407. Message From British Prime Minister Thatcher to President Reagan 1
I received your message about the Falklands2 just as I was going into a meeting of my Cabinet this morning. I discussed it with my colleagues and I must tell you at once that we are utterly dismayed by its contents.
If the United States votes for a resolution on the lines of the Argentine draft, you will encourage the Argentines in their ambition to secure the transfer of sovereignty over the Falklands to themselves, against the wishes of the inhabitants. Their sole purpose in putting forward this draft is to further that ambition.
The resolution misrepresents the situation completely. It mocks the concept of self-determination by saying that the “interests” of the Falkland Islanders will be “taken duly into account”. It retains references to previous resolutions which prejudge the issue. It calls for early negotiations but you and all our friends know why negotiations are not [Page 823] acceptable to us. And it does this against the background of continuing bellicose statements by representatives of the Argentine regime.
You rightly refer to the staunch support which you gave us during the conflict in the South Atlantic. I remain deeply grateful. May I say that we have also supported you at the UN and elsewhere in matters of prime concern to the United States.
The vote on this Argentine resolution is a matter of prime concern to Britain. That is why I must make an urgent and personal appeal to you to think again. A vote by the United States for the resolution would be received here with incomprehension. Worse, it would be seen as an affront to the government and the people of Britain and to me personally. I cannot believe that you would consider delivering such a blow to the right of self-determination which means so much to the democracies of the free world. I had greatly hoped that you would vote against this hypocritical text. But if you cannot, I must ask you, with all we have done together in mind, at least to abstain.
With best wishes
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Head of State File, United Kingdom: Prime Minister Thatcher—Cables (1). Secret; Flash. Sent in telegram MISC 222 from the Cabinet office to the White House.↩
- See Document 406.↩