Archive

1986 Jun 1 - 1986 Jun 30
Prime Ministerial Private Office files

PREM19/1967
South Africa (Internal situation; relations with UK) (Part 10)

Document type: File list item
Source: TNA, PREM19 series
Release date: 2016 Feb 19
Classification: Secret UK Eyes A
Page count: 484
Any docs withheld? 14

PREM19/1967 - download whole file (PDF, 447.34 MB)

Selections from this file

Showing items 1 - 20 of 89

Per page:
Date Value Title
86 Jun 1 Sun South Africa: No.10 record of conversation (MT, Howe) [press leak of MT letter to President Botha; MT "extremely angry... confirmed her fear that her communications and conversations with foreign Heads of Government were in general given too wide a circulation"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 1 Sun South Africa: MT letter to President Botha (Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group) ["Clearly we were both upset by the other's reaction to recent events. We ought now to put this behind us. What matters is... the hope of progress offered by the... Group's initiative"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 2 Mon South Africa: President Kaunda letter to MT (South African attack on UN High Commission for Refugees Camp) ["write to thank you... for your... sympathy and solidarity... following South Africa's wanton and unprovoked bombing"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 4 Wed South Africa: UKE Cape Town telegram to FCO ("South Africa internal") [situation report: "clamp down on the continuing violence... I believe we may have reached something of a watershed"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 5 Thu South Africa: Co-Chairmen of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (negotiations about the democratic future of South Africa) ["We strongly believe that... [our] negotiating concept is sound... difficult to understand how the term suspension of violence provides difficulties for the South African Government... a prior reduction in the level of violence before the Government itself takes specific action... would not be feasible"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 6 Fri South Africa: Howe PS letter to No.10 ("South Africa: President Botha") [meeting with European Heads of Government proposed by Pik Botha; Howe reports on soundings with Genscher & Raimond: "neither liked the idea"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 6 Fri South Africa: FCO record of conversation (Howe, Lubbers, van den Broek) ["South Africa": further sanctions] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 8 Sun South Africa: Powell minute for MT ("South Africa: Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group") ["have agreed and signed their report"; their work at end, no recommendation for action; next steps] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 9 Mon South Africa: UKE Cape Town telegram to FCO ("MISC 118") [comments on draft paper for cabinet committee: "Little if anything is said about the likely impact of measures on South Africa... the case for measures seems to depend primarily on the need to maintain our position in the Commonwealth, the Community and the Third World"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 9 Mon South Africa: No.10 record of conversation (MT, Lord Barber) [Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group Report; further measures; MT: "Front Line States... would in turn seek aid to compensate them, which we would be in no position to provide"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 9 Mon South Africa: Howe PS letter to No.10 ("South Africa: ComGEP") [Eminent Persons Report: "general feeling in the Group was that they were being strung along... unlikely to be able to play any further role... very high risk of increased violence... need to prepare our position as thoroughly - and as quickly - as possible... [Howe] observes... before long we... [will] have exhausted the scope for minor, relatively painless measures"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 10 Tue South Africa: Secretary-General of the Commonwealth letter to MT ("Mission to South Africa Report of the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons") ["the report leaves little doubt that... there will not have been adequate progress... the question arises as to what further measures Commonwealth governments will adopt"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 10 Tue South Africa: Pik Botha letter to co-Chairmen of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (negotiations) [preconditions for, process and nature of the negotiations: "unacceptable that violence or the threat of violence should be used as a bargaining counter"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 10 Tue South Africa: Powell minute for MT (Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group Report) [encloses conclusions; MT: "It is worse than I thought"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 10 Tue South Africa: Powell minute for MT (Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group Report: message from Chancellor Kohl) ["anxious to avoid any substantive reaction... until he had a chance to co-ordinate views with you"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 11 Wed South Africa: No.10 record of conversation (MT, Howe) ["South Africa": "brief discussion... of the Report of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group and how the Government should respond publicly to it"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 11 Wed South Africa: No.10 briefing for MT ("Meeting with the co-Chairmen of the Eminent Persons Group") ["The Group's report in effect recommends that sanctions should be applied... it seems evident that Mandela holds the key to the situation"] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 11 Wed South Africa: Howe PS letter to No.10 ("Message to the Prime Minister") [cover letter only, referring to message from President Botha] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 11 Wed South Africa: Howe PS letter to No.10 ("ComGEP: Background Papers for Members of the Cabinet") [conclusions of the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons report on its work, and copies of correspondence between the Group and the South African government] [declassified Feb 2016]
86 Jun 12 Thu South Africa: No.10 letter to Howe PS ("South Africa") [MT "inclined to think that she should send a further message to President Botha... to sound [him] out on the possibility of some progress between now and the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government next September"] [declassified Feb 2016]