Recently released FBI documents reveal that the late Queen Elizabeth II faced a security threat during her visit to the United States in 1983, when a potential assassination attempt was discovered. The FBI's Vault posted a collection of 103 pages covering several trips made by the Queen to the US, including a visit to the West Coast with her husband in 1983. According to one of the documents, the San Francisco Police Department had received a call from a man who claimed that he planned to harm Queen Elizabeth. He claimed that his daughter was killed in Northern Ireland by a rubber bullet. The man further claimed that he intended to harm the queen by dropping an item from the Golden Gate Bridge onto the Royal Yacht Britannia or by killing Her Majesty when she visited Yosemite National Park.
However, the FBI's document indicates that the Secret Service's intention was to close the walkways on the Golden Gate Bridge when the Britannia passed under it. No information has been disclosed regarding any precautions taken at the national park, nor has it been revealed whether any arrests were made.
The FBI files illustrate the agency's continued vigilance in protecting the British monarch from any potential threats. The documents also detail the FBI's collaboration with the US Secret Service and their mutual concern about the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its supporters during royal visits. The Queen's cousin, Louis Mountbatten, was assassinated by the Provisional IRA in 1979 on his fishing boat, along with three others, including two children.
During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, when many royals visited the US, the FBI closely monitored potential threats to the Queen and her family. For instance, ahead of the Queen's private visit to Kentucky in 1989, the FBI noted that "the possibility of threats against the British monarchy is ever-present from the Irish Republican Army (IRA)" while preparing for the visit.
The FBI files also reveal some of the Irish groups that planned to organize protests during the Queen's state visit in 1991. One of the documents cites an article from a Philadelphia Irish newspaper, where "anti-British feelings are running high as a result of well-publicized injustices inflicted on the Birmingham Six by the corrupt English judicial system and the recent rash of brutal murders of unarmed Irish nationalists in the six counties by loyalist death squads." Although the article did not contain any threats against the President or the Queen, the statements were considered inflammatory. One of the Irish groups had reserved a considerable number of grandstand tickets.
In another document from July 1976, the Queen flew back across the Atlantic to take part in America's bicentennial celebrations, with stops in Philadelphia, Washington and New York. According to the FBI, a pilot was summoned for flying a small two-seater aircraft over Battery Park, carrying a banner that read "England, Get out of Ireland".
In conclusion, the newly released FBI documents provide insights into the security measures in place to protect Queen Elizabeth II and her family during her many visits to the United States during times of political turmoil. The documents underscore the FBI's dedication to working closely with the Secret Service to ensure the safety of the British monarchy.