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 1651 - 1700 of 3726

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Any docs withheld?	Classification	Pages
PREM19/1653	USA (Visits to UK by Arthur Burns, former Chairman of Federal Reserve Board: meeting with Prime Minister, September 1979)	Begins: 1979 Aug 13	Ends: 1985 Nov 29	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 61
PREM19/1654	USA (Economic situation in the United States) (Part 2)	Begins: 1982 Oct 12	Ends: 1985 Feb 28	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 411
PREM19/1655	USA (Visits to UK by George Shultz, US Secretary of State: meetings with Prime Minister)	Begins: 1982 Apr 9	Ends: 1985 Dec 12	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 6	Classification: Secret	Pages: 271
PREM19/1656	USA (UK/USA relations) (Part 3)	Begins: 1984 Feb 9	Ends: 1985 May 31	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 6	Classification: Secret	Pages: 333
PREM19/1657	USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington and New York, February 1981) (Part 2)	Begins: 1981 Feb 20	Ends: 1985 Oct 23	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 103
PREM19/1658	USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington, February 1985) (Part 4A)	Begins: 1984 Dec 10	Ends: 1985 Feb 15	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 4	Classification: Secret	Pages: 320
PREM19/1659	USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington, February 1985) (Part 4B)	Begins: 1985 Feb 13	Ends: 1985 Mar 15	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 187
PREM19/1660	USA (Prime Minister's visit to New York and the United Nations, October 1985) (Part 5)	Begins: 1985 Apr 15	Ends: 1985 Oct 15	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 398
PREM19/1661	USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington, July 1985)	Begins: 1985 Jul 8	Ends: 1985 Jul 29	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 278
PREM19/1662	Civil Service (Industrial relations in the Civil Service: Department of Health and Social Security industrial action)	Begins: 1979 Sep 5	Ends: 1985 Oct 14	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 213
PREM19/1663	Deaths (Assassination of Indira Gandhi, October 1984: Prime Minister's visit to India to attend funeral)	Begins: 1984 Oct 31	Ends: 1985 Dec 12	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 184
PREM19/1664	Aerospace (British Aerospace (BAe): shares for employees)	Begins: 1980 May 3	Ends: 1986 Jul 29	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 95
PREM19/1665	Aerospace (Future and structure of British Airways: settlement of litigation concerning the collapse of Laker Airways; airports policy; USA/UK future aviation strategy; economic regulation of airports; competition regime for UK/US aviation) (Part 4)	Begins: 1985 May 3	Ends: 1986 Jan 24	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 387
PREM19/1666	Aerospace (Future and structure of British Airways: engines for British Airways Boeing 747-400s; UK/US air services; UK/Canada air services) (Part 5)	Begins: 1986 Jan 1	Ends: 1986 Dec 22	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 292
PREM19/1667	Aerospace (Westland Helicopters) (Part 2)	Begins: 1985 Dec 28	Ends: 1986 Jan 10	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Secret	Pages: 413
PREM19/1668	Aerospace (Westland Helicopters) (Part 3)	Begins: 1986 Jan 12	Ends: 1986 Jan 24	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 318
PREM19/1669	Aerospace (Westland Helicopters) (Part 4)	Begins: 1986 Jan 25	Ends: 1986 Feb 28	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Secret	Pages: 483
PREM19/1670	Aerospace (Westland Helicopters) (Part 5)	Begins: 1986 Mar 3	Ends: 1986 Jul 31	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Secret	Pages: 303
PREM19/1671	Aerospace (Westland Helicopters) (Part 6)	Begins: 1986 Aug 1	Ends: 1986 Nov 19	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 378
PREM19/1672	Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 6)	Begins: 1981 Sep 22	Ends: 1985 Oct 23	Date of release: 2018 Jul 24	Any docs withheld? 11	Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 323
PREM19/1673	Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing - defence after repossession) (Part 14)	Begins: 1984 Feb 21	Ends: 1986 Jun 26	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 8	Classification: Secret - UK Eyes A	Pages: 190
PREM19/1674	Argentina (Falklands) (Part 40)	Begins: 1985 May 2	Ends: 1986 Jun 24	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 17	Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 274
PREM19/1675	Australia (Visits of Australian Prime Ministers to London: Malcolm Fraser (February 1980 and July 1981) and Robert Hawke (June 1983 and April 1986); meetings with the Prime Minister) (Part 1)	Begins: 1980 Jan 21	Ends: 1986 Apr 22	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 10	Classification: Secret	Pages: 266
PREM19/1676	Belize (Dispute with Guatemala) (Part 2)	Begins: 1982 May 5	Ends: 1983 Feb 28	Date of release: 2024 Jan 1
