Andrew Lloyd Webber — 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