1986 Cabinet Office Files: Why Thatcher Government Tried to Block Former Spy’s Memoir

Secret files about the British government’s legal battle in Australia to prevent the publication of Peter Wright’s book, Spycatcher have been released.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sits with her friend and political ally President Ronald Reagan during a visit to the White House in Washington on Feb. 20, 1985. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

Cabinet Office files, just released by the National Archives, show how concerned Baroness Margaret Thatcher’s government were when a maverick former MI5 agent decided to publish his memoirs in Australia.

In 1986, the British government asked Australia’s attorney general to put an injunction on the publication of Spycatcher by 71-year-old Peter Wright, who they claimed was still subject to the Official Secrets Act.