World Notes: Jan. 20, 1986

BRITAIN The Cabinet and the Choppers

In one of the most dramatic episodes ever to take place during a British Cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Michael Heseltine stormed out of 10 Downing Street last week and resigned. Heseltine was angry over Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's refusal to ensure that the country's only helicopter manufacturer, troubled Westland (1985 losses: $137 million), would remain entirely in European hands. Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp., which owns the helicopter maker Sikorsky, has together with Italy's Fiat offered $105 million for a 29.9% share in Westland.

Arguing that "Britain's future as a technologically advanced country" was at stake,...

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