June 5, 1963: The Profumo Affair

June 5, 1963: John Profumo resigns as Britain's Secretary of State for War. The equivalent position in America would be the Secretary of Defense.

The issue wasn't that he had been exposed as having an affair with model Christine Keeler. It wasn't even that she was also having an affair with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London, who had been exposed as a Soviet spy. Powerful men in the British government had been getting away with naughty behavior since the Romans invaded 2,000 years earlier.

No, the issue was that Profumo had stood before the House of Commons, and had lied about it. That was the true unforgivable sin in British politics.

Keeler was just 17 when she met Stephen Ward, an osteopath with several prominent clients, including Profumo, who served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Keeler and Ward lived together, but she later said there was no sex involved. She had already had a baby that did not survive, with a U.S. Air Force officer stationed in London. Keeler and Ward had been introduced by Mandy Rice-Davies, an ex-girlfriend of a friend of Ward's -- and she was only 15 at the time.

She was 19 when Ward introduced her to Profumo, who was 46, on July 8, 1961, at a pool party at a Buckinghamshire mansion. Ward also introduced her to Ivanov, who was 35. She soon began affairs with both men, neither of which lasted long -- but lasted long enough to ruin the lives of everyone involved.

The infamous photo of Keeler, taken by Lewis Morley.

She later said she wasn't totally nude, and was wearing underwear.

In 1962, she had simultaneous affairs with jazz singer Lucky Gordon and promoter Johnny Edgecombe. The jealousy between the men boiled over, and Edgecombe slashed Gordon's face with a knife. A few weeks later, she broke up with Edgecombe, and, following her to Ward's house, he fired gunshots into it, hitting no one. He was arrested, and, as the investigation grew, one revelation led to another, until, finally, Profumo could deny it no longer, and had to resign.

Ward went on trial -- not for espionage, but for "living on the earnings of prostitution." One thing led to another, and it was revealed that Rice-Davies had also had an affair with William Waldorf Astor, the 3rd Viscount Astor. He denied this, and when Rice-Davies was asked about it, she told the media, "Well, he would, wouldn't he?" This phrase became famous, and would be abbreviated to "MRDA," for "Mandy Rice-Davies Applies."

Ward was convicted, but committed suicide via pills before sentence could be pronounced. Ivanov was recalled by his country, and resumed his naval career. Keeler was convicted of perjury, was sentenced to 9 months in prison, and served 6. She later married twice, with a child from each marriage. Having lost her money in legal fees, she got by over the years with paid TV appearances, talking about the scandal. Rice-Davies was never prosecuted, and became a singer and a novelist.

The government appointed Tom Denning, Baron Denning, the Master of the Rolls, to investigate the various rumors that had emanated from and around the Profumo affair. His report, published on September 26, 1963, concluded that there had been no security leaks, nor evidence to link members of the government with associated scandals. In other words, there was no evidence that any state secrets were leaked to the Soviet Union as a result of the affair(s). Denning laid most of the blame for the affair on Ward, an "utterly immoral" man whose diplomatic activities were "misconceived and misdirected."

Nevertheless, Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister on October 18, 1963, citing his health, replaced by Foreign Minister Alec Douglas-Home. While the Conservative Party government might have been doomed in the 1964 election anyway, the Profumo affair didn't help, as Labour won 317 seats to the Tories' 304, and Harold Wilson became Prime Minister.

Profumo's wife, actress Valerie Hobson, forgave him, and they retreated into charity work, rebuilding his reputation. By the time he died, he had long been back in British society's good graces.

In 1989, the story gained back some traction for 2 reasons: The film Scandal retold the story, with Ian McKellen as Profumo, Deborah Grant as Hobson, Joanne Whalley as Keeler, Bridget Fonda as Rice-Davies, John Hurt as Ward, Leslie Phillips as Astor, Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé as Ivanov, Leon Herbert as Gordon, Fine Young Cannibals lead singer Roland Gift as Edgecombe. And it was mentioned in Billy Joel's rapid-fire history song "We Didn't Start the Fire," leading a generation not old enough to remember 1963 what the line "British politician sex" was about.

Astor died in 1966, Macmillan in 1986, Ivanov in 1994, Hobson in 1998, Denning in 1999, Profumo in 2006, Edgecombe in 2010, Rice-Davies in 2014, Keeler and Gordon in 2017.

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June 5, 1963 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 in Baltimore, but it was costly for them. At the time, Memorial Stadium had a chain-link fence in the outfield, making for easier removal for football games. After already going 2-for-2, Mickey Mantle went deep into center field to try to catch a ball hit by Brooks Robinson. It was no use, as it went over that fence for a home run. But it making the attempt, Mantle got his foot caught in the fence, and broke it. He was out for 2 months, the longest of his many in-season injuries. At any rate, Whitey Ford outpitched Milt Pappas, and Roger Maris hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Braves, 11-9 at the Polo Grounds. The Mets scored 7 runs in the 6th inning, and forced extra innings. But Bubba Morton singled home 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to win it for the Braves. Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews each went 3-for-5, and Mathews added 2 RBIs.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Ray Culp pitched a 3-hit shutout. Stan Musial, in his last season, when 0-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4 and 4-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Over the 2 games, Roberto Clemente went 2-for-8, Bill Mazeroski went 5-for-8 with a home run and 4 RBIs; Frank Robinson went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, and rookie Pete Rose went 0-for-5 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Jim Bunning outpitched Jim "Mudcat" Grant. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the San Francisco Giants, 9-5 and 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Willie Mays went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBIs in the 1st game, and appeared as a pinch-hitter without reaching base in the 2nd game. Over the 2 games, Ernie Banks went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs, a walk, and 3 RBIs.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Athletics, 4-0 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Jim Roland (7 innings) and Bill Dailey combined on a 5-hit shutout. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Colt .45s, 5-1 at Colt Stadium in Houston. Sandy Koufax went the distance for the win. The Colts became the Houston Astros in 1965.

* A doubleheader was split at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Angels groundshared with the Dodgers until their stadium in Anaheim was built. The Chicago White Sox won the opener, 3-0. John Buzhardt allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout. The Angels won the nightcap, 8-2.

And the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators were rained out at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (And yet, just 42 miles away, Baltimore got its entire game in.) The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on August 2. The Red Sox won the 1st game, 5-0. Earl Wilson pitched a 6-hit shutout, and helped his own cause with a home run. The Senators won the 2nd game, 4-3. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-8 with a walk and an RBI.