Dom Mintoff had made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade British Prime Minister James Callaghan to attend the midnight Freedom Day ceremony on March 31, 1979, a recently declassified UK government document between the two men reveals.

You would be wise to avoid involvement in an occasion likely to be marred by a classic Mintoff tantrum

According to the transcript of the conversation on March 6, which is being published by The Sunday Times, Mr Callaghan said he appreciated the invitation from the Maltese Prime Minister but had to turn it down primarily because it would be a “very melancholy occasion” for him.

The candid telephone call took place on March 6, two months before Margaret Thatcher won the 1979 election, defeating Mr Callaghan.

“We don’t want you when you are not Prime Minister,” Mr Mintoff told Mr Callaghan when the British Prime Minister promised to visit in May or June, after the ceremonies.

Mr Callaghan also told Mr Mintoff that the visit could harm him politically back home.

But in another declassified note, Mr Callaghan’s private secretary indicates another reason for the British Prime Minister’s refusal to attend the ceremony.

He warned the Prime Minister that the British Government would not be able to give Mr Mintoff the assurances he required on two issues, British war graves and the clearance of unexploded bombs, by March 31.

Declassified files expose reason for ceremony snub

“This being so, I think you would be wise to avoid personal involvement in an occasion which, though historic in a melancholy way, is all too likely to be marred by a classic Mintoff tantrum.”

Instead, the occasion was somewhat hijacked by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who visited unexpectedly and announced that Libya would be giving annual financial aid to Malta.

Interestingly, in a rousing speech at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Col Gaddafi had asked why the British (along with the Italians, French, Germans and Americans) were not celebrating the event with Malta.

The transcript forms part of a set of briefing notes given to Lord President Michael Foot, leader of the House of Commons (who later became leader of the UK Labour Party), who was travelling to Malta for the momentous occasion when the last British forces left the island on March 31, 1979.

These include a rather unflattering “personality note” about Anton Buttigieg, Malta’s second President.

“(Dr Buttigieg) enjoys the social round but tends to drink too much and does not hold his liquor well. He fancies himself as a poet. His command of English is not good and he is sometimes difficult to follow... Buttigieg is a somewhat quiet and ineffectual character, but with a donnish geniality and his own simple sense of humour.”

The declassified cables also provide insight into the domestic and foreign political context of the time through the background supplied to Mr Foot in preparation for his visit.

If asked whether Britain would remove all wrecks and unexploded ordnance from Maltese waters and clear all bombs and shells from the islet of Filfla, Mr Foot was to say that the British Government would be prepared to help when the bombs “need” to be removed – the word “need” being underlined.

“However, our experts judge that there is at present no danger to shipping. Surveying and possible clearance would only be worthwhile if specific harbour developments were to be undertaken. As for Filfla, it would be technically impossible to make the islet completely safe. In comparable situations in Britain, the task would not even be attempted,” the notes concluded.

At the time, Mr Mintoff was also proposing to concentrate the British war graves spread out over the island.

Mr Foot was told to say this proposal raised a number of “complex” issues especially since six sponsoring Governments of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission were directly involved.

Furthermore, Mr Foot was told to explain the UK’s “unfriendly or unhelpful” stance regarding textile exports to the UK by saying that the serious unemployment in Britain meant the country had to restrain the growth of imports.

“From the UK point of view, I very much hope that the Malta Government will soon see fit to lift the ban on imports of British textiles and to allow the British Council to reopen. I am sure that both of these restrictions do nothing to bring a solution closer,” Mr Foot was advised to say.

In other background notes, the removal of British forces was described as “relatively smooth” and Malta’s economy outlined in glowing terms.

“Malta’s economy is generally healthy and well-prepared for the British departure. Gold and foreign currency reserves are massive and increasing. Standards of living are rising, the balance of payments is in surplus, inflation is only around five per cent and unemployment has been successfully contained (the prospect for the mid-1980s is one of labour shortage). There is therefore no reason why Malta should not stand on her own feet economically after 1979 without external financial or economic aid.”

Despite this, Mr Mintoff had asked for £38 million per year for the next five years in budgetary support to adapt to the loss of revenue from the bases. He was seeking this from Italy, France, Libya and Algeria in return for Maltese signature of a Declaration of Neutrality.

