Book Review – The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward

The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward – (2014) – To most Americans the words “The Profumo Affair” probably mean nothing.  You would have to be a follower of English political history or a student of Cold War espionage to know it.

In the early 1960’s it was a political scandal that rocked the Conservative  government of Prime Minister Harold McMillan.  His Secretary of State for War (and a member of the Privy Council, an advisory board for the Queen), Joseph Profumo was having an affair with a young woman, Christine Keeler, who was also having an affair with a Soviet Spy.  The man who brought Keeler and Profumo together was a high society osteopath named Stephen Ward.  LIke Profumo, Ward also had connections to the highest levels of British society including the Royal Family.  The revleations that came from the investigation of the Profumo Affair would rock the British establishment.  Coming quickly on the heels of the revelations about Kim Philby and his co-conspirators of the Cambridge Four the Profumo Affair continued to damage the relationship between the intelligence agencies of the U.S. and the U.K.

This is an e-pub re-issue of the book “Honeytrap – The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward” by Anthony Summers and Stephen Dorril (1987).  A “honeytrap” is a classic tool in the world of espionage when you are trying to compromise someone into doing what you want them to do.  In simplest terms it’s using an illicit sexual affair as blackmail.  One of the central questions surrounding the Profumo Affair was whether or not Keeler was used by the Soviets and a honeytrap for the Minister for War.  What Summers and Dorril do here is carefully unwind the complicated personalities and relationships to try and reveal what was actually going on.

Stephen Ward was a man fascinated by sex but almost entirely as a theoretical issue.  He regularly employed prostitutes, virtually never for sex.  Ward liked to talk with them, discuss their lives and why they did they work they did.  He enjoyed bringing his male friends together with the beautiful women that he met in his wide ranging social life.  In the end the authors maintain that he was made the scapegoat demanded by the status quo of early 1960’s England.

Summers has made a career of biographies of well known figures including President John. F. Kennedy.  Summers examines that assassination in his book “Not In Your Lifetime”.  In both books he sees a careful conspiracy at work.  That may or may not be true but the writing is well done and the story will draw you in.

There are two things you need to keep in mind about this book.  As noted above the books involves an inclination toward conspiracy.  That’s not to say there wasn’t but it leaves the authors filling in a lot of blanks.  As is common some of that filler is solid and some of it is very thin.  Approach with caution.  The second item is that the book spends a lot of time talking about sex.  It’s never particularly graphic but the reality is that the “Profumo Affair” centers on a Profumo affair.  Ward was deeply involved with the sexual hijinks of a great many people.

“The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward” takes us back to the height of the Cold War to examine a pivotal event that has faded from many memories.  The authors carefully craft a story that would be the envy of any spy novelist.  Sex, Power and Betrayal.  A man will die, a career will end and a government will fall.  Summers and Dorril introduce us to the man at the center of it all that history forgot.

Rating – **** Recommended