Archive

margaretthatcher.org reviews new releases of material relating to Margaret Thatcher in archives around the world and puts the best of them on-line.

The latest release is showcased here and later filed at the relevant archive page.

1970-79: lord hailsham's secret diary

One of Margaret Thatcher's longest serving colleagues kept a secret diary, partly in code. With the help of professional cryptanalysts at G.C.H.Q, we have been able to translate some of the entries.

There is much new material in the uncoded sections too.

Material placed online in April 2008.

Hailsham diary

1981-82: solidarity, the soviets & siberian gas - the polish crisis of 1981-82

New and previously unpublished documents from the Reagan Library are now available on this site.

Material placed online in February 2008.

Polish crisis files

1982: the Falklands war

We now have online audio of Margaret Thatcher's speeches to the Commons during the war, as well as a mass of previously unpublished documents from the US, including the diary of a key US official involved in the Haig shuttle.

Material placed online in April 2007.

Falklands files

1977-81: Southern Discomfort: Jimmy Carter's embattled Presidency

Jimmy Carter was President during the first eighteen months of the Thatcher Government. His relations with MT began badly, but she stood comparatively well with him in the agonising last year of his Administration when the Iranian hostage crisis, Afghanistan and Poland dominated international politics.

Material from his files was be published on the site in October 2006.

Carter Library files

1990-91: the first gulf war

Files on the first Gulf War have been released from the Library of George Bush Sr. in College Station, Texas.

Extracts were placed on line on 14 Aug 2006.

Bush Library files on 1990-91 Gulf War

1975: mt's first visit to the u.s. as conservative leader

MT's first major visit to the US as party leader mattered a good deal to her. The British Foreign Office did its best to make the troop go smoothly, realising that they could be dealing with a future Prime Minister, but they had only partial success.

Extracts were placed on line on 1 Jan 2006 when the relevant files were released to the public at the National Archives (TNA).

1975 TNA releases

1985 November: reagan & gorbachev's "Fireside Summit"

Twenty years ago, on 19 November 1985, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time at a two-day summit in Geneva. We publish online for the first time correspondence between the two men in the months before, as well as full records of the summit itself, derived from the Reagan Library. Placed on line 19 Nov 2005.

Geneva Summit, 19-20 November 1985

1974 March: the fall of Heath

After losing his Commons majority at the General Election of February 1974, Edward Heath briefly explored the chances of forming a coalition government with the Liberals. A key record of the whole episode has just been released following an FOI request by the Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Placed online 25 Oct 2005.

Fall of Heath

1971 May: "Condemned to succeed": the Heath-Pompidou summit which took Britain into the E.E.C.

In May 1971 Heath travelled to Paris for a two-day summit with President Pompidou, clearing away French obstruction to British membership of the E.E.C.

Strangely, records of the summit were missing from 1971 files released under the 30 year rule, but they were released to margaretthatcher.org under the Freedom of Information Act, 2000. Placed online 25 July 2005.

May 1971 summit records

Daily Telegraph coverage

Future releases

1989: MT & Gorbachev

Records of MT's conversations with Mikhail Gorbachev in April and September 1989 have become available through the Gorbachev Foundation in Moscow.

Copies will be posted online in 2007.

If you would like an email when new releases are put on site send a blank email to: info@margaretthatcher.org

1970-73: the Heath Government & the U.S.

Files in the Nixon and State Department archives relating to Britain under Heath have been filmed by the Margaret Thatcher Foundation. The Heath Government was the least sympathetic to the US in British post-war history, mystifying the Nixon Administration.

Extracts will be placed on line in 2007.

If you would like an email when new releases are put on site send a blank email to: info@margaretthatcher.org