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CHAPTER XXIII THE MINISTERS ‘284, This leaves only the Ministers. What is their responsibility, if @ary? The case is reduced to this: there were persistent rumours about Mr. the crux of which was that he had an immoral association with Christine Keeler. The Ministers knew that this was crux of the matter, for it was the point on which they coacentrated their attention. If these rumours were affecting the confidence which Parliament reposed in Mr. Profumo or the Government, then it was for the Prime Minister and his colleagues to deal with them. The Prime Minister did not himself see Mr. Profumo but he left it to the Chief Whip and the Law Officers. These Ministers inquired of Mc. Profumo whether there was any impropriety in his association with Christine Keeler. He repeatedly assured them that there was no impropriety, and in the end they were satisfied that he was telling the truth. And, on being told by them, the Prime Minister was satisfied too. All were clearly acting with the utmost honesty and good faith: their integrity is beyond question. 285. Nevertheless, there are two matters which Parliament may wish to consider further: (a) Did the Ministers ask themselves the proper question? They concentrated their attention on the matter of immorality. And the one question they asked themselves was whether Mr. Profumo had in fact committed adultery: whereas the proper question may have been: was his conduct, proved of admitted, such as to lead ordinary people reasonably to believe that he had committed adultery? If that were the proper question the answer was clear. His conduct was such ae te lend sn th halinf A : im as to lead to that belief. And no further inquiries would help. (See generally paragraph 181 (5).) (6) Ought further inquiries to have been made? The Ministers did not know of the statements made to the police and could hardly be expected to ask for them. But they did know of the ‘ Darling’ letter. It was possible, I should have thought, for them to ask the newspaper to let them see it, or, better still, to get Mr. Profumo to ask them. After all, it was his copyright, Whether the newspaper would have complied, we do not know. They were never asked. If the Ministers had seen it, it might have turned the scale between belief and disbelief of Mr. Profumo’s word. At any rate, there would seem to be a considerabie risk in accepting his word, without knowing what the letter contained. 286. Those are questions which I would not seek to answer. They are matters for Parliament and not for me. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the conduct of Mr. Profumo was such as to create, amongst an influential section of the people, a reasonable belief that he had committed adsiltery with such a woman in such circumstances as the case discloses. It be. 4 y the responsibility of the Prime Minister and his colleagues, and of eA to deal with this situation: and they did not succeed in doing so. , Or wes