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 much stronger than recently implemented British legislation.
margaretthatcher.org has visited the major US archives and put on line the most valuable documents.
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.
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 opening of the files is mandated under present US policy by the end of 2006.
The files have been searched carefully and several dozen documents will be placed on line in November 2005.
Carter Library documents on this site
The Bush Library (1989-90)
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 will be placed on this site during November 2005.
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 early in 2006.