The Lady Is a Champ

Maggie Thatcher is a wow in Washington and New York

When the two first met in 1977, Jimmy Carter and Margaret Thatcher did not particularly take to each other. But much has happened to both since that first frosty encounter. Last week, as Britain's Prime Minister made her first official visit to the U.S., the two stood side by side on the White House lawn beaming with a newfound, very special relationship. On Carter's part, it was first of all sheer gratitude for the most forthright, unequivocal support he has received from any ally; and in the gloom of a dark December her message rang especially sweet. "At times like this, you are entitled to look to your friends," she roundly declared. "We are your friends. We do support you; we shall support you. Let there be no doubt about that."

The words were backed by the kind of action that is rapidly becoming the hallmark of Britain's fighting lady. During a two-hour morning session with Carter in the Oval Office, Thatcher pledged to support the U.S. if Washington asked the United Nations Security Council to impose economic sanctions against Iran. "You would expect nothing less and you will receive nothing less but our full support," the Prime Minister told reporters. Carter and his aides were visibly delighted. At one point Carter said, "I want the American people to get to know you as I have come to know and admire you."

The President has learned to be deeply grateful for the Prime Minister's strength and support. In the Iranian crisis, Thatcher has been more encouraging "from the first moment," Carter noted, than other allies. On defense, Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the Kremlin, led the support of Washington's proposal to modernize NATO'S arsenal with medium-range nuclear weapons, readily accepting them on British soil.

The two-day trip was part of a periodic exchange of visits between leaders of the two nations, and the agenda concentrated on the issues that currently matter most to both countries: Iran, Zimbabwe Rhodesia, Northern Ireland, defense, energy and the threat of recession. Back home Thatcher's own popularity has suffered as inflation has climbed to 17%, with the prospect of worse to come in 1980. Nonetheless, she seems to relish the challenge, openly acknowledging that her rigorously conservative policies will not begin to take effect until 1981.

Throughout her visit, Thatcher repeatedly praised Carter and the American people for their restraint; Europe, after all, is concerned that U.S. patience may crack and lead to retaliatory action that would create even greater problems. "Our admiration," she said, "goes to the American people for their patience and wisdom and self-control," which of course was a plea for continued coolness.

Before winding up her whirlwind tour at a black-tie dinner given by Banker David Rockefeller, Thatcher gave an address before 2,000 luncheon guests at the Foreign Policy Association in Manhattan. Speaking with a sense of theater that many a politician might envy, she warned of Soviet expansionism, reaffirmed the values of old-fashioned liberal democracy and insisted that "resolve" was perhaps the most important quality needed in a leader as the world heads into the 1980s, which she dubbed the "dangerous decade." Said she: "Let us go down in history as the generation which not only understood what needed to be done but had the strength, the self-discipline and the resolve to see it through." The crowd interrupted a number of times with applause and ended with a standing ovation. By any standard, Maggie Thatcher's debut in the U.S. was a socko performance. qed

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.