It was initially strenuously denied by the United States Department of Defense, which in Flight magazine quoted "that British aircraft last took part in a Strategic Air Command exercise over the United States in the Autumn of 1960 [sic]," the '[sic]' being added by the magazine indicating an error.
The US Department of Defense initially strongly disputed this claim, as reported in Flight magazine, which mentioned "that British aircraft last took part in a Strategic Air Command exercise over the United States in the Autumn of 1960 [sic]," with the '[sic]' added by the magazine to indicate an error.