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\ leather mask with ‘slits which laces up'at the back—and he told her the was Mr. . ... who wore it. I asked Stephen Ward about this. He vi he had been present at the party, but said that no one prominent A there. He denied that he said it was the Minister. He said be had! saves even seen him, But he admitted that he might have said in fan “I wren heard it was Mr.... the other. day”. The. story soon got elaborated. One of the girls told another that there was a photograph of this Minister with the mask on and nothing else, and a little card saying “If my services don’t please you, whip me”. Soon it was said that one of the newspapers had the photograph. All I would say is that I have made the closest inquiries to see if there is such a photograph, and there is none. At any rate no one admits having one or having seen one. I have appealed for any photographs or other material to be produced. No one has come forward to produce any. 325. I am satisfied that the events I have described are the origin of the rumour that this Minister was the man in the mask. It is wholly hearsay derived from Stephen Ward. He is so untrustworthy an origin—so given to dropping names—that no one should give any credence to any report emanating from him. But I would not wish to leave this matter merely by saying that the rumour was not proved against this Minister. There was much to disprove it. I have seen quite a number of those who were at these narties. Some of them were astonishingly frank about the goings-on. One of . a fae eeece ieee We Latte ees ee Dewees ile, them in particular, a solicitor, impressed me by his truthfulness. He told me the names of many present. They did not include any Minister or any person prominent in public life. The host and hostess and the solicitor identified for me the man in the mask: and this man actually came and pave evidence before me. He is now grievously ashamed of what he did. He does not bear any resemblance whatever to the Minister who was the victim of rumour. ' 326. Apart from hearsay, there was not a shred of evidence adduced before me that ihé man in ihe mask was ihe Minister gamed, and the rumour was disproved as far is it was humanly possible to disprove it, by producing the people who organised these parties and some of those who attended them. EF reject it therefore as utterly unfounded. 327. ¥ cannot leave this rumour, however, without mentioning that some of the newspapers believed it because of an earlier rumour they had heard about this Minister. It was rumoured that in 1957 he had been involved in an improper incident in Shepherd’s Market, about a man who, being chased by 2 policeman, hurriedly left a house by foot, leaving his car behind. Jt was rumoured that it was the Minister’s car and that he took the precamtion of contacting Scotland Yard, announcing his identity, and giving that his car had been stolen. I have caused an elaborate search to be: and there is no record of any such incident or any notification to Seq Yard at all. If there had been any such notification of a stolen car (such as the rumour suggests) a record would have been made of it. There is none. There is therefore not a shred of evidence to support this additional rumour. 109