◆ SpookStack

ra a ao * ra a” signed a conditional contract to sell them her story for £1,000, of which £200 was to be paid down and the balance of £800 on completion. She outlined her story and gave it colour by relating her double life—with rich men in high places and coloured men in low. She told them of iver relations with Mr. Profumo and with Captain Ivanov. She produced Mik. Peofamo’'s letter of Sth August, 1961 (the ‘Darling’ letter), in proof dig she was telling the truth. The newspaper had it photographed and put it's the safe. 65. Over the next few days the newspaper men took dows her story in detail and she then told the reporters (what she had not told them at first) that Stephen Ward had asked her to obtain from Mr. Profumo information as to when the Americans were going to give nuclear weapons to Germany. The newspaper reporters saw how greatly the “ spy” interest heightened the story. (iii) It is set down in writing 66. The reporters of the Sunday Pictorial prepared a proof of her story. She signed every page as correct on 8th February, 1963. It is the first signed statement she gave to anyone. (The police did not get a signed statement until 4th April, 1963.) It is on that account instructive to see how she put it. It was in fact never published, but this is how it ran: _ “Men are such fools. But I like them. I have always liked them. Unfortunately, the combination of these things has led me into a lot of trouble and may even have risked the security of this country. It certainly could have been harmful to the country. You see, one man who was foolish enough and irresponsible enough to have an affair with me was a Cabinet Minister, a member of Her Majesty’s Government. And at the same time I was having an affair with another man—a Russian diplomat. If that Russian or anyone else had placed a tape recorder or cine camera or both in some hidden place in my bedroom it would have been very embarrassing for the Minister, to say the least. . In fact, it would have left him open to the worst possible kind of blackmail—the blackmail of a spy. I am not suggesting that he really would have given up State secrets ‘to avoid a scandal. He might have been tough and refused, But I do believe that any man in his position—particularly a married man—is both unwise and irresponsible to have an affair with some unknown girl like me. More especially so in this case because this Minister has such knowledge of the military affairs of the Western world that he would be one of the most valuable men in the world for the Russians to have had in their power. He is, in fact, the Secretary of State for War, Mr. John Profumo. I believe now that a man in his position should not indulge in pastimes like me. I suppose even Cabinet Ministers are only humagy, bat I think they should curb their feelings when they take on the ; One might think that as a politician he would have DOME. discreet in the affair. John Profumo was not. It is true be« 22