UK National Archives Divulge Secrets

Posted by simoniker on Thursday January 1, 2004 @01:19PM from the whisperings-and-susurrus dept.

Sunil Sood writes "Yes, its that time of year again - no, not the New Year but when the UK National Archives release a whole lot of previously "classified" information (many govt papers in the UK, with only a few exceptions, are classified secret for a 'standard' 30 years) As normal, you have the usual combination of the amusing: The design of a coin to mark the UK joining the EEC was changed, after Prince Philip said he did not like the 'little p', and the more serious: it was believed the USA had plans for US airborne troops to seize the oil installations in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1973."

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Re:Great idea... by qtp · 2004-01-01 13:26 · Score: 5, Informative

We do.

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Read, L
Re:Propaganda Correction by Anspen · 2004-01-01 13:37 · Score: 5, Informative

The British feared the US would invade. The report doesn't cite specific sources for this scenario.
Actually it does:
"The British assessment was made after a warning from the then US Defence Secretary James Schlesinger to the British Ambassador in Washington Lord Cromer. [..] The ambassador quoted Mr Schlesinger as saying that "it was no longer obvious to him that the United States could not use force."