Editing Profumo affair (section)

===Mounting pressures===
On 22 January 1963 the Soviet government, sensing a possible scandal, recalled Ivanov.<ref>Knightley and Kennedy, p. 128</ref> Aware of increasing public interest, Keeler attempted to sell her story to the national newspapers.<ref name="DH262">Davenport-Hines, pp. 262–63</ref> The Radcliffe tribunal's ongoing inquiry into press behaviour during the Vassall case was making newspapers nervous,<ref>Young, p. 10</ref> and only two showed interest in Keeler's story: the ''[[Sunday Mirror|Sunday Pictorial]]'' and the ''[[News of the World]]''. As the latter would not join an auction, Keeler accepted the ''Pictorial''{{'}}s offer of a £200 down payment and a further £800 when the story was published.<ref>Denning, pp. 21–23</ref> The ''Pictorial'' retained a copy of the "Darling" letter. Meanwhile, the ''News of the World'' alerted Ward and Astor—whose names had been mentioned by Keeler—and they in turn informed Profumo.<ref name="DH262" /> When Profumo's lawyers tried to persuade Keeler not to publish, the compensation she demanded was so large that they considered charges of [[extortion]].<ref name="Robertson34">Robertson, pp. 34–35</ref> Ward informed the ''Pictorial'' that Keeler's story was largely false and threatened to sue if it was printed, whereupon the paper withdrew its offer, although Keeler kept the £200.<ref name="DH262" />

Keeler then gave details of her affair with Profumo to a police officer, who did not pass on this information to MI5 or the legal authorities.<ref name="Robertson34" /><ref name="Parris159">Parris, p. 159</ref> By this time, many of Profumo's political colleagues had heard rumours of his entanglement, and of the existence of a potentially incriminating letter. Nevertheless, his denials were accepted by the government's principal law officers and the Conservative [[Chief Whip]], although with some private scepticism.<ref>Davenport-Hines, pp. 264–67</ref> Macmillan, mindful of the injustice done to Galbraith on the basis of rumours, was determined to support his minister and took no action.<ref name="Parris159" />{{#tag:ref|On 4 March a fairly explicit summary of the allegations surrounding Profumo was published by [[Andrew Roth]] in his newsletter ''Westminster Confidential'', but Profumo was advised by his lawyers not to sue, since the circulation of the sheet was insignificant.<ref>Davenport-Hines, pp. 268–69</ref><ref>Parris, p. 160</ref>|group= n}}

Edgecombe's trial began on 14 March but Keeler, one of [[the Crown]]'s key witnesses, was missing. She had, without informing the court, gone to [[Francoist Spain|Spain]], although at this stage her whereabouts were unknown. Her unexplained absence caused a press sensation.<ref name="Knightley149">Knightley and Kennedy, pp. 149–50</ref> Every newspaper knew the rumours linking Keeler with Profumo, but refrained from reporting any direct connection; in the wake of the Radcliffe inquiry they were, in Wigg's later words, "willing to wound but afraid to strike".<ref name="Y14">Young, pp. 14–15</ref> They could only hint, by front-page juxtapositions of stories and photographs, that Profumo might be connected to Keeler's disappearance.<ref>Irving et al, p. 90</ref> Despite Keeler's absence the judge proceeded with the case; Edgecombe was found guilty on a lesser charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.<ref name="Knightley149" /> A few days after the trial, on 21 March, the satirical magazine ''[[Private Eye]]'' printed the most detailed summary so far of the rumours, with the main characters lightly disguised: "Mr James Montesi", "Miss Gaye Funloving", "Dr Spook" and "Vladimir Bolokhov".<ref name="Y14" />