Bad Days at Cheltenham

The old boys wrestle with another spy scandal

The headquarters of Britain's electronic intelligence empire is a sprawling compound at Cheltenham, 95 miles northwest of London and nestled among the scenic hills of Gloucestershire. Known in the trade as GCHQ (for Government Communications Headquarters), the facility receives and analyzes data from a worldwide system of spy bases, ships, planes and satellites. It operates round the clock and employs some 10,000 staffers round the globe. Cheltenham is a vital part of the West's constant effort to break the Soviet Union's military and diplomatic codes....