UK-US cooperation[edit]
From its inception, the station has been an Anglo-American co-operative project. It was the United States National Security Agency (NSA) that paid for most of the infrastructure and the technology. The running costs, like payments for the staff, were paid by GCHQ, who also provided the land. The intelligence that was collected by the Bude satellite station was shared among NSA and GCHQ, and was also jointly processed.[4]
Another sign of the close cooperation between both countries was that Sir Leonard Hooper, GCHQ director in the late 1960s, wrote to his NSA counterpart regarding the then two large dishes. He suggested naming them 'Pat' and 'Louis', after NSA director Marshall 'Pat' Carter and his deputy, Louis Tordella.[5]
In 2010, the National Security Agency paid GCHQ £15.5m for redevelopments at the site.[6]
