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Archive (Reagan Library)

Cold War: Reagan letter to Thatcher (trade in military technology) [declassified 2000]

Document type: Declassified documents
Venue: White House
Source: Reagan Library: NSA Head of State File (Box 35)
Editorial comments: Declassified 28 March 2000. Material elsewhere in the file shows that Weinberger asked the President to prepare the letter, and at short notice.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 254 words
Themes: Defence (arms control), Trade, Foreign policy (USA), Foreign policy (USSR & successor states), MT contacts with Ronald Reagan

Declassified F96-107#206
By SMF, NARA, Date 3/28/00

The White House
Washington

June 20, 1983

Dear Margaret:

I could not let the occasion of Secretary Weinberger’s visit pass without asking him to convey to you again my personal congratulations on your splendid election victory. Vice President Bush will also be conveying our warm congratulations.

Cap will be making a speech to the Society of Pilgrims in which he will underline our commitment to arms control agreements that would enhance the stability of world peace at vastly lower levels of armaments. To accomplish these agreements while assuring the security of our peoples is, as you well know, a demanding task requiring perseverance.

Discussions among Western countries regarding East-West economic relations have done a great deal to bring western policies and thinking together, but I believe you will agree there is still unfinished business in this area. The issue Cap will raise with you is Soviet efforts to acquire, by whatever means, militarily relevant technology from the West. To deal with this we need, among other things, to move forward on COCOM’s improvement efforts to which we have agreed.

Together I am sure we can further strengthen COCOM and related activities and institutions, and enhance respective procedures for working in harmony to control the flow of military technology to the East.

Sincerely,
Ron