Thatcher, Carter had good rapport
Source: Agencies |
March 20, 2011, Sunday
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MARGARET Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were political soul mates, right-wing Cold Warriors who helped define the 1980s.
But politics makes strange bedfellows. Newly released papers from the former British prime minister's personal archive reveal a surprising rapport between the "Iron Lady" and Reagan's political antithesis - Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
He and Thatcher were not natural political allies or obvious friends, but documents from 1980, released yesterday by the Thatcher archive at Cambridge University, contain many cordial letters to and from Carter. There are few signs of tension as they confront crises including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the taking of 52 American hostages at the US embassy in Tehran.
"Carter is somebody she worked hard to get along with," said historian Chris Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation. "She had considerable success at it. Had Carter lasted two terms we might be writing about the surprising amount of common ground between the two."
Thatcher had met Carter twice before she was elected, and the US president came away displeased, though according to previously released papers he mellowed by the time Thatcher became prime minister in 1979.
Under pressure
Perhaps their affinity is not so surprising. They came from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but in 1980, the final year of Carter's term, both leaders were under pressure, facing economic crisis at home and turmoil in Afghanistan, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The arch-capitalist Thatcher even praised liberal Carter on the economy, sending a letter endorsing his "painful but necessary measures" to get inflation down and cut gasoline consumption.
On Afghanistan, the two leaders shared alarm at the Soviet invasion, and worried other European nations were being soft on the Russians.
Carter wrote warmly - "Dear Margaret" - to "express to you my deep personal appreciation for your words in the Commons" condemning the invasion.
He was keen to solicit her opinion, and expressed hope she could sway other European countries to condemn the incursion.
Thatcher was supportive of Carter's attempt to have the 1980 Olympic Games moved from Moscow, saying "I had been thinking very much along the same lines as yourself" and offering to hold some Olympic events in London.
In the end, British athletes defied Thatcher's wishes and attended the games. The US and several dozen other countries boycotted them.
The pair also exchanged many letters about the hostage-taking in Iran.
But politics makes strange bedfellows. Newly released papers from the former British prime minister's personal archive reveal a surprising rapport between the "Iron Lady" and Reagan's political antithesis - Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
He and Thatcher were not natural political allies or obvious friends, but documents from 1980, released yesterday by the Thatcher archive at Cambridge University, contain many cordial letters to and from Carter. There are few signs of tension as they confront crises including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the taking of 52 American hostages at the US embassy in Tehran.
"Carter is somebody she worked hard to get along with," said historian Chris Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation. "She had considerable success at it. Had Carter lasted two terms we might be writing about the surprising amount of common ground between the two."
Thatcher had met Carter twice before she was elected, and the US president came away displeased, though according to previously released papers he mellowed by the time Thatcher became prime minister in 1979.
Under pressure
Perhaps their affinity is not so surprising. They came from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but in 1980, the final year of Carter's term, both leaders were under pressure, facing economic crisis at home and turmoil in Afghanistan, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The arch-capitalist Thatcher even praised liberal Carter on the economy, sending a letter endorsing his "painful but necessary measures" to get inflation down and cut gasoline consumption.
On Afghanistan, the two leaders shared alarm at the Soviet invasion, and worried other European nations were being soft on the Russians.
Carter wrote warmly - "Dear Margaret" - to "express to you my deep personal appreciation for your words in the Commons" condemning the invasion.
He was keen to solicit her opinion, and expressed hope she could sway other European countries to condemn the incursion.
Thatcher was supportive of Carter's attempt to have the 1980 Olympic Games moved from Moscow, saying "I had been thinking very much along the same lines as yourself" and offering to hold some Olympic events in London.
In the end, British athletes defied Thatcher's wishes and attended the games. The US and several dozen other countries boycotted them.
The pair also exchanged many letters about the hostage-taking in Iran.
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