ACTION SOCiAList potential political embarrassment for the ment.
The police have officially raided Statesman Cloe BBC 01fices as well as Campbell's home, and all of the five other films in the series been seized Margaret Lavi Thatcher her government claim this has been done in the in• terest 'national security. be further from the truth As Campbell'S Statesman article points satelite project is already material . on the spy publicly available. His contribution has been gather it together in one place.
But as Campbell's article outlines, government embarrassment two-fold. First: 'GCHO's directors have, from the beginning, major problem with Zircon - hiding tons of sophisticated electronics that, to operate at all, has to be lauched into space and left in orbit - where everyone can see it 'So, „TOIL 1982 Ull wards, according to MoD clear SOULLCO I Was GCHO and defence plan ners that there would'have to be a specially devised cover story for public and Consulli dtion. But the cover story plan lido already fallen apart 'When any object is launched into space, its ex istence must be announced the terms United Nations treaty. So can't pretend doesn't exist. But you cạn lie or dissemble about its functions, in order to disguise its real job as the Americans do - • their spy satellites have been routinely announced "communications" or "data relay", or just launched without comment... Launch 'If Britain launches a satellite doesn't say what its function is, that's the same as saying it's an intelligence any cover story, to be effective, would have to involve Skynet.
Campbell has exposed the government intended to spy on the Soviet Union and the Middle East and the fact that these plans have now been foilHe has also exposed the reasons. the BBC's ban on the Project Zircon film, one of six governAccording to Sir Frank Cooper, defence Zircon decision was taken: new GCHQ satellite was a matter politics". international standing, he plained was essentialiy based on trying to stand beside the Americans and specia. relationship on intelligence and nuclear policy.
now dominaled br sl inak.
intelligence (sigint) critical organisation, Itenham, badly wanted its spy satellite. The satellite would, "give us a standing in our relations particularly with the United States and our European allies' Revealed Secondly factor that is causing most public Cuiva aoslcl Mrs Thatcher her cabinet Campbell zevenet that: "Ihe satellite's existence huge cost nas, till now, remained completely secret trom Darliament • • despite 1,82 mau, dertak no in 1982 that, after Labour and Conservative governments had deceived MPs about billion secretly spent on modernising nuclear warheads — the Chevaline •rosEanne the • Com mons public accounts committee would always receive advance information about expenditure on major defence projects ..
'Normally, intelligence Be paid tor by nhe ild paid for the telligence budget, nearly f1 billion a year. About half of this goes to GCHO laundered uch by being misleadingly presented to as expenditure Dallalc ll on such diverse but innocuous items as 'RAF electronics' or w'armv bar racks services". But with GIECUI CSL Ci CHLI C year's budget for the whole of GCHQ, it was decided in 1983 that it had to be funded directly inside the real defenr budget. • NEWC Kellner on the politics of city scandals • Arming for survival • Ars longa. Buchan brevis e Labour must be fashionable • Irving Penn • Tarkovsky
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'NOTHING to do with security and everything to do with the government's own political embarassment.' That was how MP Robin Cook reacted to news of
due to be screened as part of The Secret Society series. Cook was right. The unprecedented series of police raids launched since the publication of the New Statesman story on the Zircon project are aim- ed to whip up patriotic frenzy and cover over a