Margaret Thatcher thought pandas did not make “happy omens” for travelling politicians, newly-released government files reveal.

While “panda diplomacy” may have been a favourite ploy of Chinese leaders, the former Prime Minister was not a fan of such diplomatic gifts.

Her surprising aversion to the nearly universally loved creatures emerged in January 1981, when the Smithsonian Institution in Washington asked London Zoo for the loan of its male panda to be mated with a female panda which the Chinese had given to the United States.

The request was seized upon by the president of the London Zoological Society, Lord Zuckerman, as an opportunity to generate some much-needed publicity for the cash-strapped zoo.

He immediately contacted Downing Street suggesting the prime minister herself might like to preside over the handover.

Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension Show all 12 1 /12 Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-1-.jpg Sweetie was one of two pandas to arrive at Edinburgh Zoo from China on a 10-year loan-deal Reuters Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-12.jpg Liberian president William Tubman presented Prince Philip with two pygmy hippopotamuses in 1961 EPA Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-11.jpg Princess Anne was given a Syrian brown bear cub by USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1956. Inevitably called Nikki, he lived at London zoo EPA Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-10.jpg The Seychelles sent two giant turtles to the Queen in 1972 for her silver wedding anniversary AFP Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-8-.jpg In 2008, Slovenia presented the Queen with a 16-year-old white stallion called Kanizo, but he stayed in Slovenia, to be cared for at a specialist riding school Rex Features Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-9.jpg In 1972, Cameroonian president Ahmadou Ahidjo sent a bull elephant called Jumbo to the Queen to mark her silver wedding EPA Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-5-.jpg A canary was given to the Queen by the German government after a visit to West Germany in 1965 AFP Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-6.jpg Komodo dragon Sungai was taken to the UK on loan from France in 2005. Sungai proved to be capable of parthenogenesis and laid a clutch of eggs in 2006 AFP Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-7.jpg Following a state visit in 1970, Canada sent two black beavers to the UK in 1970 Rex Features Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-2.jpg Two jaguars were given to the UK by Brazil in 1968, along with two sloths AFP Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-4.jpg The Queen was given two baby crocodiles during a state visit to The Gambia in 1961 Rex Features Pandaplomacy! Eats shoots and helps ease global tension SU-48-diplomatic-animals-3-.jpg Two sloths were given to the UK by Brazil in 1968, along with two jaguars Getty Images

The cabinet secretary, Sir Robert Armstrong, wrote: “Lord Zuckerman sees this as a signal demonstration of the special relationship and would be very happy to time the announcement of the loan or the delivery of the panda in any way that the prime minister thought would be most likely to benefit Anglo-American relations.

“He even suggested that the Prime Minister might like to take the panda in the back of her Concorde, when she goes to Washington next month.”

Ms Thatcher, however, was less than enthusiastic.

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Her private secretary, Clive Whitmorem replied: “She has commented that she is not taking a panda with her – ‘Pandas and politicians are not happy omens!”’

In a handwritten aside, she added: “Lord Z knows more about pandas than I do – I am sure he can arrange these things.”