Office of the Historian

113. Message From President Reagan to British Prime Minister Thatcher1

Washington, January 2, 1989, 0245Z

Please deliver the following message from President Reagan to Prime Minister Thatcher. Subject: Moscow Human Rights Conference.

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Dear Margaret:

Because your own judgement in matters relating to East-West issues is so sound, and because I know how closely you have followed events in Vienna, I especially valued your letter of Decemer 212 on the Moscow Human Rights Conference.

Given all that has occurred over the past several months, I believe the time has come to respond positively to the Soviet request to host a Human Rights Conference in 1991. True, we have not gotten all we wanted from the Soviets, but we have made substantial gains beyond what you or I could have expected even a year ago. Much progress has been registered in resolving political and religious cases. Emigration rates are up. Jamming has ceased. The institutionalization of reform has been promised to the world by Gorbachev.

I believe we must now look to how we can best preserve and extend our advances, and it seems to me that this means we should [Page 344] agree now to a Moscow conference in 1991 as part of a package of CSCE follow-on meetings. Like you, I am determined to keep the faith with those who have fought so courageously for human rights in the Soviet Union, and to do what we can to prevent Soviet backsliding. This means we are prepared to monitor carefully implementation of actual human rights reforms, including those Gorbachev has promised for 1989. I also believe we have established a process that will maintain continuous pressure on the Soviets and encourage further progress. It goes without saying that if there is major backsliding or a significant reversal of present trends, we and other allies as well would wish to review our participation in Moscow in 1991.

Given this situation, I hope you can join with us in accepting a Moscow conference. It would be our current plan to signal our acceptance on Tuesday, January 3.3 I would welcome your further views before we take this step.4

Sincerely,

Ron

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  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: System Files, 8900100–8900115. Confidential; Immediate. Printed from a copy that was sent from the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. In telegram 418636 to London, December 30, the Department transmitted the text of Thatcher’s December 21 letter, which acknowledged progress on Soviet human rights, but cautioned against Soviet backsliding. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number])↩
  3. The White House made the announcement on January 4. For text of the statement, see Public Papers: Reagan, 1988, Book II, pp. 1680–1681.↩
  4. In a January 2 message to Reagan sent via telegram, Thatcher reiterated her “grave doubts” about a Moscow human rights conference and urged Reagan to stress the need for further progress on Soviet human rights at the CSCE follow-up meeting in Vienna. (Reagan Library, Lisa R. Jameson Files, Moscow Human Rights Conference 11/07/1988–12/02/1988)↩