John Humphrys, BBC
Mr Gorbachev is cutting short his visit to New York and flying straight back to the Soviet Union because of the earthquake in Armenia. It means of course that he will not be coming to Britain.
We have on the telephone now, from 10 Downing [end p1] Street, Mrs Thatcher, who I gather has just heard the news. Prime Minister!
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Hello, good morning.
I heard it on your news briefing. It was the first indication we've had, but of course we understand. When there's a tragedy like that Mr Gorbachev has to go home; anything else would be unthinkable. And then I heard later that you didn't know whether I'd heard so I thought I'd better let you know I had.
John Humphrys, BBC
Well, thank you for calling us.
Have you been in touch since then with the Soviet Foreign Ministry or with Mr Gorbachev's people?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
No, I haven't. It's a little bit early but we'll get onto the Leonid ZamyatinAmbassador later and say that it's quite understandable and we hope [end p2] he'll be able to come soon because we were all looking forward to it. But when there's trouble like that home is the place to be and his people would expect it and he's just the sort of person who would do it.
John Humphrys, BBC
I don't know whether you heard, I was talking to Mr Gerasimov earlier and asked him … (interrupted).
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Yes, indeed, I heard the, that's why I thought I'd better ring you to say that I heard through your programme.
John Humphrys, BBC
Do you have any idea now when he might be able to come? You obviously will renew the invitation for the earliest possible opportunity?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
We will try to make ourselves available whenever Mikhail Gorbachevhe can come. We were very much [end p3] looking forward to the talks, particularly in view of his United Nations speech. Of course we'll make ourselves available, but I think he will have his hands full for the time being. But any time he wants to come we'll try and reset things up.
I'm afraid we, too, will have a lot of disappointed people, but they will understand as well.
John Humphrys, BBC
Well now you've mentioned the United Nations speech. Since we have you on the telephone, Mrs Thatcher, can I ask you for some reaction to that?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
I thought you'd do this. I haven't read the whole thing, obviously, and as you know, I usually do, but when I got back from Yorkshire yesterday evening I did have a quick briefing on it and as you know we welcomed it because it is a very, very positive step forward and we shall be looking at it in detail. It takes [end p4] things one further step in the direction in which we were seeking because we said that after the 50 per cent reductions in strategic we should all be looking at reductions in conventional. So that's just exactly what we wanted.
John Humphrys, BBC
Ought we now to react in some way ourselves? Ought the West to react to make some offer?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Well, I think according to the briefing I had, and we must look at the details, that it reduces their superiority in conventional weapons from about three to one to about two to one, so it is a very, very fundamental change that he's making. But I don't think we can go further than that. You know what I usually say - please let me look at all the details before I comment further.
John Humphrys, BBC
Well, I wonder whether you think to what an extent Mr Gorbachev is making a virtue out of [end p5] necessity? He has to cut his military spending and this may be a way of making a grand public relations gesture or do you think it's much more than that?
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Well, I think it's both. Yes, of course he wishes to cut his military spending because they have spent such an enormous proportion of their national income on it and now he realises he can't go on doing that because people want to have a higher standard of living. But equally he will be as determined to defend the Soviet Union as we are to defend the West, and so I think it's both, but just, it's a very positive step forward and let's not undermine that in any way. Let's have a look at it and then see what we can do.
As you know we were always working together in the Alliance to get a whole kind of comprehensive agreement about the strategy of defence and reduction in armaments so that we could tackle the conventional weapons reduction with an agreed policy. [end p6]
John Humphrys, BBC
He used … (interrupted).
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Let's just stick at the moment. I think the earthquake is so devastating and according to what I heard, the tragedy is so great that really we wish to offer our deepest sympathies to the Soviet people and to the bereaved and we're certain that all of the emergency services will be mobilised to help and anything that we can do to help, of course, we'll be only too pleased to do.
John Humphrys, BBC
Mrs Thatcher, thank you very much indeed for calling us.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Thank you very much, Mr Humphrys. Good bye.
John Humphrys, BBC
Good bye.