> Alongside the sketch was a note intended for defence ministers in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet. Under the heading “Defensive lines to take”, it read: “Have loo

> Alongside the sketch was a note intended for defence ministers in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet. Under the heading “Defensive lines to take”, it read: “Have looked at the photographs, no definite conclusions reached regarding large diamond-shaped object. Confident that jet aircraft is a Harrier. Have no record of Harriers operating in location at stated date/time. No other reports received by MoD of unusual air activity or sightings at location/date/time.” That note is strange. The wording would have effectively deepened the mystery instead of offering an explanation, by implying it that the Harrier jet was also operating without the knowledge of the MoD and it was completely unknown where it belonged to or what its mission was. That detail really makes it sound like the secret government/alien conspiracy from the X-Files. But then this is presented as "defensive lines to take", so it was prepared language in case the incident blew up in the press? I wonder if that means the Thatcher government wanted to present this as an UFO mystery to the public, possibly to hide some military programs or test flights going on in the vicinity. Or was "have no record of any activity" a well-known euphemism for "shut up, it's secret"?