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Ronald Reagan & Margaret Thatcher

Conversation during press shoot (around 1200Z?) (US civil war; boom microphones; the Falklands)

Document type: Declassified documents
Venue: American Residence, Faubourg St Honor&eacu; Paris
Source: Reagan Library
Editorial comments:

Around 1400? MT arrived at Orly at 1305 and drove to the US Embassy. A tape of the event can be listened to here.

Importance ranking: Minor
Word count: 48 seconds
Themes: Defence (Falklands)

Ronald Reagan:

… it is just the ?phrases such as “mowing men down” that rocks …

MT:

But does it still leave this impression on people? Does it still have an effect on how people think, between north and south?

Ronald Reagan:

Well, I think there's been a big change …

MT:

Mmm.

Ronald Reagan:

When I was growing up, it still …

MT:

Mmm, it still has.

Ronald Reagan:

It still has.

MT:

Yes, I'd forgotten, they've got boom microphones all over, so they are listening to what we say.

Female journalist:

That's a great thing!

[laughter]

MT:

Well [laughs briefly], that's just what I said, there are boom microphones all over so we have to be careful what we say.

[RR laughs]

Female journalist:

Are you going to discuss the Falklands?

MT:

I think you may deduce that it will be on the agenda.