英国国家档案馆揭示撒切尔夫人拒绝与伦敦动物园大熊猫分享协和式飞机航班 [美国媒体]

-------------译者：营养快线-审核者：hht288------------



panda missed out on a first class flight to Washington in Margaret Thatcher's Concorde after she refused to accommodate him in the back of the plane.

一只熊猫在玛格丽特·撒切尔拒绝在飞机后部安置它的原因错过了坐上玛格丽特·撒切尔协和式飞机上飞往华盛顿的头等舱航班。

According to papers released by the National Archives the former prime minister was asked by the president of the London Zoological Society if she could allow space for the animal on the flight to her first summit with US President Ronald Reagan in January 1981.

根据国家档案馆发表的论文指出，这位前首相被伦敦动物学会主席问道，她能否在1981年1月在去与美国总统罗纳德·里根举行的第一次峰会的飞机上为某只动物留出空间。

Desperate for a boost to the cash-strapped London Zoo and keen to loan the bear to Washington's Smithsonian Institution Solly Zuckerman contacted No 10 as he felt the publicity stunt could have aided the US and UK's much-vaunted "special relationship".

资金短缺、迫切需要现金的伦敦动物园急切地想将这只熊猫借给华盛顿的史密森尼博物馆，索利·朱克曼联系了唐宁街10号，他觉得这种宣传噱头可能会有助于美国和英国大肆吹嘘他们之间的"特殊关系"。

At the time Cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong wrote: "Lord Zuckerman sees this as a signal demonstration of the special relationship and would be very happy to time the announcement of the loan or the delivery of the panda in any way that the prime minister thought would be most likely to benefit Anglo-American relations.

当时内阁大臣罗伯特·阿姆斯特朗爵士写道：“朱克曼勋爵认为这是证明（我们）特殊关系的一种信号，他很高兴以任何方式为贷款的宣布或者熊猫的交付制定时间表，首相认为这将对英美关系有利。

-------------译者：*慢活族*-审核者：hht288------------

"He even suggested that the prime minister might like to take the panda in the back of her Concorde when she goes to Washington next month."

“他甚至还建议，当首相下个月去华盛顿的时候，她可能会愿意用她协和式飞机的后舱带上那只熊猫。”

Mrs Thatcher turned down the proposal in a handwritten note saying that Lord Zuckerman "knows more about pandas than I do" and should be able to "arrange these things" without her involvement.

撒切尔夫人在一封亲笔信中拒绝了这一建议，她写道，朱克曼勋爵“比我更了解熊猫”，应该可以在没有她协助的情况下“安排这些事情”。

Her private secretary Clive Whitmore replied: "She has commented that she is not taking a panda with her.
"Pandas and politicians are not happy omens!"

撒切尔夫人的私人秘书克莱夫·惠特莫尔回应道：“她说了她不会带上熊猫，‘熊猫和政治家的组合可不是什么吉兆！’”

Giant pandas were once a star attraction at London Zoo but it has not housed one since Ming Ming returned to her native China in 1994 following a three-year stay in the capital.

大熊猫曾经是伦敦动物园的明星，但自从熊猫明明在首都伦敦呆够三年，于1994年回到了她的祖国中国之后，伦敦动物园里就再也没有熊猫了。

Edinburgh Zoo is now the sole home of giant pandas in the UK.

爱丁堡动物园现在是英国唯一的大熊猫基地。


-------------译者：BRCA1-审核者：hht288------------

OGER4 days ago
Pandas are attention drawers. Politicians are attention seekers. Can't have them both in the same space.

熊猫吸引注意力，而政客寻求关注。因此他们不能在同一个空间同时出现。

Trevor 52 minutes ago
Only because the air crew would not be able to tell the difference between the two .Must admit though the Panda has the edge

只是因为乘务员无法区别他们俩哪个（地位更高）。不可否认，熊猫相对比较有优势。

Michael 21 minutes ago
A politician who like others become full of themselves power mad a dictator in a sense yes pride before the fall and with humility lacking the pain is severe at the end arrogance like her children.

这是一个希望掌控他人以至于太过自我、崇尚权利、在某种意义上是个独裁者的人，在位时骄傲不谦虚最后只留下不可磨灭的伤痛的政客，就像她的孩子一样傲慢。

M. 18 minutes ago
Finally a reason to like Thatcher.
Pandas are worthless creatures.

终于找到一个喜欢撒切尔夫人的理由了。熊猫根本一文不值，是低贱的生物。

Tony Kuli SY4 days ago
On the contrary they are beautiful creations unlike evil Maggie!

熊猫是可爱美丽的生灵，不像邪恶的撒切尔夫人！

Victor 30 minutes ago
WHAT ? DID THAT RATHER STUPID WOMAN THINK THE PANDA WAS GOING TO SIT NEXT TO HER ? ...I ALWAYS THOUGHT SHE WAS ABIT ODD.......

啥？那个傻女人不会以为熊猫会坐在她旁边吧？...我一直都觉得她有点奇怪......

Hetti 45 33 seconds ago
You have had the wrong end of this story it was THE PANDA who refused the flight.

你结局讲错了。真正的结局是拒绝乘这次航班的是熊猫。

probablygraham 31 minutes ago
I should imagine the panda was overjoyed not to have to share a plane with the horrible old bat too.

我能想象当熊猫知道自己不用和那个可怕的老女人共享航班时该有多开心。