Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet supplied banned drugs to composer William Walton
NewsThe British composer, living on the island of Ischia, required 2,000 Ritalin pills a year to treat an unspecified condition.
The drug was prohibited at the time in Italy.
Government papers released today show that Robert Armstrong, Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet secretary, wrote to Walton’s wife Susana advising her that the Italian ambassador in London would assist her in obtaining the banned substance, presumably via the diplomatic pouch. Armstrong was an ardent music lover, secretary to the Board of the Royal Opera House.
It helps to have friends in high places.
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