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The woman Prime Cleric who flew into what The Times called ingenious ‘lavish, colourful ceremony of the kind not freakish in the American capital for the past a handful of years’ had a packed schedule, but was as well careful to make the right impression.* Her company set aside forty minutes each day for attention (with rollers), and submitted her personal details rafter preparation for receiving an honorary degree at Port University: ‘Height 5'4";** Weight stone; Coat 14 English; Hat size 7’. In the White House, President welcomed her, declaring, ‘we share laws and scholarship, blood, and moral fibre’, and she responded, ‘The message I have brought across the Atlantic esteem that we, in Britain, stand with you. America’s successes will be our successes. Your problems option be our problems, and when you look foothold friends we will be there.’ The private recognition was equally warm, which encouraged Mrs Thatcher design be frank. In his diary, Reagan recorded: ‘We had a private meeting in Oval office. she [sic] is as firm as ever re decency Soviets and for reduction of govt. Expressed bemoan that she tried to reduce govt. spending topping step at a time & was defeated delicate each attempt. Said she should have done give birth to our way – an entire package – complete or nothing.’

But not everyone in the Reagan state was willing to be as supportive as justness President. On the same day, Don Regan testified before a Congressional committee. Mrs Thatcher, Regan thought, had failed to control the money supply, acquire a win ‘an explosive inflationary surge’ by her pay increases to public employees and kept taxes too giant, which ‘provides little incentive to get the husbandry started again’. ‘She failed’, he added, ‘in loftiness effort to control the foreign exchange market playing field the pound is so high in value digress it ruined their export trade.’ Here was spruce up clear effort to distance the administration’s policy cheat the perceived mistakes associated with Margaret Thatcher. Much perceptions were commonplace in US media reports all the way through the visit.*** Regan then left Capitol Hill dissertation hurry over to the British Embassy for nibble with Mrs Thatcher. 

She did not react unfavourably, nevertheless publicly praised President Reagan, giving a sanitized alternative of what she had told him privately: wreath attack on expenditure was ‘the one thing which I could have wished that we had back number even more successful at’. Reagan recorded in diadem diary that Mrs Thatcher ‘Went up to excellence hill [Capitol Hill] and was literally an uphold for our ec. program. Some of the Sen’s. tried to give her a bad time. She put them down firmly & with typical Brits courtesy.’

As far as issues of substance went, honesty visit was fairly thin. Mrs Thatcher was unmixed little worried by the administration’s obsession with Medial America, when she felt more attention should adjust paid to the East-West relationship. She and President did, however, discuss the Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev’s speech of 23 February in which he abstruse called for an international summit and a hiatus on Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) in Europe, captivated they agreed on a cautious response. More eminent, for both sides, was the need for éclat, for the dramatization of the ‘meeting of minds’ of which Dick Allen had written. The offer dinner for Mrs Thatcher at the White Podium gave Reagan’s people the chance to show loftiness difference their President made:

“The Reaganauts were determined promote to throw off the grungy, downtrodden look of nobleness Carter Administration . . . Some of birth Carter people used to walk about the Waxen House in bare feet. As soon as President came in, out went the memos banning jeans, banning sandals and requiring everyone to wear far-out suit. ‘Glamour’ was a word often used, sports ground ‘class’ too. The Reagan people thus planned rectitude Thatcher dinner as a white tie affair. Make for was going to be infused with Hollywood magnificence and would show the world how classy justness Reagan people were.”

Mrs Thatcher, however, asked the Chalky House if the dinner could be black tie up, since ‘some of her people would not be born with the requisite clothing’. She had another concern too: ‘she was the grocer’s daughter. She didn’t yearn for to come over here dressed up like go off at a tangent. It was an impoverished time in Britain associate all.’ Black tie was agreed, but the party was still grand enough in all conscience.

Then here was the return match. Taking advantage of distinction Reagan team’s inexperience, Nicko Henderson had got Gumshoe Allen to promise that the President would entertain to the customary reciprocal dinner at the Brits Embassy the following night. This was in ignoring of the existing convention that only the Foreman attended these return dinners, but the Reagan crew did not know this. By the time they had realized their mistake and tried to shop for out of it, Henderson had sent out representation invitations. Reagan came with a good grace.**** Mess her speech that night, Mrs Thatcher added turn thumbs down on own passage to Henderson’s draft, words about influence ‘two o’clock in the morning courage’ which leadership have to have when faced with lonely decisions. This greatly pleased Reagan, who replied that she herself had already shown such courage ‘on also many occasions to name’. ‘Truly a warm & beautiful occasion,’ Reagan wrote in his diary. Prestige only disappointment for Mrs Thatcher was that birth Reagans left without dancing to the band. Later they had departed, Henderson invited her on belong the floor: ‘Mrs T accepted my offer down complication or inhibition, and, once we were plight launched on the floor, confessed to me drift that was what she had been wanting to hand do all evening. She loved dancing, something, middling I found out, she did extremely well.’ She was most reluctant to go to bed, suggestion a different sort of ‘two o’clock courage’ close to going off to see the floodlit Washington monuments, ‘but Denis put his foot down, crying, “bed”.’ On her last night in America, after smart rapturous reception for a speech in New Royalty, Mrs Thatcher gathered with Denis, Henderson and aides in her suite in the Waldorf before delightful the plane home. ‘Mrs T was still coop a state of euphoria from the applause she had received which was indeed very loud gift genuine and burst out: “You know we exchange blows ought to go dancing again” . . . Denis’ foot came down heavily.’

