Manipulation (reprise)

(The Home Secretary's private quarters in the Home Office. In the room are the Home Secretary himself, HENRY BROOKE, the head of MI5, ROGER HOLLIS, and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, SIR JOSEPH SIMPSON.)

[BROOKE]
This is a terribly serious matter
The Government's future is in jeopardy
This fellow, Ward, went and threatened Profumo
He can't keep his mouth shut

[HOLLIS]
How best can we deal with him?

[BROOKE]
Shift the blame
And blacken his name
Let's find a way to put him inside

Shift the blame
Put him in the frame
And keep the whole damn thing

[ALL]
Classified

[HOLLIS]
Now that Ivana's been called back to Russia
There isn't a chance we can get Ward for espionage
And by the way
He was working on our behalf
Writing useless reports on Ivanov's proclivities

[ALL]
So no charge for espionage
There must be something else we can do
It's high time we thought of a crime
Manipulation
Nothing new

[SIMPSON]
Hollis is right
There's no chance of conviction
Perhaps we should focus on sexual behavior

Immoral earnings
Now, that might be possible
Some of those girls
Must have slipped him a bob or two

[BROOKE]
That's the one
Can you get it done?

[SIMPSON]
It won't be easy
But we can try

[BROOKE]
What I need
Is you to succeed
Then we can all kiss Ward goodbye

[ALL]
We can all kiss Ward goodbye
We all know the way it should go
Manipulation, that's the technique

[BROOKE]
Now, forget that we ever met

[HOLLIS]
This conversation must not leak

[ALL]
This conversation will not leak
This conversation will not leak
This conversation will not leak