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 601 - 650 of 3726

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/601 USA (Arrangements for Prime Minister's visit to USA, February 1981) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Feb 25 Ends: 1981 Sep 3 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 152
PREM19/602 Vatican (Possible visit to UK by the Pope in 1982) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Jun 26 Ends: 1981 Nov 9 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 23 Classification: Confidential Pages: 187
PREM19/603 Venezuela (Visit to UK by Foreign Minister, Dr Zambrano Valesco, June 1981) Begins: 1981 May 8 Ends: 1981 Jun 26 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 26
PREM19/604 Vietnam (Vietnamese refugees; resettlement in the UK) (Part 3) Begins: 1979 Jul 17 Ends: 1981 Feb 28 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 244
PREM19/605 Zimbabwe (Request from Bishop Muzorewa for financial help with his security and education costs) Begins: 1981 Nov 3 Ends: 1981 Dec 18 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Top Secret - Cab Two Pages: 13
PREM19/606 Zimbabwe (Internal situation; aid; relations with South Africa) Begins: 1980 Apr 17 Ends: 1981 Nov 2 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 258
PREM19/607 Defence (Nuclear release procedures; understandings between the USA and UK on use of nuclear weapons and bases) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Apr 29 Ends: 1981 Mar 9 Date of release: Retained Classification: Unknown
PREM19/608 Italy (Prime Minister's visit to Italy, November 1980: Anglo/Italian Summit) Begins: 1980 Jul 25 Ends: 1981 Feb 24 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 86
PREM19/609 Vatican (Visit to UK by the Pope, May-June 1982) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Nov 10 Ends: 1982 Jun 9 Date of release: 2011 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 19 Classification: Secret Pages: 153
PREM19/610 Aerospace (British Midland Airways: services to Glasgow and Edinburgh) Begins: 1982 Mar 1 Ends: 1982 Jul 23 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 20
PREM19/611 Argentina (Frederick Forsyth's proposed book on the Falklands crisis) Begins: 1982 Jun 15 Ends: 1982 Aug 4 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 25
PREM19/612 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Sep 21 Ends: 1981 Dec 15 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 94
PREM19/613 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 Jan 1 Ends: 1982 Mar 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 129
PREM19/614 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Apr 1 Ends: 1982 Apr 5 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 236
PREM19/615 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 4) Begins: 1982 Apr 6 Ends: 1982 Apr 8 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 233
PREM19/616 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 5) Begins: 1982 Apr 8 Ends: 1982 Apr 11 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 216
PREM19/617 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 6) Begins: 1982 Apr 12 Ends: 1982 Apr 15 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 278
PREM19/618 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 7) Begins: 1982 Apr 14 Ends: 1982 Apr 17 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 273
PREM19/619 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 8) Begins: 1982 Apr 18 Ends: 1982 Apr 19 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 174
PREM19/620 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 9) Begins: 1982 Apr 20 Ends: 1982 Apr 22 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 258
PREM19/621 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 10) Begins: 1982 Apr 23 Ends: 1982 Apr 26 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 300
PREM19/622 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 11) Begins: 1982 Apr 27 Ends: 1982 Apr 29 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 288
PREM19/623 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 12) Begins: 1982 Apr 30 Ends: 1982 May 2 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 231
PREM19/624 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 13) Begins: 1982 May 3 Ends: 1982 May 5 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 303
PREM19/625 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 14) Begins: 1982 May 6 Ends: 1982 May 7 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 213
PREM19/626 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 15) Begins: 1982 May 8 Ends: 1982 May 10 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 260
PREM19/627 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 16) Begins: 1982 May 11 Ends: 1982 May 14 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 368
PREM19/628 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 17) Begins: 1982 May 15 Ends: 1982 May 17 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 153
PREM19/629 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 18) Begins: 1982 May 18 Ends: 1982 May 21 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 276
PREM19/630 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 19) Begins: 1982 Apr 22 Ends: 1982 May 24 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 131
PREM19/631 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 20) Begins: 1982 May 25 Ends: 1982 May 27 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 286
PREM19/632 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 21) Begins: 1982 May 28 Ends: 1982 May 31 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 162
PREM19/633 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 22) Begins: 1982 Jun 1 Ends: 1982 Jun 5 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 237
PREM19/634 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 23) Begins: 1982 Jun 6 Ends: 1982 Jun 11 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 271
PREM19/635 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 24) Begins: 1982 Jun 12 Ends: 1982 Jun 16 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 202
PREM19/636 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 25) Begins: 1982 Jun 17 Ends: 1982 Jun 18 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 130
PREM19/637 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 26) Begins: 1982 Jun 19 Ends: 1982 Jun 25 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 212
PREM19/638 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 27) Begins: 1982 Jun 27 Ends: 1982 Jul 20 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 6 Classification: Secret Pages: 251
PREM19/639 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 28) Begins: 1982 Jul 21 Ends: 1982 Aug 31 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Secret Pages: 224
PREM19/640 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 29) Begins: 1982 Sep 1 Ends: 1982 Sep 28 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 184
PREM19/641 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 30) Begins: 1982 Oct 1 Ends: 1982 Oct 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 203
PREM19/642 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 31) Begins: 1982 Nov 1 Ends: 1982 Nov 29 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 292
PREM19/643 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Sep 14 Ends: 1982 Apr 13 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 30
PREM19/644 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 Apr 14 Ends: 1982 Apr 22 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 78
PREM19/645 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Apr 23 Ends: 1982 Apr 29 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 91
PREM19/646 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 4) Begins: 1982 Apr 30 Ends: 1982 May 4 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 36
PREM19/647 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 5) Begins: 1982 May 5 Ends: 1982 May 14 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 138
PREM19/648 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 6) Begins: 1982 May 15 Ends: 1982 May 20 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 172
PREM19/649 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 7) Begins: 1982 May 21 Ends: 1982 May 31 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 92
PREM19/650 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing) (Part 8) Begins: 1982 Jun 1 Ends: 1982 Jun 6 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 53
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