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™ ie: ee Bp tea at tae oe Sy yon lye iyorry se desc . aon CHAPTER Et nash geen - THE CLIVEDEN WEEK-END AND ITS SEQUEL 25. Stephen Ward often expressed a wish to go to Moscow. He wanted to draw pictures of the personalities there, particularly Mr. Khrushchev. He told this to the Editor of a newspaper who was a patient of his. The Editor happened to have met Captain Ivanov: and invited Stephen Ward to funch and meet him. This was on 20th January, 1961. Stephen Ward took an immediate liking to Captain Ivanov. He began to enlist Ivanov’s help to arrange sittings with Mr. Khrushchev. The Security Service got to know of their friendship and on 8th June, 1961, saw Stephen Ward about it. A few weeks later came the Cliveden week-end. . G) The Swimming Pool ; 26. The week-end of Saturday, 8th July, 1961, to Sunday, 9th July, 1961, is of critical importance. Lord and Lady Astor had a large party of distinguished visitors to their great house at Cliveden. They included Mr. Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, and his wife, Mrs. Profumo, who stayed the week-end. Other visitors came to meals but did not stay the night. Stephen Ward entertained some young girls at his cottage. One of these was Christine Keeler, who was then living with him. Captain Ivanov came down on the Sunday. There is a fine swimming pool in the grounds at Cliveden near the main house, and Lord Astor, on occasions, allowed Stephen Ward to use it with his friends so long as it did not clash with his own use of it. 27. On the Saturday, after nightfall, Stephen Ward and some of the girls were bathing in the swimming pool when one of them, Christine Keeler, - whilst she was in the water, took off her bathing costume, threw it on the bank, and bathed naked. Soon afterwards Lord Astor and a party of his visitors walked down after dinner to the swimming pool to watch the bathing. Lord Astor and Mr. Profumo walked ahead of Lady Astor, Mrs. Profumo and the others. Christine Keeler rushed to get her swimming costume. Stephen Ward threw it on one side so that she could not get it at once and Christine seized a towel to hide herself. Lord Astor and Mr. Profumo arrived at this moment, and it was all treated as a piece of fun—it was over in a few minutes, for the ladies saw nothing indecent at all. Stephen Ward and the girls afterwards got dressed and went up to the house and joined the party for a little while. 28. On the Sunday, after lunch, Stephen Ward and the girls and Captain Ivanov went to the swimming pool. Later Lord Astor and of his party came down to swim too. There was a light-hearted, ffflicsome bathing party, where everyone was in bathing costumes and nothing gadece: took place at all. Photographs were taken by Mr. Profumo and otis. They showed, of course, that Mr. Profumo was there with some of the giris but + nothing improper whatever. ooo 29. Captain Ivanov left Cliveden in the early evening and took Christine 3 ith him to town, They went to Stephen Ward’s house and there >