PREM19/1677	Broadcasting (Television licence fees: report by Professor Alan Peacock's Committee on Financing the BBC; BBC accounts) (Part 2)	Begins: 1984 Apr 4	Ends: 1986 Jun 30	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 137
PREM19/1678	Broadcasting (Direct broadcasting by satellite: cable systems and their effect on broadcasting policy) (Part 5)	Begins: 1984 May 1	Ends: 1986 Feb 26	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 268
PREM19/1679	Cabinet (Cabinet Committee structure and membership) (Part 2)	Begins: 1982 Oct 6	Ends: 1986 Jan 24	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 214
PREM19/1680	Cabinet (Questions of Procedure for Ministers) (Part 2)	Begins: 1981 Nov 18	Ends: 1986 Jan 31	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 310
PREM19/1681	Canada (Prime Minister's Visit to Canada, July 1986: Vancouver Transportation Exposition 1986 (Expo 86))	Begins: 1981 Jul 8	Ends: 1986 Sep 12	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 286
PREM19/1682	China (Sino-British relations) (Part 3)	Begins: 1985 Jun 1	Ends: 1986 Jun 29	Date of release: 2018 Dec 28
PREM19/1683	Civil Service (Long term management and manpower policy: control of civil service running costs; duties and responsibilities of civil servants; performance bonus experiment; budgeting in government departments) (Part 18)	Begins: 1985 Sep 10	Ends: 1986 Apr 30	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 380
PREM19/1684	Civil Service (Long term management and manpower policy: duties and responsibilities of civil servants; performance bonuses) (Part 19)	Begins: 1986 May 2	Ends: 1986 Sep 30	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 329
PREM19/1685	Civil Service (Pay and pensions: pay dispute; review of early retirement arrangements) (Part 15)	Begins: 1985 Apr 7	Ends: 1986 May 29	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 405
PREM19/1686	Civil Service (Property Services Agency (PSA) restructuring: report by Sir Geoffrey Wardale on fraud in the PSA) (Part 1)	Begins: 1982 Jul 22	Ends: 1986 Aug 5	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 392
PREM19/1687	Civil Service (Civil servants' outside interests: acceptance of non-executive directorships; possible publication of essay by Michael Quinlan on the ethics of nuclear deterrence)	Begins: 1984 Jan 31	Ends: 1986 Aug 5	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 93
PREM19/1688	Commonwealth (Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), Nassau, Bahamas, October 1985) (Part 10)	Begins: 1985 Oct 10	Ends: 1986 Aug 4	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 282
PREM19/1689	Defence (Development of torpedoes)	Begins: 1979 Jul 20	Ends: 1986 Dec 23	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 111
PREM19/1690	Defence (Public opinion and public debate on nuclear weapons issues)	Begins: 1982 Oct 18	Ends: 1986 May 12	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 2	Classification: Secret	Pages: 241
PREM19/1691	Defence (Procurement of weapon systems (HARM/ALARM air launched missiles)) (Part 3)	Begins: 1985 Jul 1	Ends: 1986 May 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 262
PREM19/1692	Defence (Procurement of Weapon Systems (HARM/ALARM air launched missiles): airborne early warning aircraft (British Aerospace Nimrod and Boeing E3A)) (Part 4)	Begins: 1986 Jun 10	Ends: 1986 Dec 22	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 314
PREM19/1693	Defence (Arms control) (Part 7)	Begins: 1985 Aug 1	Ends: 1986 Feb 27	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 390
PREM19/1694	Defence (Arms control) (Part 8)	Begins: 1986 Mar 5	Ends: 1986 Jun 27	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret - UK Eyes A	Pages: 321
PREM19/1695	Defence (Arms control) (Part 9)	Begins: 1986 Jul 1	Ends: 1986 Nov 28	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret - UK Eyes	Pages: 427
PREM19/1696	Defence (Defence sales) (Part 6)	Begins: 1985 Nov 4	Ends: 1986 Jul 31	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/1697	Defence (Defence sales) (Part 7)	Begins: 1986 Aug 1	Ends: 1986 Dec 24	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/1698	Diplomatic Misions (Armed protection for British government representatives overseas: carriage of arms by bodyguards of VIP visitors)	Begins: 1980 Jan 8	Ends: 1986 Apr 6	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 122
PREM19/1699	Disasters (Ethiopian famine relief)	Begins: 1984 Oct 25	Ends: 1986 Jan 1	Date of release: 2015 Jul 16		Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 196
PREM19/1700	Downing Street (Libel action by Richard Holt MP against The Teacher magazine: risk that No.10 staff may be called to give evidence)	Begins: 1986 Mar 17	Ends: 1986 May 22	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 31
PREM19/1701	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 34)	Begins: 1985 Dec 5	Ends: 1986 May 5	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 306
PREM19/1702	Economic policy (Public spending) (Part 35)	Begins: 1986 Jun 2	Ends: 1986 Sep 30	Date of release: 2014 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 518

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