With Records of the Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and
Prime Minister's Office for 1969
Who was Who at the top of British Government
Prime Minister and Minister
for the Civil Service
Harold Wilson
Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs
Michael Stewart
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Roy Jenkins
Lord Chancellor
Lord Gardiner
Secretary of State for Social
Services
Richard Crossman
First Secretary of State and
Secretary of State for
Employment and
Productivity
Barbara Castle
Secretary of State for the
Home Department
James Callaghan
Secretary of State for
Defence
Denis Healey
Lord President of the
Council and Leader of the
House of Commons
Fred Peart
Secretary of State for Local
Go ernment and Regional
New post from
5 October
Anthony Crosland
Planning
Minister of Technology
Anthony Wedgwood
Benn
Secretary of State for
Scotland
William Ross
Minister without Portfolio
George Thomson
(until 5 October)
Peter Shore
(from 5 October)
Secretary of State for
Education and Science
Edward Short
Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster
Frederick Lee (until 5
October)
George Thomson
(from 5 October)
Secretary of State for
Economic Affairs
Post abolished
on 5 October
President of the Board of
Trade
Peter Shore (until 5
October)
Anthony Crosland
(until 5 October)
Roy Mason
(from 5 October)
Minister of Housing and
Local Government
Ceased to be
Cabinet post on
5 October
Minister of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food
Minister of Transport
Lord Privy Seal and Leader
of the House of Lords
Anthony Greenwood
Cledwyn Hughes
Ceased to be
Cabinet post on
5 October
Richard Marsh
Lord Shackleton
Secretary of State for Wales
George Thomas
Paymaster General
Judith Hart
(until 5 October)
Harold Lever
(from 5 October)
Chief Secretary to the
Treasury
John Diamond
Although no longer in the Cabinet after 5 October, Anthony Greenwood
continued to be Minister of Housing and Local Government.
Fred Mulley was appointed Minister of Transport on 5 October.
On leaving the Cabinet, Judith Hart became Minister of Overseas
Development.
Reg Prentice was a Minister of State at the Ministry of Technology 5-8
October (to 28.8.67).
New Document Releases 2000
Detention of Anthony Grey by China
Document reference: FCO 21/489
One of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office files concerning the detention
of the Reuters’ correspondent Anthony Grey by China:
Document reference: FCO 28/489
Briefing on Anthony Grey prepared in advance of a meeting between the
Foreign Secretary and Mr Grey:
Document reference: FCO 21/489
Message to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office concerning Grey’s
release:
Document reference: PREM 13/2523
Letter from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office dated 20 May 1969
describing developments in the Grey case, implications of the Brooke case
and the initiatives under consideration:
Broadcasting
Extract describing a discussion between the Prime Minister and the Director
General of the BBC:
Document reference: PREM 13/2506
An exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the
BBC:
Document reference: PREM 13/2504
Royal Family
Letter from Buckingham Palace informing the Prime Minister that the Queen
had decided not to make a television or radio broadcast that Christmas:
Document reference: PREM 13/2899
Note to the Prime Minister regarding this decision:
Document reference: PREM 13/2899
The Prime Minister and Mrs Wilson's invitation to the Investiture of H.R.H. The
Prince of Wales:
Document reference: PREM 13/2901
Cabinet Reshuffle
Personal letter from Tony Benn to Harold Wilson regarding his position as
Minister of Technology:
Document reference: PREM 5/0500
Industrial Relations Bill
Confidential annex to the Cabinet Meeting of 8 May 1969 (22nd Conclusions)
regarding opposition to the Industrial Relations Bill from within the
Parliamentary Labour Party:
Document Reference: CAB 128/46
Minute to the Prime Minister from Gerald Kaufman giving details of those
members of the TUC General Council who would support the White Paper on
Industrial Relations and those who would vote against it:
Document Reference: PREM 13/2724
Reference to Gerald Brooke in the Conclusions of the Cabinet Meetings which
took place on 30th July 1969 (39th Conclusions):
Document reference: CAB 128/44
Detention of Gerald Brooke by the Soviet Union
Letter from Gerald Brooke expressing his gratitude and shame and a note
suggesting the letter should be kept ‘for posterity’:
Document reference: FCO 28/846
Defence
Letter from Lord Mountbatten to Sir Solly Zuckerman regarding remarks made
by Denis Healey about Nuclear Deterrence:
Document reference: PREM 13/2568
President Nixon
Top secret document regarding Israel’s nuclear capability. An extract from
one of the files concerning President Nixon’s visit to Britain, 24-26 February
1969:
Document reference: PREM 13/3007
Personal letter from President Nixon to Harold Wilson following his visit:
Document reference: PREM 13/3008
First two pages of a 21 page account by the Prime Minister of his
conversation with President Nixon at Mildenhall on 3 August 1969:
Document reference: PREM 13/3009
Northern Ireland
Record of a conversation between the Home Secretary and Major ChichesterClark, the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, about the use of British troops in
Northern Ireland
Document reference: PREM 13/2843
Letter from Major Chichester-Clark to the Home Secretary on the same
subject.
Document reference: PREM 13/2843
Extracts from confidential annexes to the Cabinet Meetings of 4 September
1969 (42nd Conclusions) and 11 September 1969 (43rd Conclusions)
regarding the situation in Northern Ireland:
Document reference: CAB 128/46
Minute from the Secretary of State for Defence to the Prime Minister about the
question of whether British troops could be used to assist the civil authorities
in Northern Ireland:
Document reference: PREM 13/2841
Economic Policy
Correspondence regarding the funding of the research project "Some
dimensions of fashion change", referred to as 'the mini-skirt project’:
Document reference: PREM 13/2594