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News from the 1980’s that never made the headlines

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The 1980's Quiz Book

Just Published:

The 1980's Quiz Book (UK)

The 1980's Quiz Book (US)

 

This quiz book focuses on news from the 1980’s with 20 different categories and over 340 multi-choice questions.

 

These are weird, wonderful and odd stories and all true; for quiz masters needing new and unique material and those who enjoy reading about the slightly bizarre side of real life.

 

Take a short fun quiz on the 1980's Quiz Book page.

Menwith Hill

 

Some of the world's most secret location are not actually so secret at all. Take Menwith Hill.

The New Statesman wrote that the listening post at Menwith Hill near Harrogate, Yorkshire is the largest tapping centre in the world - concentrating on the monitoring of telephone and telex communication in Europe for political, diplomatic and economic Intelligence.

The Ministry Defence denied Menwith Hill was used for telephone tapping and described the centre as a relay communications centre for the US forces in Europe. The Home Office which authorizes telephone tapping, had no comment to make,

Revelations about the monitoring of international communications by the Americans, the British and their principal allies, were first published in detail in 1972 in Rampart; a radical US magazine. They identified the main NSA listening post in Britain as the US Air Force Security Service base at Chicksands near Bedford.

In 1975, during Congressional hearings into the US intelligence services, the CIA admitted that all voice and cable messages across the Atlantic were subject to interception.

Menwith Hill is not far from the village of Kettlesing whose village postmaster for 30 years, Mr Ernest Dawson said he could not imagine that anyone in the village would worry much even if Menwith Hill did listen to their telephone conversations. “Anyone with a grain of commonsense can see that it is a radar station, a mini Fylingdales — (the ballistic missile early warning station in North Yorkshire)

I can understand why it is necessary - that place is put there for our protection. I don’t think they cover it with enough guards. You could drive up to the main gate and have a picnic there, and nobody would bother you.”

As if to justify his comments Menwith Hill is a popular posting for Americans. Some live on the station; others have rented houses in Harrogate, eight miles away, in Pately Bridge and in the surrounding villages.

They have formed their own branch of the Leeds United FC supporters’ club, and British guests are invited to their Independence Day celebrations and to parties on the station. No doubt to discuss world domination over a cold beer and a hot dog.