Archive

MT's official files as Prime Minister, 1979-90

MT's official files as PM can be read on this site as they are released, in full and free to all - the confidential files originally stored at No.10, the core record of her premiership.

The files have been copied at the British National Archives (TNA) at Kew in London and can be downloaded precisely as they appear in the reading room.

We are doing something more to help people make sense of this mass of information. The files are subject-based, logically enough, but that system makes it difficult to reconstruct the flow of paper across the Prime Minister’s desk at any point in time, depriving us of a sense of context, of the political cross-winds, some of them overwhelming.

To combat this effect we are uploading a large selection of the most important documents from these files – thousands in total – to our powerful site database. You can search and sort by date, subject and other parameters, getting as close as anyone can now get to reconstructing the Prime Minister’s daily "Red Boxes", the rich diet of foreign and domestic policy papers submitted to her by the No.10 Private Office.

List and links to the PM’s files

Below are links to the downloadable files in numerical order. The subject terms are those used in the original filing system.

An average file has around 200 pages.

You can read here an account of how filing worked at No.10, and the system for archiving MT’s Prime Ministerial papers, both of which had their quirks.

Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Private Office files, 1979-1989

1979-89: Chancellor’s Private Office files [links to hundreds of digitised files from the Chancellorships of Sir Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson]

Engagement Diaries

An alternative way through the material is to read MT’s engagement diaries, jumping day to day.

The engagement diaries link directly to relevant documents in the site database, so this is a good way to recover the perspective from the Red Box.

