The Iron Lady Rises

It’s March 31, 1982. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and a few top advisers are grappling with the grim news that Argentina has invaded the Falkland Islands. First Sea Lord Sir Henry Leach, in naval uniform, joins the meeting and asks for permission to assemble a naval task force. Charles Moore records the exchange:

At this, Leach remembered, Mrs. Thatcher gave a sort of half-smile, as if this was what she had wanted to hear.