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_ cers what happened: “ We were s0 groggy. Ail be (the assistant) said was, * Look, ‘ou have got to come back to the House, and I remember Jad& groping way round, saying ‘1 must have a clean shirt’ and trying a push the cuff-links through.” So he dressed and went down to the Howsn, _— 176. The Attorney-General thought thet Mr. Profumo’s solielior should be there too, and the Solicitor-General agreed. The reason was because the personal statement was to be used as the occasion for refuting the rumourh Which otherwise would be done in a libel action. It was understood that Mr. Profumo had given instructions to issue writs and it was desirable that the persona} statement should not contain anything to prejudice the litigation. Furthermore, the thought did occur to the Attorney-General that Mr. Profumo might have made some admissions to the solicitor under the cloak of legal professional privilege—and, if so, the presence of his solicitor would be a check to see that the personal statement was in full accord with what he had told his solicitor. A telephone message was therefore sent to Mr. Clogg and he went to the House too. He arrived some time before Pane ar 177, When Mr. Profumo's solicitor arrived the meeting split up into two parts. The drafting was done by the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General land Mr. Profumo’s solicitor in consultation in one room. The others, I Mr. Macleod, Mr. Redmayne and Mr. Deedes were in a room next door. Mr. Profumo arrived whilst the drafting was going on. He did not wish to take any part in the drafting and left it to the lawyers. He talked with the others. Eventually, by about 3.30 a.m. or 4 a.m. 2 rough draft was prepared by the lawyers in the handwriting of the Solicitor-General. They brought it through to the others. The Solicitor-Genera] read it out paragraph by patagtaph. Everybody said “ That's all right” except that Mr. Profumo took one point about his association with Christine Keeler. He asked, “Do I really have to say I was friendly with her?”, and the others said, “ Of course you must. In the face of the letter beginning ‘Darling’ you must acknowledge your friendship with her.” The draft was then typed (which took about 20 minutes), brought back, and Mr. Profumo read it through and said be was content. By that time it was about 4.30 a.m. and they all left the House. . —_ (vi) The Reason for the Meeting 478. It has sometimes been assumed that this mecting of the “five Ministers ” was an investigation by them about the truth of the rumours, and that it vas for that reason that Mr. Profumo’s solicitor was present to protect his interests. I am satisfied it wes nothing of the Kind. The Ministers aii accepted the assurances of Mr. Profumo (previously given) that the rumours wete untrue and were concerned to see that they were refeigE fe the most emphatic way possible, namely, by his making a personal sigiemen House. It was known that he had been waiting for an oppqelipll: action to refute them-—and here an occasion had arisen ‘(jwis statements in the House) where they could be refuted by a peaiial statement. The solicitor was called in so as to make sure that this petéonal statement would not embarrass any action Mr. Profumo might bring. . rt wu