Page 99 - Demo

99Although the Harrier commitment to Op CORPORATE was focused onWittering and No 1 Sqn, the effect on G%u00fctersloh was considerablebecause it too contributed manpower (notably No 63 Sqn RAF Regiment)and other resources, including aeroplanes. This one belonged to No 4Sqn, two of whose Harriers found their way to the South Atlantic.viewed as a trivial affair. Thinking how to soothe them down didprovoke me into one lonely and untypical brainwave. I invited theCommand Secretary to send up one of his best accountants to the stationto go through all our books to make an estimate of how much moneyRAF G%u00fctersloh put into the local economy.By the time he had finished his work all the local German politicaland government big wigs had been invited to a briefing which ostensiblywas to tell them about our operations. The real purpose, however, was tomake the point that their continuing bellyaching about our activities,when we were at war, was unbecoming of a NATO ally in whosecountry and within Stadt G%u00fctersloh the station annually spent somethingin the region of 50M Deutschmarks through personal expenditure and amultitude of local contracts covering everything from rat-catching tolaundries. I suggested mischievously, and not altogether believingmyself, that should the British government decide that operations fromG%u00fctersloh were becoming untenable, our departure would leave aconsiderable hole in their corporate pocket. The message was receivedloud and clear and when next year the station was twice besieged bythousands of demonstrators protesting against the deployment ofPershing and cruise missiles, we enjoyed considerable help and support