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ers In June, 1963, it was rumoured that the Minister was involved Sith the Ward girls. I can dee how this rmmour arose. On Sunday, 19th Mig, IO the Minister was a guest of Lord Astor at Cliveden. During that time Sig Ward came up to the house and gave him and other guests some ostaggl treatment. Stephen Watd asked if he could draw a picture of him. The Milde ' gaid he could. On 22nd June, 1960, Ward went to bis house and drew his picture. That was the whole extent of the Minister's acquaintanceship with Stephen Ward. He never went to Ward’s house’ or met any of the gitls. But it appears that Stephen Ward thereafter mentioned his name frequently as if he were a close friend of his. Hence people assumed that the Minister was involved with the girls. i am satisfied that there i is no foundation i in this r rumour whatever. - * rai ots : : U 316. In connection with this rumour, ‘a more detailed 1 rumour arose: about the middle of June, 1963, it was rumoured that there was in existence a photograph of the Minister in the company of Christine Keeler which was in the possession of a Spanish refugee who worked part-time as a Photographer in the night club “ L’Hirondelle ” in Swallow Street... 317. I was able to prove that this rumour was completely untrue. Iti is an excellent illustration of how rumours arise and spread, There is a photographer who is a Spanish refugee, and a few years back he did take photographs in a restaurant then called the Lido, but now “ L’Hirendelle ”, in Swallow Street. In April, 1958, the manager thought that one of the customers in his restaurant was this Minister, and asked the photographer to take a photograph of him. The photograph was taken without the customer being aware of it. But the photographer did not think it fair to take a prominent man unawares, so he did not make copies of it, but he kept the film. When the rumours became current (that the Minister was involved with the Ward girls) the photographer may have mentioned, and probably did, to two or three people that he had a photograph of the Minister with a girl. This went around, and soon it was assumed that the photograph was of the Minister and Christine Keeler. - - 318. The photographer at my request searched through all his films and found the’ film of this photograph and has produced a print to me. It is plain that the man in it is not this Minister, or indeed any Minister. To anyone who knows the Minister it is obvious that it is not he. The manager and the photographer were completely mistaken in thinking it was. ~~ s od (vi) “The Man im the Mask” 319, Early in June, 1963, a rumour spread through Fleet Street and thence through the House of Commons that a certain Minister was the “ man in the mask”. It is clear to me that this rumour was the direct reage of statements made by Christine Keeler and by Marilyn Rice-Daviede Th statement by Christine Keeler was contained in the story told by Press (from which I have quoted an extract in paragraph 66). It wells by ber and Marilyn Rice-Davies on 8th February, 1963. This bal “ The more rich ‘and influential people I met the more amazed ivaje lives. Names who are household words take part 107 |