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howe erbaaccot ae cepa 9 ad ced ager sgt s: Dobie we erga reid be an oly "CHAPTER XX. + € : THE ‘SECURITY SERVICE IN 1963_ THREE IMPORTANT - DECISIONS — a (i) 29th January, 1963—Ivanov Leaves 256. The Edgecombe shooting incident did not affect the Security Service directly: but, as I have said earlier, it was the cause of Christine Keeler going to the newspapers and selling her story, with the consequence that Ward got very worried. He saw Ivanov on 18th January, 1963, and it is reasonable to infer that he warned Ivanov that the story might “break” soon, Within a day or two Ivanov made arrangements to leave England, far earlier than expected. About 22nd January, 1963, the Security Service got to know that he was leaving on 29th January, 1963, and he in n fact left on | that day. Gi Mr. Profumo sees lhe Head of the Service M eanw a ree TY at ant ee Meanwhile the imminent publicity had Fat to the ears Mr. “Profumo. In the evening of 28th January, 1963, at 5.30 p.m. Lord Astor had alerted Mr. Profumo to the danger. And immediately Mr. Profumo asked the Head of the Security Service to come and see him, and he did so at 6.45 p.m. The purpose of Mr. Profumo (as at any rate it appeared to the Head of the Security Service) was to see if he could do anything to stop publication of Christine Keeler’s story in the newspapers. He gave the Director-General an account of bis acquaintanceship with Ward in the course of which he had met Ivanov and Christine. He described the bathing party at Cliveden. He said that he had visited Ward’s flat in Wimpole Mews on a number of occasions, generally when there had been parties there, but ance or twice he had found Christine there alone. He had written little notes to her but they were harmless. He referred to the shooting incident and added that he understood that Christine was a drug addict. He said that he had been warned that the papers had got a story in which she alleged an association with him and might also bring in Ivanov’s name saying that he was a Russian spy. 258. Mr. Profumo said that he remembered that, when Sir Norman Brook had cautioned him about Stephen Ward {on 9th August, 1961) Sir Norman had hinted that the Security Service might try to get Ivanov into its employment. (It occurred to the Head of the Security that Mr. Profumo hoped that the Security Service had Ivanov in theliF employ: and that they might, in the interest of security, ask the newspapgiih not to run the story.) The Head of the Security Service told Mr. Profumpmdiiat they had not enlisted Ivanov for their work, so Mr. Profumo did not pareve point, But the Head of the Security Service formed the impression that Mr. Profumo’s object in asking to see him was to get a D notice or something to stop publication, which was a vain hope. 86 357 af