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460 INTO THE THATCHER ERA
Nigel Lawson, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, claims that
he had actually killed off Zircon in the autumn of 1986, some
months before the Campbell story broke. 'Well before all this
blew up: he recounts, 'I had succeeded in getting the ZIRCON
project cancelled on grounds of cost.' For this reason, he declares
rather triumphantly, the satellite 'did not in any sense leave the
ground'.80 In fact, this is by no means the whole story. Whitehall
opposition to Zircon was certainly mounting during late 1986,
and key defence advisers had lost faith in it. 81 However, Bill
Odom's personal daily log, only recently released, makes it very
clear that in the spring of 1987 Britain's political leaders were
still completely committed to some form of space-based sigint,
and that a variant of the project - still called 'Zircon' - was
going forward. Indeed, what is remarkable is the strength of
Margaret Thatcher's continued personal commitment. In May
1987 Peter Marychurch visited NSA and personally told Bill
Odom: 'Thatcher says "we will strain every sinew" to get
Zircon.'82
What did Marychurch mean by this By late 1986 the costs
of Zircon were threatening to spiral out of control. Therefore,
by the summer of 1987 he was exploring the possibility of
purchasing a single American-built satellite 'off the shelf.
However, a single satellite would not give Britain global coverage:
the comprehensive collection of sigint would require no fewer
than three satellites. By 1988 a more sensible solution had
emerged. Britain opted to pay £500 million as a direct subscriber
to the American satellite system. Then Foreign Secretary Geoffrey
Howe recalls: 'Beggars can't be choosers. If you can't afford a
wholly independent operation then you have to put in a share.'
Each of the three latest American sigint satellites cost £500
million, and Britain effectively bought a one third time-share,
giving it a guaranteed supply of 'overhead' sigint. This not only
delivered global coverage, but also a much bigger advantage:
quite simply the system worked well, unlike Britain's ill-fated
space adventures. 83 Satellite experts suggest that 'Zircon', such
as it now was, arrived in space on 4 September 1990. A Titan