Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780393069006)

For decades historians have perpetuated the myth of a "Churchillian" relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, citing their longtime alliance as an example of the "special" bond between the United States and Britain. But, as Richard Aldous argues in this penetrating dual biography, Reagan and Thatcher clashed repeatedly--over the Falklands war, Grenada, and the SDI and nuclear weapons--while carefully cultivating a harmonious image for the public and the press. With the stakes enormously high, these political titans struggled to work together to confront the greatest threat of their time: the USSR.

Brilliantly reconstructing some of their most dramatic encounters, Aldous draws on recently declassified documents and extensive oral history to dismantle the popular conception of Reagan-Thatcher diplomacy. His startling conclusion--that the weakest link in the Atlantic Alliance of the 1980s was the association between the two principal actors--will mark an important contribution to our understanding of the twentieth century.

Author: Richard Aldous
ISBN-10: 0393069001
ISBN-13: 9780393069006
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English
Published: 03/19/2012
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.40w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/14/2011 pg. 41
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2012
Booklist 02/01/2012 pg. 10
New York Times Book Review 04/15/2012 pg. 20
New York Times Book Review 05/06/2012 pg. 26
Choice 10/01/2012