Showing items 1201 - 1250 of 5082

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/1127 Security (Intelligence organisation, priorities of intelligence agencies; appointment of Chairman Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), membership of JIC) Begins: 1982 Dec 20 Ends: 1983 Mar 14 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 46
PREM19/1128 Security (Possibility of secure telephone link between Washington, London, Paris and Bonn) Begins: 1979 Oct 29 Ends: 1983 Oct 14 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 28
PREM19/1129 Security (Publication of book containing accounts of National Security Agency) Begins: 1982 Mar 14 Ends: 1983 May 4 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1130 Security (Leak from Property Services Agency (PSA); activities of Trade Union representatives in the PSA) Begins: 1982 Apr 28 Ends: 1983 Mar 9 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 23
PREM19/1131 Security (Evacuation from Iran) Begins: 1982 Jul 1 Ends: 1983 Mar 1 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1132 Security (Workers Revolutionary Party; youth training centres) Begins: 1981 Mar 3 Ends: 1983 Mar 7 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 32
PREM19/1133 Security (Possible steps to overcome the change of culture towards leaks of government documents) Begins: 1983 Jun 16 Ends: 1983 Jun 18 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 5
PREM19/1134 Security (Leak of government documents during the election campaign; investigation) Begins: 1983 May 12 Ends: 1983 Nov 18 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 25
PREM19/1135 Security (Irish Republican Socialist Party) Begins: 1983 Oct 12 Ends: 1983 Nov 7 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1136 Security (Case of Geoffrey Prime, former member of Government Communications Headquarters) Begins: 1982 Jun 2 Ends: 1983 Jun 29 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1137 Security (Seizure of Iranian Embassy in South Kensington and the taking of hostages, April-May 1980) Begins: 1980 Apr 30 Ends: 1983 Feb 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 70
PREM19/1138 Social services (Treatment of redundancy payments as income for purposes of supplementary benefit) Begins: 1983 Sep 30 Ends: 1983 Nov 7 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 9
PREM19/1139 South Africa (Prime Minister's talk with Tiny Rowland, Chief Executive of Lonrho, about Namibia and Angola) Begins: 1982 Jan 29 Ends: 1982 Feb 25 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1140 Soviet Union (Representations from Commander Anthony Courtney, former Conservative MP, about Soviet espionage activity in UK) Begins: 1980 Jan 8 Ends: 1982 Dec 14 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 30
PREM19/1141 Sport (Invitation to Princess Anne to become President of British Olympic Association) Begins: 1983 Mar 4 Ends: 1983 Apr 11 Date of release: 2024 Jan 1 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1142 Statistics (International competitiveness and productivity: production statistics and measurement of quality improvements) Begins: 1983 Jan 28 Ends: 1983 Feb 25 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 15
PREM19/1143 Statistics (Introduction of new Tax and Price Index (TPI) to be published alongside Retail Price Index (RPI)) Begins: 1979 Jun 21 Ends: 1983 Aug 12 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 174
PREM19/1144 Sudan (Visits to UK by President Gaafar Nimeiri: records of meetings with Prime Minister) Begins: 1980 Jul 14 Ends: 1983 Dec 9 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 66
PREM19/1145 Trade (Intellectual property rights and innovation) Begins: 1982 Jul 19 Ends: 1983 Dec 22 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 228
PREM19/1146 Transport (Railway policy) (Part 6) Begins: 1982 Oct 6 Ends: 1983 Apr 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 184
PREM19/1147 Transport (Railway policy) Part 7 Begins: 1983 May 4 Ends: 1983 Oct 26 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 110
PREM19/1148 United Nations (Second Special Session on Disarmament; Prime Minister's visit to New York and Washington, June 1982) (Part 1) Begins: 1982 Feb 16 Ends: 1983 Oct 19 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 282
PREM19/1149 USA (Visit to UK by Edwin Meese, Counsellor to President Reagan: meeting with Prime Minister, May 1983) Begins: 1983 Apr 17 Ends: 1983 May 18 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 56
PREM19/1150 USA (Visits by Senator Jesse Helms and John Carbaugh; discussion of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe sanctions and US political matters) Begins: 1979 Jun 7 Ends: 1983 Jul 23 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 97
PREM19/1151 USA (Visit to UK by Kenneth Dam, US Deputy Secretary of State; discussion of US/UK relations and foreign policy issues) Begins: 1983 Nov 3 Ends: 1983 Nov 7 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 74
PREM19/1152 USA (United States foreign policy; nuclear non-proliferation) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Mar 21 Ends: 1983 Dec 22 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 339
PREM19/1153 USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington, September 1983) (Part 3) Begins: 1983 Aug 31 Ends: 1983 Oct 14 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 198
PREM19/1154 Zimbabwe (Internal situation; trial of air force officers on sabotage charges; sale of Hunter aircraft; British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT); status of Joshua Nkomo in UK) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Dec 1 Ends: 1983 Oct 28 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 308
PREM19/1155 Foreign policy (Strategy meetings: foreign affairs and defence) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 Apr 22 Ends: 1983 Dec 22 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 417
PREM19/1156 India (Visit to UK by Narasimha Rao, Indian Minister of External Affairs, November 1983: meeting with Prime Minister) Begins: 1983 Aug 22 Ends: 1983 Nov 7 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 112
PREM19/1157 Manpower (Measures to counter unemployment) (Part 8) Begins: 1982 Sep 6 Ends: 1983 Jan 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 294
PREM19/1158 Manpower (Measures to counter unemployment; Central Policy Review Staff (CPRS) report on unemployment, September 1982) (Part 8A) Begins: 1982 Sep 1 Ends: 1982 Sep 30 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 142
PREM19/1159 Manpower (Measures to counter unemployment; report by Professor Patrick Minford, 'UK unemployment - analysis and policy proposals') (Part 8B) Begins: 1982 Sep 6 Ends: 1983 Jan 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 178
PREM19/1160 Manpower (Measures to counter unemployment; annexes to report by Professor Patrick Minford, 'UK unemployment - analysis and policy proposals') (Part 8C) Begins: 1982 Sep 6 Ends: 1983 Jan 29 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 355
PREM19/1161 Manpower (Measures to counter unemployment) (Part 9) Begins: 1983 Feb 1 Ends: 1983 Jun 30 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 400
PREM19/1162 Aerospace (Future and structure of British Airways; Price Waterhouse Report; privatisation) (Part 1) Begins: 1982 Mar 10 Ends: 1984 Feb 23 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Confidential Pages: 218
PREM19/1163 Aerospace (Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Review; airline competition policy; position of British Caledonian and other independent airlines) (Part 2) Begins: 1984 Mar 5 Ends: 1984 Sep 27 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 313
PREM19/1164 Aerospace (Possible merger between British Aerospace and Thorn EMI or General Electric Company (GEC)) Begins: 1984 May 2 Ends: 1984 Jul 11 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 42
PREM19/1165 Agriculture (Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development (ACARD) report on the food industry and technology) Begins: 1982 Jul 26 Ends: 1984 Aug 7 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Restricted Pages: 89
PREM19/1166 Angola (Internal situation; appointment of Jose Eduardo dos Santos as President; UK/Angolan relations) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Oct 12 Ends: 1984 Mar 22 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 291
PREM19/1167 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 36) Begins: 1984 Jan 3 Ends: 1984 Mar 30 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 273
PREM19/1168 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 37) Begins: 1984 Apr 1 Ends: 1984 Aug 31 Date of release: 2014-01-03 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 345
PREM19/1169 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 38) Begins: 1984 Sep 3 Ends: 1984 Oct 31 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 262
PREM19/1170 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing - defence after repossession) (Part 13) Begins: 1983 Mar 18 Ends: 1984 Jan 23 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/1171 Arts and amenities (The Royal Academy Appeal) Begins: 1984 Jun 8 Ends: 1984 Dec 31 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 44
PREM19/1172 Broadcasting (Direct broadcasting by satellite; development of cable systems and services; broadcasting policy) (Part 4) Begins: 1983 May 24 Ends: 1984 Apr 26 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Confidential Pages: 304
PREM19/1173 Cabinet (Cabinet collective responsibility) Begins: 1979 May 6 Ends: 1984 Nov 12 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Restricted Pages: 20
PREM19/1174 Civil service (Long-term management and manpower policy; Civil Service manpower; personnel work in Civil Service; the extension of unified grading; equal opportunities) (Part 14) Begins: 1983 Oct 3 Ends: 1984 Jan 25 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 368
PREM19/1175 Civil service (Long-term management and manpower policy; Civil Service manpower; senior management programme; financial management in government departments) (Part 15) Begins: 1984 Jan 24 Ends: 1984 Jun 29 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Confidential Pages: 552
PREM19/1176 Civil service (Long-term management and manpower policy; Civil Service manpower; senior management programme; financial management in government departments; unified grading) (Part 16) Begins: 1984 Jul 2 Ends: 1984 Nov 30 Date of release: 2014 Jan 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 425
Per page: