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t 5 OO ater ~~ | f . i t allegi that she was in possession of drags. So it was thought advientle w have the assistance of an officer conversant with drugs. Arrangement] were made for her to be seen at 3.30 p.m. on Friday, tst February, 196% ‘at ber flat, No. 63, Great Cumberland Place. The officers who were to gor were Detective-Sergeant Burrows (from Marylebone, who had seen her first), Detective-Inspector Morgan (of Special Branch because of the security interest) and Sergeant Howard of the Drug Squad (because of the drug suggestion. a "“g3° It was most unfortunate that this meeting was never held. Christine n at all by the police, or at any rate no statement was taken Keeler was not see from her, from the day when she was seen by Detective-Sergeant Burrows on 26th January, 1963 (which I have set out), until 4th April, 1963, when inquiries were being made into the case against Stephen Ward. . $4, The first question arises, therefore, why was the meeting not held on Ist February, 1963? ft was cancelled by ‘order of the Commander of Special Branch, When the proposal was put before him on the morning of Ist February he decided that Special Branch should not take part in questioning Christine Keeler. He did this, he told me, because of the Press. He thought it inevitable that the Press would get to know that Christine Keeler had been seen by Special Branch and that would cause a fot of speculation. (He expected that Christine Keeler might well tell the Press herself that she had been seen by a Special Branch officer.) After discussion with his Deputy Commander, it was decided to be better that Christine Keeler and Stephen Ward should be seen by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department: and that anything coming to light, which was of interest to Special Branch, should be brought to their notice. In consequence of this decision the Deputy Commander sent out a message cancelling the meeting arranged for the afternoon of Friday, Ist February, 1963.-No reason was given to the Marytebone officers. It was just cancelled. Detective-Sergeant Burrows accordingly telephoned Christine Keeler and said tie coutd not keep the appointment that afternoon, but would contact her again at some future date. - . . L : 85. The second question arises, why was Christine Keeler not seen at all at this time, not even by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department? This was the decision of a Chief Superintendent of the Department. The Deputy Commander of Special Branch told me that he made it clear that he wished Christine Keeler to be seen, but the Chief Superintendent of the Criminal! Investigation Department told me that the message, as it reached him, was that Stephen Ward was to be seen, but nothing was said, he told me, about seeing Christine Keeler. There must have been some failure in co-ordination on this point. Arrangements were in fact only made for Stephen Wadi to be seen. An appointment was made for Stephen Ward to be seen at Scotlagd Yard on Saturday, 2nd February, 1963, by a Drug Squad official but Ward @id not keep the appointment. In consequence on Monday, 4th February, . the Chief Superintendent decided not to make another appointment for him. In- addition, on the same day he was asked by Special Branch whether he intended to have Christine Keeler seen, and he said he did not. This was, ¥ think, an unfortunate decision: for it meant that she was not seen by any police officer at all at that time. There must have been another failure in co-ordination at 27 ~