Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Radio Interview for IRN (visiting Washington)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: Washington DC
Source: Thatcher Archive: COI transcript
Journalist: Nick Peters, IRN
Editorial comments: Between 1540 and 1635: time set aside for press conference but British interviews were probably done at the same time.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 1009
Themes: Defence (general), Monetary policy, Foreign policy (Central & Eastern Europe), Foreign policy (USA), Foreign policy (USSR & successor states), Leadership

Interviewer

Prime Minister, the news from Czechoslovakia—another bombshell bit of news—and I suppose there have been so many in recent days, we are getting used to it, but in isolation it is an incredible bit of news about the Communist Party leadership. How was that received by yourself and the President?

Prime Minister

We heard it when we were up at Camp David early this afternoon and it had been foreshadowed so we were quite expecting that it may happen and we think it is one more step on the road to Czechoslovakia gaining her freedom and also having democracy. That takes quite a time to do but quite clearly this mood has infected so many of the Eastern countries and those who had not made their views known are now doing so. [end p1]

Interviewer

The mood is one that might lead an awful lot of people in the West to say: “Well, doesn't this render NATO and nuclear weapons obsolete?” Is it not about time we started running them all down and joined hands and be friends across the Wall?

Prime Minister

No. The wish is not the deed. The deed takes very much longer to implement and then you have to see how it works out in practice and whether, when they get true democracy—that is a multi-party system backed up by a proper rule of law impartially administered by qualified judges binding the government as well as the ordinary people—and then whether you get the economic reforms as well. That takes a very long time and in defence matters, if you really value your freedom and justice, you never drop your guard; you never know where the next attack will come from; you must be ready, from wheresoever it comes. You also, of course, have to carry out your other out-of-NATO area duties which are very considerable.

Interviewer

So if there was a proposal to upgrade nuclear weapons in Europe, would you go along with it? [end p2]

Prime Minister

I stand absolutely by the NATO communique which we all agreed last May and it can only be changed by us all.

At the moment, as you know, there are under that communique arms reduction talks taking place both on conventional and on nuclear between the United States and the Soviet Union, but we are involved in the conventional and also on chemical weapons. Those are measured reductions—balanced reductions—of the sort which we all agree should take place.

Interviewer

George Bush goes one-on-one with Mikhail Gorbachev off Malta shortly. How do you think he is going to do in this his first meeting one-on-one with Mr. Gorbachev?

Prime Minister

I think he will do very well. I think they will both enjoy the meeting. Obviously, President Bush 's style is very different from that of his predecessor—we all have a different style—but I think it will go down equally well in these talks which are to take place and I am very pleased that President Bush takes a very measured style. He is very conscious that we are shaping the future for a long time ahead and it is worth taking time over, worth consulting with all our allies and getting it right, and I am sure Mr. Gorbachev feels that too. [end p3]

Interviewer

They call Mr. Bush “timid” over here for his response to what is happening in the East and say that on the West's behalf he may be missing the boat. You obviously do not agree with that.

Prime Minister

Well, they are quite wrong, quite wrong! He very much welcomes the changes that are taking place. We have all said it is a great day for freedom, but he did more than that. He has been among those who have provided a good deal of aid for Poland and Hungary; he wrote round to allies to say that Poland needed a stabilisation fund of one billion dollars and said immediately that the United States of that would supply $200 million and we in Europe said we would supply $200 million and it was President Bush 's initiative, so he made his views known and made his practical help known and we have all helped, again, through the Economic Summit Seven.

Interviewer

Back home, the bombshell of the day was your “Times” interview. The news on that is that the pound has dropped against the deutschmark quite considerably, by almost two pfennigs. What is your reaction to that? Do you think people are losing confidence in your leadership? [end p4]

Prime Minister

No. I do not think the two are connected in any way and neither, I think, do you really, except for the purpose of asking your question. The deutschmark happens to have been very strong. That is not surprising in any way. At the moment, Germany has low inflation; she has a very high balance of payments surplus and you would therefore expect just precisely what has happened.

Interviewer

Why did you feel it necessary to turn around from what you said to the “Sunday Correspondent” saying that after the next election, if you won it, you might think about stepping down before the one after that?

Prime Minister

Because I found it was being grossly misinterpreted and people were giving the impression that if we went to a fourth election and won a fourth election, that I was going to step down very quickly. That was never so, but I said if there is any doubt about it then of course I will go on to a fifth election. They were calling me a lame duck. I have never been a lame duck in my life and I do not intend to start being one now! [end p5]

Interviewer

On and on and on and on and on?

Prime Minister

No, that was not what I said. I said that if I stand for the fourth election and win I am quite prepared to go on to the fifth election.

Interviewer

And the sixth?

Prime Minister

Well, let us take two more first!