Great Britain: The Saga of Polish Peter

Like the overturning of a deeply embedded rock, the Profumo scandal caused a frantic scurrying of a great many odd human insects. One of the crawliest figures to emerge was that of Peter Rachman, who may, or may not, be dead. Last week press and Parliament were abuzz with his sordid story.

Rachman looked the part of an Ian Fleming villain. Short and fat, with grotesquely tiny hands and feet, he had no neck, a bald head shaped like a soccer ball, and sunken blue eyes always hidden behind dark glasses. He dressed...