A military base in North Yorkshire could help to send weapons into space as the nerve centre of the US Government's revival of the Star Wars project, a documentary will claim tonight.

Menwith Hill

BBC's Close Up North will broadcast the latest claims about Menwith Hill, including allegations that the joint US/RAF base will be breaking the law when it becomes the ground station for a net of satellites in a new version of ex-US president Ronald Reagan's space-based defence programme.

Ian Cundall, of Close Up North, said: "It is part of Star Wars. The Americans are now resurrecting the system."

But the Ministry of Defence has denied that any activity involving Menwith Hill breaches European or international law.

It has also denied allegations to be screened today at 7.30pm on BBC2 that commercial information from the North Yorkshire base has reached American companies.

Tonight's programme, Uncle Sam's Eavesdroppers, is expected to claim:

The North Yorkshire base will be the ground station for Space Based Infra-Red Surveillance (SBIRS) and that this work breaches international law.

Commercial information gleaned from telephone calls and e-mails intercepted as part of the station's military intelligence gathering was passed to American industry

Secrecy is so tight that in some cases colleagues sharing the same office are not allowed to discuss their work together

Intelligence gained by the station helped saved thousands of lives in the Gulf War.

In addition, the BBC will claim it has obtained blueprints for part of the National Security Agency's listening station at Menwith Hill.

Computer graphics experts have used this to create a "virtual reality" TV display of what the underground complex looks like.

The BBC says it is the first time an outsider will have had a chance to see what is inside one of the country's most security sensitive buildings.

The Yorkshire branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, whose members regularly picket outside the site, said they were extremely concerned about recent developments at Menwith Hill.

Development manager Rachel Julian said: "We should strongly question what is going on there especially now, when we appear to be at peace with the world.

"This is a scary time and who knows what could happen over the next few years, but something has to be done to stop them.

"Already European countries are questioning what the US are doing and over the next few months Menwith Hill is going to be in the news more and more."

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil Willis said he was concerned about the activity within the site and felt there should have been a public consultation when it recently applied for planning permission to extend.

"Certainly when they put in the application they did not indicate that it would be used for an international missile tracking system," he said.

"This will obviously affect the surrounding villages and locals have a right to know what is going on."

An MOD spokesman said categorically that the UK was not by itself or in conjunction with the USA infringing international law.

The programme is also expected to feature a retired American admiral and general and to include claims that intelligence gained by the station saved many lives in the Gulf War.

The MOD spokesman said he could not comment on that. Menwith Hill itself was today referring all calls about the documentary to the Ministry of Defence.

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