Source – kirkusreviews.com
– “…Investigative journalists Knightley (The First Casualty, 2004, etc.) and Kennedy discount the espionage angle—Keeler, they argue, was a naïf with no head for worming intelligence out of people and probably had never slept with Ivanov—and instead treat the ruckus as a stew of lust, greed, Cold War fears, political vendettas and moral panic”:
(How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward – By Caroline Kennedy and Phillip Knightley)
“How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward” is a major expose of a government cover-up that has lasted half a century. It is a powerful story of sexual compulsion, political malice and ultimate betrayal. A number-one bestseller when it came out in 1987 the book reveals never-before-heard testimony that has been uncovered by the authors in the years since the scandal broke. Using startling new evidence, including Ward’s own unpublished memoirs and hundreds of interviews with many who, conscience-stricken, have spoken for the first time, this important account rips through a half-century cover-up in order to show exactly why the government, the police forces, the Judiciary and the security forces decided to frame Stephen Ward.
Andrew Lloyd-Weber used this book as the source for his new musical, “Stephen Ward” and this book offers a wider perspective on its complex, central character as well as a broader insight into one of the greatest scandals of the past 100 years. As the authors’ research reveals, Ward’s “trial of the century” was caused by an unprecedented corruption of justice and political malice which resulted in an innocent man becoming a scapegoat for those who could not bear to lose power. This book also provides the evidence for the current legal case presented to the Court of Criminal Appeal to overthrow Stephen Ward’s conviction.
This is an epic tale of sex, lies, and governmental abuse whose aftermath almost brought down the government and shook the American, British, and Soviet espionage worlds to their core. With its surprising revelations and meticulous research, Ward’s complete story can finally be told.
Related…
The compelling and shocking story of Stephen Ward, the society osteopath in the centre of what has become known in the UK and around the world as “The Profumo Scandal”.
It is a compelling story of sexual compulsion, political malice, judicial abuse of power and police intimidation leading to “The Trial of the Century” of the scapegoat, Stephen Ward, who was the only person involved in the scandal to leave the stage with dignity.
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
The book puts a very different perspective on the Profumo Scandal. It uses, for the first time, Stephen Ward’s own words from tapes that he made in prison and interviews with CIA, MI5 officers, FBI informers and many of Ward’s friends and enemies who have spoken for the first time. It is considered the definitive book on the scandal.
Reviews (Excerpts)
– “[…] The publication of this new book could not be more timely, with the recent 50th anniversary of Ward’s trial and death and the West End opening in December of the musical Stephen Ward by Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Kennedy creates a vivid picture of the whole wretched early 1960s climate of social hypocrisy, and especially the malice and corruption among police, politicians and the judiciary which led to the cold-blooded framing of an innocent man. “ – C.B. Cabrera
– “Faster paced than any novel, this gripping story, ripped from the headlines of the 1960s, tells how an affable, gregarious, handsome, and unconventional man, who was both a gifted osteopath and a talented artist, and who had many friends in London society (and one in the Soviet Embassy), became swept up in the tumultuous events of history only to be sucked down into the vertiginous sinkhole of politics.
[…] is also the heartbreaking story of a rather naive man who put his faith in his friends, in his country, and in the British system of jurisprudence. In the end, he was abandoned by all but a few of his friends and betrayed by both country and British justice. In other words, he was made a scapegoat, according to Knightley and Kennedy, to the interests of the Conservative party and the hypocrisy of the establishment after the resignation in disgrace of John Profumo, Britain’s dapper and dandy Minister of War.” – F.S. L’hoir
About the Authors
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| Author Caroline Kennedy |
Caroline Kennedy has been a writer, researcher, humanitarian aid worker, inveterate traveller, actress and theatre director. She is currently working on a screenplay of the book with her nephew, the actor Cary Elwes, and spends her time between Costa Rica, Los Angeles and Newfoundland.
Phillip Knightley is a journalist, critic and visiting Professor of Journalism at the University of Lincoln, UK. He is a media commentator on the Intelligence Services and propaganda. He is the author of several books including, “The First Casualty”, “The Second Oldest Profession” and “Philby, the Master Spy”
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