Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-23
Profumo: Stephen Ward Had Close Ties With |vanov
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years for some of Britain's
most distinguished publica-
lions, including the Daily Tele-
graph. He was highly regarded
by the editors of that paper
and had many personal friends
on its staff. So Ward easily
joined the visiting party and
took part in a luncheon at the
Garrick Club that followed.
Ward, even then, had a
reputation of being "pinkish."
A compulsive exhibitioniSt, he
freely expressed his admiration
for Russia and ranted about the
evils of capitalism. He struck
up an instantaneous and close
friendship with Ivanov, who
spent long week ends with him
land his girls) at a cottage
Ward had rented" (for a
nominal $3-a-year fee) on the
estate of his good friend,
Viscount Aston Of Cliveden.
Lord Aston and Ward had
known each other, ard had
been close friends, since 1947
And in 1856 the former had
introduced the latter to Mr..
Profumo. then a fast-riSing
politician, but not yet a cabinet
minister.
Ward, in his turn, introduced
first Lord Aston, then Ivanov
and finally Mr.. Profumo to his
beautiful girl friend Christine
Keller, whom he had first met
at a London nightclub in 1859. |
when she was Is.
OF all the men in ChriStine's
life-and few courtesans of our
times have led a more pro-
miscuous one-none made a
stronger impression on her than
that buggy bear of a man."
Ivanov. Other people who knew
her well have also testified to
the strength of her feelings for
the Russian spy. Hence her
assertion (at the Ward triaD
that she had slept with him
only ION one occasion" is sub
ject to doubt like much of her
other testimony in court.
At all events, a few weeks
after Ward had first met Ivanov
on Fleet street, the two men
and Christine had become a
conspicuous trio who were fire.
quently going out together ana
visiting each others homes.
So conspicuous, in fact, that
M. I. 5, Britain'S security serv-
ice, took action to stop these
chummy goings-on.
In the course of the Com
mons debate on the Profumo
scandal, on June II. 1868, Prime
Minister Macmillan revealed
that on June 8, 1861, the secu-
rity service had warned Ward
because they felt that his ac-
craftsmanship with a member
Of the Soviet Embassy was
somewhat closer" than could
be tolerated.
Ward, however, paid no at
tention to this warning, for by
that time he had already be-
come a conscious and even
eager Soviet agent mot just, it
must be emphasized, in the way
Of an ordinary spy, but mainly
as a contact man. a promoter
Of Russian interests.
Indeed, just a week before
June /. 1961-he had rented an
apartment at II Wimpole News,
in the fashionable Marylebone
district, and then taken in
Christine Keeler as a "lodger."
This was to become the secret
snuggery where Christine alter
nately received her two famous
lovers, Profumo and Ivanov
(plus a few less famous, end
indeed Infamous ones).
And on June II, 1861, Ward,
Ivanov and Keller gathered at
the Cliveden cottage to lay a
trap for the unwary Profumo
who at the same time was hav-
ing dinner with the AstorS at
the castle. When he emerged
IN high spirits, at midnight, for
a stroll around the swimming
pool, there was the 1.-the nymph
swimming in the nude in the
moonlt pool. So began the most
disastrous love affair of our
time just about the time the
Kuwait operation also got
under way.