Photo:
Trevor Paglen
Sep. 6 2016, 10:05 a.m.
THE NARROW ROADS are quiet and winding, surrounded by rolling
green fields and few visible signs of life beyond the occasional herd of sheep.
But on the horizon, massive white golf ball-like domes protrude from the earth,
protected behind a perimeter fence that is topped with piercing razor wire.
Here, in the heart of the tranquil English countryside, is the National
Security Agency’s largest overseas spying base.
Once known only by the code name
Field Station 8613, the secret base — now called Menwith Hill Station — is located
about nine miles west of the small town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire.
Originally used to monitor Soviet communications through the Cold War, its
focus has since dramatically shifted, and today it is a vital part of the NSA’s
sprawling global surveillance network.
