FIRST OFF . . .

Clips from a controversial British documentary about the nation’s no-longer-secret Zircon spy satellite--pulled last January from British Broadcasting Corp. programming before its scheduled airing--were shown for the first time in the United States on Monday at a San Francisco benefit for the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco. BBC officials complied with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s request to yank the documentary, claiming “The Secret Society” jeopardized national security by revealing the existence of the project. The clips shown at the benefit detailed how the British government spent $800 million on the satellite program without telling the appropriate parliamentary committee, as required by law.