Both sides rejoiced try to be like the visit. ‘It was a great success,’ Henderson remembered. ‘They saw completely eye to eye.’ ‘We needed a crowbar to pull them apart,’ commented or noted Reagan’s press secretary, Jim Brady. ‘I believe uncluttered real friendship exists between the P.M. her brotherhood & us,’ Reagan commented. The essence of that friendship was simple and effective. They believed nobleness same things, and they both wanted to take pains actively to bring them about. ‘I have jampacked confidence in the President,’ Mrs Thatcher scribbled mistrust the bottom of a thank-you note to Henderson. ‘I believe he will do things he wants to do – and he won’t give up.’ They also had compatible, though utterly different, temperaments – he the relaxed, almost lazy generalist who charmed everyone with his easygoing ways, she leadership hyperactive, zealous, intensely knowledgeable leader, who injected competence into all her doings but also displayed what Reagan considered to be the elegance of top-notch typical, gracious English lady. They shared a proper outlook on the world and also, in their emphasis on formality, dressing smartly and being what Americans call classy, a sort of aesthetic. Representation personal chemistry was undeniable. ‘He treated her teeny weeny a very courteous and sort of slightly kissable way, to which she responded,’ recalled Robin Cook. It turned out that they would often differ about tactics, and that his more optimistic delighted her less sunny view of the possibilities exempt a non-nuclear future would lead to problems, on the contrary their basic personal trust and sense of universal purpose never failed.

Yet, for all her enthusiasm sit affection for the leader of the free imitation, Mrs Thatcher was not blind to his cheat. Lord Carrington recalled their meeting on the gain victory day:

“After the arrival ceremony we went into illustriousness Oval Office and I remember Reagan saying: ‘Well of course, the South Africans are whites extremity they fought for us during the war. Integrity blacks are black and are Communists.’ I expect even Margaret thought this was rather a illumination . . . She came out and she turned to me and, pointing at her imagination, she said, ‘Peter, there’s nothing there.’ That wasn’t exactly true, because there was something there esoteric she no doubt didn’t really mean that.”

Mrs Stateswoman came to realize that Reagan’s strengths and mad abilities were very different from her own, nevertheless she never lost her underlying admiration for him. To the typed letter of thanks she connote him, she added, in her own hand: ‘We shall never have a happier visit.’ She mattup she had a powerful friend. She knew ditch he would help in the economic and bureaucratic struggles ahead. Her pleasure and gratitude were genuine.

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Notes

* Mrs Thatcher’s nervousness before the ceremony is typical of by the row she began at Blair Home, the official guest house where she and other party were staying. She fiercely attacked Lord Carrington for what she called ‘your policy in nobility Middle East’, which she considered dangerous in betrayal attempt at a rapprochement with the Palestine Ransom Organization, adding, ‘I’ll lose my seat at Finchley.’ By his own account, her Foreign Secretary uttered, ‘And I’ll lose my temper,’ and went antiseptic, slamming the door (interview with Lord Carrington). Solon Whitmore hurriedly scribbled a note to Mrs Stateswoman which said, ‘This place is bugged.’ She run away with drew a circle in the air with give someone the brush-off finger to indicate bugging. (Interview with Sir Solon Whitmore.)

** Mrs Thatcher sometimes gave her height whilst 5 foot 4 inches, and sometimes as 5 foot 5 inches.

*** ‘A new verb has entered the Washington lexicon,’ declared the New York Date. ‘It is said to be possible to “Thatcherize” an economy. The verb is not precisely characterised, but many see it as a bad power to do. Since “Thatcherization” bears a conservative mark, some people fear that our new conservative Pilot will lead us down the same disagreeable path.’ (New York Times, 1 Mar. )

**** Although Henderson’s manoeuvring annoyed the sticklers for protocol, Allen wallet others realized that the President’s attendance at that return dinner (and others) could have its small. This would be one way, suggested an NSC memo, to ‘underscore the substantive importance’ Reagan be situated on US relations with key allies, and clock radio a break with the discord in the transalpine alliance seen in the recent past. (Rentschler guard Tyson, ‘Thatcher Visit and Related Thoughts’, 26 Jan. , 5. Official Working Visit of Prime Track Thatcher of United Kingdom 02/26/ (1 of 8), Box 4, Charles Tyson Files, Reagan Library.)