 |
Government machinery (Rayner review) Part 3 |
[1979 Sep 17 - Nov 29] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/63 |
Government machinery (Ministerial resp for population matters) |
[1979 June 1-4] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/64 |
Government machinery (Judges' expenses) |
[1979 Oct 19-30] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/65 |
Greece (PM Karamanlis visit to UK, Oct 1979) |
[1979 Sept 5 - Oct 23] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/66 |
Home Affairs (Sale of Isle of Iona) |
[1979 May 21 - June 7] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/67 |
India (Call on MT by Deputy PM Ram) |
[1979 May 24 - June 12] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/68 |
Indonesia (President Suharto visit to UK, Nov 1979) |
[1979 June 19 - Nov 27] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/69 |
Industrial policy (Meetings with the TUC) Part 1 |
[1979 May 17 - Dec 21] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/70 |
Industrial policy (Industrial relations law) Part 1 |
[1979 May 5- Sep 27] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/71 |
Industrial policy (Future of British Leyland) Part 1 |
[1979 Sep 7 - Dec 13] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/72 |
Industrial policy (Future of Rolls-Royce) |
[1979 July 13 - Nov 14] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/73 |
Industrial policy (Ford Motor Company - mtg with Henry Ford II) |
[1979 May 7 - July 2] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/74 |
Industrial policy (Employee stock ownership - corre w US Senator) |
[1979 July 31 - Sep 3] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/75 |
Industrial policy (Nat Enterprise Bd - Hartlepool titanium project) |
[1979 Aug 24 - Sep 17] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
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| PREM19/76 |
Iran (Internal situation, including hostage crisis) Part 1 |
[1979 May 10 - Dec 10] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/77 |
Iran (Internal situation, including hostage crisis) Part 2 |
[1979 Dec 11-22] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/78 |
Iran (Jewish community - correspondence with President Carter) |
[1979 May 15-24] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/79 |
Ireland (Taoiseach's visits to UK) Part 1 |
[1979 May 2 - Sep 6] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/80 |
Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) Part 1 |
[1979 May 2 - Aug 24] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/81 |
Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) Part 2 |
[1979 Aug 27 - Sep 28] |
|
Declassified 1 Nov 2010
|
| PREM19/82 |
Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) Part 3 |
[1979 Oct 1-23] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/83 |
Ireland (Northern Ireland situation) Part 4 |
[1979 Oct 24 - Nov 29] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/84 |
Ireland (Intervention by Governor Carey of New York State) |
[1979 Aug 1-24] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/85 |
Ireland (Information policy - corre with HRH Prince of Wales) |
[1979 Nov 16 - Dec 17] |
|
"Temporarily retained by department" |
| PREM19/86 |
Israel (Farewell call by Israeli Ambassador, July 1979) |
[1979 July 5-24] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/87 |
Italy (PM Andreotti visit to UK, June 1979) |
[1979 June 1 - July 16] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/88 |
Italy (MT visits to, Rome October 1979) Part 1 |
[1979 Sep 20 - Oct 8] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/89 |
Legal procedure (Authority to order drafting of Bills) |
[1979 May 17-18] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/90 |
Local government (Relations with Central Government) Part 1 |
[1979 May 10 - Sep 18] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/91 |
Local government (Remuneration of local councillors) |
[1979 July 23 - Nov 19] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/92 |
Middle East (Situation in Middle East) Part 1 |
[1979 May 17 - Sep 20] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/93 |
Ministers (Ministers assess position they inherited on taking office) |
[1979 May 9-11] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/94 |
Ministers (Propriety of appointing Minister likely to become MEP) |
[1979 May 8-16] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/95 |
National Health Service (Doctors' and Dentists' pay) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4 - July 27] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/96 |
Nationalized Industries (Shipbuilding) Part 1 |
[1979 May 4 - Nov 29] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/97 |
Nationalized Industries (Steel) Part 1 |
[1979 June 1 - Nov 12] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/98 |
Nationalized Industries (British Rail - cutback in fuel supplies) |
[1979 June 1-7] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/99 |
Pakistan (Sale of cargo ships to Pakistan by British Shipbuilders) |
[1979 July 27 - Aug 23] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/100 |
Parliament (Legislative programme) Part 1 |
[1979 May 5 - July 6] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/101 |
Parliament (Legislative programme) Part 2 |
[1979 July 12 - Nov 23] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/102 |
Prime Minister (Mtg Cardinal Hume, Northern Ireland May 1979) |
[1979 May 7-29] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/103 |
Prime Minister (Meeting with British Council of Churches Oct 1979) |
[1979 May 9-Oct 17] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/104 |
Prime Minister (MT's visits to Departments & poss regional visits) |
[1979 May 8 - Sep 25] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/105 |
Regional policy (Review of policy, creation of Enterprize Zones) |
[1979 May 24 - Nov 5] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/106 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 1 |
[1979 Apr 30 - May 31] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/107 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 2 |
[1979 June 1 - July 4] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/108 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 3 |
[1979 July 4-30] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/109 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 4 |
[1979 July 31 - Aug 9] |
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Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/110 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 5 |
[1979 Aug 9-30] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/111 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 6 |
[1979 Aug 31 - Sep 11] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/112 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 7 |
[1979 Sep 11 - Oct 10] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/113 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 8 |
[1979 Oct 11-31] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/114 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 9 |
[1979 Nov 1-18] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/115 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 10 |
[1979 Nov 19-30] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/116 |
Rhodesia (Situation in) Part 11 |
[1979 Dec 2-21] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/117 |
Rhodesia (Lord Boyd's Report on April 1979 election) |
[1979 May 16] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/118 |
Royal Family (Security of HMQ during visit to Lusaka CHOGM) |
[1979 May 9 - July 27] |
|
"Temporarily retained by department" |
| PREM19/119 |
Security (Robin Cook's Bill on the Security Service) |
[1979 Nov 29 - Dec 17] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/120 |
Security (Security of the Secret Services - Anthony Blunt) |
[1979 May 8 - Nov 23] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/121 |
Social services (Benefits) Part 1 |
[1979 June 19 - Dec 20] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/122 |
South Africa (Plessey Radar contract - poss breach UN embargo) |
[1979 Aug 1 - Sep 10] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/123 |
South Korea (Call on MT by South Korean Presidential envoy) |
[1979 May 28 - June 28] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/125 |
Transport (Consumers & nationalized transport industries) |
[1979 June 7 - July 3] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/126 |
USA (President Carter's energy policy) |
[1979 July 6 - Dec 17] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/127 |
USA (MT visit to Washington - policy, December 1979) |
[1979 Nov 8 - Dec 21] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/128 |
Vatican (Possible papal visit to Ireland, north & south) |
[1979 July 10 - Oct 1] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/129 |
Vietnam (Vietnamese boat people) Part 1 |
[1979 May 24 - June 14] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/130 |
Vietnam (Vietnamese boat people) Part 2 |
[1979 June 15 - July 19] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/131 |
Zaire (Call on MT by Foreign Minister of) |
[1979 Nov 11-13] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
| PREM19/132 |
Zambia (Policy) |
[1979 July 13-23] |
|
Closed under Section 3.4 of Public Records Act, 1958
|
| PREM19/133 |
European policy (European Council, Dublin Nov 1979 - briefing) |
[1979 Nov 19-24] |
|
Declassified 30 Dec 2009
|
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