“If Mr Mintoff fails to secure at least a reasonable proportion of the £38 million, his reputation in Malta for political acumen will inevitably suffer.”

It would be technically impossible to make Filfla completely safe

“Even so, he is likely to remain the dominant figure, at least until the elections in 1981. Despite criticisms of his autocratic style of leadership, there appears to be no serious threat to his Government or to his position within the Malta Labour Party.”

The medical dispute of 1977, when the Medical Association of Malta directed its members to cease government work, also receives attention in the background notes.

“The British Medical Association (which includes many MAM members) has involved itself publicly on the side of the MAM. It has claimed several times that the medical facilities currently available in Malta are inadequate and has asked travel agents to warn intending visitors accordingly.”

“Although the dispute has probably led to some decline in the previously high Maltese medical standards, there is no impartial evidence to support the BMA’s allegation.

“The Government of Malta has during the dispute imported many competent foreign doctors (most notably Czechs) to reinforce the Government-run hospitals.”

The notes say this dispute had from time to time become an irritant in Anglo-Maltese relations, with Mr Mintoff refusing to accept the British Government was unable to stop the BMA from actively supporting the strikers.

A note on Buttigieg

Malta’s second President, Anton Buttigieg, was an “ineffectual” person who drank too much and hated being ordered around by Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, according to confidential British telegrams from 1979.

In the declassified cable written in the run-up to Freedom Day, a senior British diplomat writes:

“(Dr Buttigieg) enjoys the social round but tends to drink too much and does not hold his liquor well. He fancies himself as a poet. His command of English is not good and he is sometimes difficult to follow,” according to a “personality note” attached to a document brief about the visit.

“Buttigieg is a somewhat quiet and ineffectual character, but with a donnish geniality and his own simple sense of humour. One of the more moderate members of the Malta Labour Party, he does not share Mintoff’s passionate anti-clericalism,” the briefing notes claim.

The notes also comment on the personal relationship between Mr Mintoff and President Buttigieg: “Relations with Mintoff are not happy. Now that he is President, he resents all the more being ordered around by the Prime Minister but there has so far been no outright clash of views.”

According to the same set of notes, Mr Buttigieg was kinder to the British officials and offered to put up British Lord President Michael Foot at his residence on the night of March 31.

‘We don’t want you when you aren’t Prime Minister’

Full transcript of UK premier James Callaghan’s phone call with Dom Mintoff on March 6, 1979

Callaghan: Dom, I wanted to ring you and have a word with you because I had a report from our High Commissioner of his meeting with you which has just come to me. We’ve been pretty tied up with things recently. And I thought if I wrote what I’m going to say to you it might sound very cold and distant so I wanted to say it to you so you will understand the way in which I am putting it forward.

I do appreciate your invitation for March 31 but Dom I say two things. First of all to me it would be a very melancholy occasion. When I saw the flag being hoisted down and the other flag going up and realised that our relationship over all these years was going to an end and – I’ll be quite blunt with you – I wouldn’t enjoy it.

That’s the first thing. Secondly, politically it would be used against me at home. I’ve got plenty of things on my plate at the present time as I’m sure you know, and the Conservative newspapers would use it in a way which wouldn’t help me at all. So for both those reasons – and it’s much more easy to say it to you than it is to write to you – whilst I appreciate very much the spirit of your invitation, I really wouldn’t feel happy about coming on that occasion.

Mintoff: The last thing in the world that I want to do is to do you any harm. I wanted this to symbolise the fact that although this fortress is coming to an end, it’s not an anti-British feeling because it represents a change in the way of life, a change in outlook. And I hope that you, as part of Europe now, would want this change to take place once the old one cannot continue.

Callaghan: Well it can’t continue. I am rather nostalgic about it. I sailed into Malta during the war, I know what happened then and I felt very close all the time and – perhaps it’s rather silly of me – but I wouldn’t really...

Mintoff: We are saying, look this is part of our life. It cannot continue into the future. I hope that both of us can look to the future with great courage, with confidence and together. This is why for me it would have been symbolic for things to come. This is why I invited you. It also says, look we have never had a Prime Minister in Malta, we’ve only had a Prime Minister once in wartime.

