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Papers of Sir Frank Cooper, 1953-1999, primarily relating to his service as Permanent Under Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office, 1973-1976, as Permanent Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence, 1976-1982, and post retirement, 1983-1999. The papers include correspondence, articles, press cuttings, press releases, reports, speeches, interviews and conference papers on a variety of topics including: the Air Ministry in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Suez War and Operation MUSKETEER, 1956; the political situation in Northern Ireland, 1973-1976; the Falklands War, 1981-1982, particularly the reaction of the Ministry of Defence and of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and the sinking of the Argentinean cruiser BELGRANO; the Civil Service, including relationships with the Government, structural reorganisations, Parliamentary Committees and policy making; the Ministry of Defence, including the Defence budget, management policy and accountability, the civilian contribution to the MoD, the relationships between defence procurement, industry and the economy; wider defence issues including the relationships between Britain, Europe, America and NATO, the importance of research and development collaboration, arms sales, the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), the European aerospace industry, American protectionism and technology transfer; British nuclear weapons policy, nuclear deterrence and disarmament, ATBM (anti tactical ballistic missile) defences and the management of the Trident, Polaris and Chevaline projects; British and French maritime forces; and Westland Helicopters PLC, including correspondence from Cooper's time as Director (1982-1985) and parliamentary reports relating to the sale of the company. Also papers relating to projects and study groups including the Joint Study of European Cooperative Measures for Aeronautical Research and Technology (EUROMART), 1978-1991; the EUREKA research and development programme, 1985-1986; EUROGROUP, 1982; the Foundation for International Security, 1984-1990; the British Rocketry Oral History Project, 1997-1998; the Defence Study Group of the Institute for European Defence and Strategic Studies, 1988-1990; and the Institute for Defence Procurement Studies, 1989-1990. Photographs of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in session, 1965-1977 and the Falklands War, 1982, including Royal Marines progressing through Port Stanley, surrendering Argentinean soldiers and piles of surrendered Argentinean weapons. Prints Ulster Impressions by Joan Wanklyn, 1974, RAF Aldergrove by Ken Howard, 1975 and The Great White Whale by Ronald Dean, depicting the SS CANBERRA, 1982.

Papers, 1928-1969, of Brig Godfrey Pennington Hobbs, comprising papers, 1928-1950 and undated, relating to his early service and career, including commission into the Northumberland Fusiliers, 1928, and letters of thanks and photographs recording his work in Greece and with Polish troops in the Middle East; papers, 1955-1960 and undated, relating to his service as Military Attache, Athens, Greece, including correspondence with Spiros Markezenis, leader of the Progressive Party, notes on the political and diplomatic situation in Greece, and correspondence relating to the conduct of public relations during the Suez campaign (1956); papers, 1957-1965, relating to his service as Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, including correspondence on his acceptance of the post, retirement from the Army, invitations to functions, appointment of a successor and departure; personal papers, 1956-1969, including correspondence relating to The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Comrades Association, 1959-1965, an edition of New Society , 23 Dec 1965, including an article on Nasser and the Arab world, a letter, 1969, from Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma thanking Hobbs for his comments on a television serial The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten , and a letter, 1969, from the Rt Hon Julian Amery thanking Hobbs for his appreciation of Amery's articles on the Far Eastern situation.