Russia / USSR: Declassified

Documents

Thatcher/Gorbachev, 1980s

‘The Thatcher-Gorbachev Conversations’, 1987-9 (7 documents, National Security Archive)

British assessments of Gorbachev, 1984/1987 (National Security Archive, 2016)

‘Record of Conversation between Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher, 23 September 1989’ (National Security Archive)

‘British Ambassador to the USSR Sir Rodric Braithwaite’s Telegram to Douglas Hurd, 8 December 1989’ (National Security Archive)

‘Thatcher meeting with Gorbachev 1984’ (Prime Minister, 1984, National Archives)



Other

FCO, Planning Staff draft paper, ‘British objectives and priorities in Africa South of the Sahara, 1976-80’, November 1975 (click here)

US/British plans to use nuclear weapons in the Middle East (National Security Archive, 23 June 2016)

‘Cuba: Threat posed by Soviet Missiles’ (Cabinet, 26 October 1962)

‘The Cuban Crisis’, 1962 (National Security Archive)

‘British Documents Confirm UK Alerted US to Danger of Able Archer 83’ (National Security Archive, 4 November 2013)

‘US embassy cables: Foreign Office calls Russia “corrupt autocracy”‘ (US Embassy, UK, 20 October 2008)

‘US embassy cables: Brown and Medvedev initiate tentative thaw’ (US Embassy, UK 10 July 2008)

‘US embassy cables: Miliband’s trip to Moscow’ (US Embassy, Russia, 5 November 2009)

‘US embassy cables: Russia snubs Britain over Alexander Lugovoi’ (US Embassy, Russia, 24 May 2007)



Articles

1940s

‘The Top-Secret Cold War Plan to Keep Soviet Hands Off Middle Eastern Oil’ (Politico, 23 June 2016)

‘Britain Considered Nuking Middle East Oil Fields if USSR Invaded, Documents Show’ (National Security Archive, 23 June 2016)

1950s

‘Declassified M16 documents reveal Australia almost disbanded spy network’ (News.com.au, 25 October 2015)

‘The Spy Files: How agents feared Soviet Union’s PR machine was behind disappearance of frogman Buster Crabb’ (Telegraph, 23 October 2015)

‘The RAF’s secret spies: Declassified CIA documents reveal British pilots flew U-2 missions over Soviet Union during the Cold War’ (Daily Mail, 17 August 2013)

‘Death of MI6 agent during Khrushchev visit still unclear’ (RT, 17 April 2009)

1960s

‘Revealed: Britain on brink of war with Soviet Union in 1968’ (Guardian, 9 January 2000)

1970s

‘Heaven help us! PM panic over country’s defences (in 1978)’ (Guardian, 30 December 2008)

‘1970s UK “defenceless against Soviets”‘ (BBC, 30 December 2008)



1980s

‘Why The Key Able Archer 83 Report Should Be Released Under UK FOIA’ (National Security Archive, 18 November 2015)

‘First Page of Paramount Able Archer 83 Report Declassified by British Archive’ (National Security Archive, 27 October 2014)

‘Thatcher’s courting of Gorbachev laid bare in top secret file’ (Guardian, 3 January 2014)

‘How a Nato war game took the world to brink of nuclear disaster’ (Guardian, 2 November 2013)

‘Declassified files spill UK secrets’ (Al Jazeera, 1 August 2013)

‘Thatcher’s Foreign Policy “Failure”’ (National Security Archive, 10 April 2013)

‘The World War Three files’ (Daily Mail, 25 February 2012)

‘Thatcher Warned Carter About Soviet Threat, Document Reveals’ (Newsmax, 7 February 2010)

‘Margaret Thatcher: “Either Heydar Aliyev or Mikhail Gorbachev”‘ (Azeri Daily, undated)

‘The Soviet menace’ (Guardian, 30 December 2008)

Other

‘Files on Mark Thatcher’s dealings in Oman to remain secret for now’ (Guardian, 21 July 2016)

‘WikiLeaks cables: UK on constant alert to Russian espionage’ (Guardian, 1 December 2010)