Callaghan: Who was that?

Mintoff: Churchill.

Callaghan: Oh, yes. Well look, I’ll tell you what. Can I make two suggestions?

Mintoff: First I want to explain to you that it wasn’t meant to hurt you – I wouldn’t have done it. You know what I told your people – I want to make it very formal or very simple but not halfway.

Callaghan: You realise why I’m telephoning you. Because I wanted to talk to you personally about it.

Mintoff: I’m glad you are doing this because I can explain that there was not only no harm meant but the whole idea was to put our future relations straight away on an even keel.

Callaghan: I have a suggestion to make – well two suggestions to make. One is this. I wonder whether Michael Foot would be able to come for this purpose. He is the deputy leader of the party. He is my deputy in every sense and he doesn’t feel about it in the same way as I feel about it.

Mintoff: Jim, can you think it over please. I don’t think this is going to hurt you.

Callaghan: Well I think it will politically, Dom.

Mintoff: Then let’s cut it out. I told your people. I didn’t say we insist on it. What I said was, let’s have it either very formal or very simple.

Callaghan: Well let’s make it very simple.

Mintoff: This is what I said, you see, because I feel that what is neither one nor the other is going to upset us both. One is very tempted to have nobody.

Callaghan: Well I would sooner make it very simple and I think politically for me here at home it would be more helpful if it was very simple.

Mintoff: Well it wasn’t meant in that way, and also I feel like you. This is part of our history.

Callaghan: I always remember the way you and I went swimming at St George’s Bay 30 years ago.

Mintoff: Do you still think I regret that part of our past? I don’t regret it. But I don’t want it to remain forever. Neither do you. It’s impossible.

Callaghan: I fully agree. Dom, I will tell you what. What I would like to do if we’re still here – perhaps I could come out for a weekend afterwards, because we’re really in trouble at the moment, from now till March. I was thinking perhaps during May or June if we’re still around and so on.

Mintoff: Jim, I’ll tell you what. If you tell me you’ll send Michael (Foot), you will come a little afterwards. But don’t wait until you might not be there.

Callaghan: We’re living week to week, Dom.

Mintoff: It is only a few hours. But you have been able in the past to change the situation very quickly. That’s why I want to make sure that you come. I cannot take the risk that you’ll get out of office.

Callaghan: Would you like Michael (Foot) to come?

Mintoff: If you tell me that you will also come, but not on this occasion. And I can publicise that you are coming later?

Callaghan: Yes, you can do that, and that will be sometime in May or June.

Mintoff: It’s something only you can put right. The people who can’t understand it – this business about bombs and so on. They told you about it?

Callaghan: Yes, I heard that these were unexploded bombs.

Mintoff: Now that we are saying about this, please tell us that when we need to remove them for the practical purpose you will undertake it.

Callaghan: When you need to remove them. But of course we can help when you need to remove them.

Mintoff: But they say there’s no legal obligation and so on, do it out of the kindness of heart.

Callaghan: I haven’t gone into all the details, but obviously we would help after our joint arrangements were over.

Mintoff: Now that’s all there is between us at the moment. If you tell me that Michael Foot will come and after you’ll also come, so that we can say, at last a Prime Minister will come here.

Callaghan: OK. Mind you, I might not be Prime Minister then.

Mintoff: That’s why I want you to come when you are.

Callaghan: Dom, I will come. I think May and June will probably be the safest period, then.

Mintoff: You are not going to have elections before then, are you?

Callaghan: Well, if we are defeated you see. If all the minor parties get together, Dom, on a vote of confidence...

Mintoff: No. You have pulled this off before.

Callaghan: Yes, I know. But there comes a limit to what you can do, you know.

Mintoff: I notice. That’s why I like to be sure that you are coming as Prime Minister.

Callaghan: Really I couldn’t undertake to come out because...

Mintoff: We don’t want you when you are not Prime Minister. At least we shall be able to say, one Prime Minister has come and seen us.

Callaghan: That’s an added incentive to me to try and stay in office. All right then, Dom. All the best. Goodbye.