MARGARET ROBERTS THATCHER

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05201822
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: January 11, 2016
• Case Number: F-2014-01469
• Publication Date: October 13, 1981

Approved for Release: 2014/10/24 005201822
Margaret Roberts THATCHER
Prime Minister
(since May 1979)
Addressed as:
Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher,
leader of the Conserva-
tive Party since 1975, is
the first woman ever to
serve as Prime Minister
of Britain or of any
European country. She
achieved that distinction
in, the 1979 elections,
which gave her party a
comfortable 43-seat ma-
UNITED KINGDOM
j9rity in Parliament. As Prime Minister, Thatcher,
a'self-proclaimed crusader for the economic revival
of Great Britain, has taken a tough stand on the
economy, been decisive in both domestic and inter-
national actions, and paid close attention to the
work of the government. Although she has not yet
achieved her goal of making Britain a commercially
competitive nation, she has shown few signs Of
wavering from her commitment to that goal. During
1981 Thatcher has reorganized her Cabinet twice in
attempts to unify the members of her government
behind her economic program.
Described by some observers as boldly ideolog-
ical because of her decisiveness and her rather
harsh economic policies, Thatcher has nonetheless
demonstrated that she is also shrewdly practical.
To offset her inexperience in foreign affairs when
she assumed office, she quickly surrounded herself
with veteran foreign policy specialists. For her
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Af-
fairs, she selected Peter Lord Carrington, probably
the one person in the Cabinet whose judgment she
trusts more than her own. Thatcher also relies
heavily on and is generally supported by several
other experienced members of her government: Wil-
liam Whitelaw, Secretary of State for the Home Of-
fice and Deputy Prime Minister; Sir Geoffrey Howe,
Chancellor of the Exchequer; Sir Keith Joseph,
Secretary of State for Education and Science; and
John Nott, Secretary of State for Defense.
(cont.)
(b)(1)
9 FEB i3c) (b)(3)
(b)(3)
CR M 81-14831
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Attitude' Toward the
United States and Defense
The Prime Minister has been somewhat skeptical
of US leadership since the mid-1970s. She did, how-
ever, welcome the election of President Ronald Rea-
gan, apparently because she thinks he will be an
effective leader and will meet the challenge of the
Soviet Union. She has called on West European na-
tions to modernize their defense forces in order to
be a match for Soviet military strength. In addi-
tion, she has insisted that her government take a
more active role in decisions affecting the Western
Alliance. Long an advocate of a strong NATO, Thatch-
er has endorsed the commitment of the US administra-
tion to the Alliance.
Career and Personal Data
The daughter of a grocer, Margaret Roberts won a
scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford, where she
studied chemistry in the 1940s. After working for
four years as a research chemist in an industrial
firm, she studied law, specializing in tax law and
patents. A member of Parliament since 1959, she has
held several government positions, including that of
Secretary of State for Education and Science (1970-
74). During 1974-75 she was shadow deputy chancellor
of the exchequer.
The well-organized Thatcher works hard to master
details of complex data. She expresses ideas clearly
and logically. No recent British leader has had her
powers of concentration, capacity for hard work,
self-confidence, pluck and sharpness of focus. She
defends her positions with skill and conviction;
compromise comes hard for her, but it does come. She
is a self-made woman in a party known for its male
chauvinism. .Thatcher is serious, dispassionate, de-
termined and achievement oriented. There is little
room in her life for the capricious or frivolous.
Thatcher, 56, enjoys reading and listening to
music. She likes Cointreau and Scotch and soda;
broiled Dover sole is a favorite main dish. Thatch-
er's husband, Denis, is a retired oil company ex-
ecutive. The Thatchers have 27-year-old twins, Mark
and Carol.
�2�
13 October 1981
Approved for Release: 2014/10/24 005201822