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Profumo: The Hate Factor
1st Robert Hale Ltd 1992 edition hardcover vg++ book in vg++ dw In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
Hardcover
Published October 30, 1992
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January 13, 2019
After over 50 years, the story of this huge “scandal” which caused the fall of the Conservative government, seems too unlikely to be true. In the book version, a guy named John Lewis is blamed for setting the scandal in motion, even if he is never mentioned in the official chronicles.
Allegedly, 10 years prior to the events that developed into the scandal, Lewis and Stephen Ward were running in the same high society circles and Ward spent a night cheering up Lewis’ wife, who wanted to split from him. Having a vengeful, nasty nature, Lewis did not forget and was eager to take revenge on Ward.
Ward was a relatively easy target. An osteopath who liked young girls and entertaining the rich with orgies, Ward spent years being a guest of British aristocracy, helping them to get girls. Ward also fancied himself as a spy and - allegedly - contacted MI5, proposing to pass them information he could gather from his circle of friends. More specifically, from Russian naval attache’ Ivanov (suspected of being a real KGB spy).
It was Cold War, paranoid times. British double agents were making headlines and the press was having a field day with security issues. This helps to understand the hysterical overreaction that followed relatively innocuous events.
In July 1961, all the main characters collided at a pool party hosted by Lord Astor. Christine Keeler was Ward’s current protégée and she was introduced to married Minister of War Profumo (also a guest). Later, she was taken home by the - also married - Ivanov and had sex with him for the one and only time - not likely she got many secrets out of him.
Keeler then proceeded to have a short affair with Profumo. He called it off after a few weeks. That’s it. Technically the main impropriety was two married men having sex with a girl of easy virtue.
Unfortunately, Keeler continued her “career” by getting involved with two West Indians of jealous disposition, which lead to a shooting in December 1962. According to the author, John Lewis took advantage of the fact that Keeler was staying at Ward’s when the shooting took place, to start digging some dirt and found a minefield of scandal laying in waiting. Lewis had to push a lot to get the police going and everybody involved to connect the dots, which is understandable, since the “facts” were so minimal and had happened so long previously.
From the beginning of 1963, British gutter press smelled a good deal and started paying Keeler to spill out her “affairs” with the Russian spy and the British Minister. Facts that happened two years previously.... and there was not even any affair with Russian but a one-night-stand, which took place BEFORE she had sex with the Profumo. In the general hysteria that followed, Profumo had the bad idea to deny the affair and then admit to it. That lie caused his fall.
Ward was singled out as the scapegoat, all his aristocratic friends dumped him and he committed suicide while on trial for being a pimp. He would have preferred to go down as a spy.
Keeler and another of Ward protégées went on to make a living out of selling memories and other activities girls like that do (acting or modelling or whatever “show business” career the press labelled them with).
Summarising:
- two men who followed their sexual instincts too far were ruined,
- a government fell,
- the British public had a great time, publicly chastising hypocrisy and privately envying those who could indulge in lecherous activities, and
- two girls enjoyed the spoils and produced tons of unreliable "memoirs" for the prurient
PS the book is a bit boring, with lots of excerpt from "official statements"
Allegedly, 10 years prior to the events that developed into the scandal, Lewis and Stephen Ward were running in the same high society circles and Ward spent a night cheering up Lewis’ wife, who wanted to split from him. Having a vengeful, nasty nature, Lewis did not forget and was eager to take revenge on Ward.
Ward was a relatively easy target. An osteopath who liked young girls and entertaining the rich with orgies, Ward spent years being a guest of British aristocracy, helping them to get girls. Ward also fancied himself as a spy and - allegedly - contacted MI5, proposing to pass them information he could gather from his circle of friends. More specifically, from Russian naval attache’ Ivanov (suspected of being a real KGB spy).
It was Cold War, paranoid times. British double agents were making headlines and the press was having a field day with security issues. This helps to understand the hysterical overreaction that followed relatively innocuous events.
In July 1961, all the main characters collided at a pool party hosted by Lord Astor. Christine Keeler was Ward’s current protégée and she was introduced to married Minister of War Profumo (also a guest). Later, she was taken home by the - also married - Ivanov and had sex with him for the one and only time - not likely she got many secrets out of him.
Keeler then proceeded to have a short affair with Profumo. He called it off after a few weeks. That’s it. Technically the main impropriety was two married men having sex with a girl of easy virtue.
Unfortunately, Keeler continued her “career” by getting involved with two West Indians of jealous disposition, which lead to a shooting in December 1962. According to the author, John Lewis took advantage of the fact that Keeler was staying at Ward’s when the shooting took place, to start digging some dirt and found a minefield of scandal laying in waiting. Lewis had to push a lot to get the police going and everybody involved to connect the dots, which is understandable, since the “facts” were so minimal and had happened so long previously.
From the beginning of 1963, British gutter press smelled a good deal and started paying Keeler to spill out her “affairs” with the Russian spy and the British Minister. Facts that happened two years previously.... and there was not even any affair with Russian but a one-night-stand, which took place BEFORE she had sex with the Profumo. In the general hysteria that followed, Profumo had the bad idea to deny the affair and then admit to it. That lie caused his fall.
Ward was singled out as the scapegoat, all his aristocratic friends dumped him and he committed suicide while on trial for being a pimp. He would have preferred to go down as a spy.
Keeler and another of Ward protégées went on to make a living out of selling memories and other activities girls like that do (acting or modelling or whatever “show business” career the press labelled them with).
Summarising:
- two men who followed their sexual instincts too far were ruined,
- a government fell,
- the British public had a great time, publicly chastising hypocrisy and privately envying those who could indulge in lecherous activities, and
- two girls enjoyed the spoils and produced tons of unreliable "memoirs" for the prurient
PS the book is a bit boring, with lots of excerpt from "official statements"
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