Regan offered to 'throw hat' for Thatcher as apology for Grenada invasion

A secret audio recording between American President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over the invasion of Grenada has surfaced.

According to the BBC, the US leader can be heard apologizing to Thatcher for not consulting her before ordering an invasion into a Commonwealth state.

In the recorded audio, Reagan says that the US regrets the embarrassment that's been caused to her.

The president goes on to say that had he been there, he would "throw his hat in the door before he came in," referring to a Civil War-era practice in which a visitor might throw his hat in to a room before entering - if he was unwelcome, it might be thrown out again or even shot at, the BBC reports.

In 1983, United States troops were sent to Grenada to overthrow the Caribbean island's Marxist regime.

The then president made a phone call to Lady Thatcher to explain the action he had taken, even as the US military operation was underway.