Archives in the United States
US archives tend to be opened sooner than British, owing to long-standing US Freedom of Information law, which is stronger than recently implemented British legislation. The pace of release has slowed, however, since 9/11.
margaretthatcher.org has visited the major US archives and put online the most valuable documents for the study of Margaret Thatcher
The Reagan Library (1981-89)
Inevitably, the Reagan Library in Los Angeles is much the most important US source for the career of Margaret Thatcher. Unnoticed by the British press, many Thatcher documents were released early following a FOIA request by the Reagan Library & Museum itself.
Reagan and Thatcher wrote hundreds of letters to each other during their shared time in office, fully one quarter of which are already open and available on this site. Several records of their face to face conversations ("memcons") are also open and present here, as well as telephone records ("telcons").
There is a mass of briefing documents and memoranda, all on line, including a near complete set of briefings for the President's meetings with the Prime Minister, prompt cards for their conversations and candid US assessments of the Falklands War.
The site also offers the text of President's Reagan's meetings with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, almost all of which are open to the public but which have never previously been published on or off-line.
Some 10,000 pages of newly-released material will be reviewed for the site during 2008.
Reagan Library documents on this site
The Carter Library (1977-81)
The Carter Library in Atlanta has a mass of Thatcher-related papers dating from 1977-81. Far fewer of its British files are open than in the case of the Reagan Library, though wholesale review of the files for release is underway under the CIA's RAC programme.
The files have been searched carefully and several dozen documents placed on line.
Carter Library documents on this site
The Bush Library (1989-91)
The Library of George Bush Sr. in College Station, Texas, is still completing basic file processing. Nonetheless, significant material has been released on the first Gulf War, 1990-91.
Material from the files has been placed online.
Bush Library documents on this site
The Ford Library (1975-77)
The Ford Library at Ann Arbor, Michigan, holds a few records of President Ford's dealings with Margaret Thatcher when she was Leader of the Opposition, including a record of their meeting in 1975.
"Britain is a tragedy", commented Henry Kissinger in an Oval Office meeting a few months before her visit.
Ford Library documents on this site
US National Archives (1979-90)
The archives of the US Department of State are housed at the US National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Many relevant document have been released from the State Department's archives under US Freedom of Information law, including a mass of Falklands material.
The State Department Falklands files will be added to this site in 2008.