26 JULY 1963, Page 3

— Portrait of the Week— `THE EVIL. that men do lives

after them.' The week's news centred round variations on a theme by Rachman, private and public. The Commons argued its way through the noisiest debate for months on rents and racketeers, and Sir Keith Joseph, Minister of Housing, announced a special inquiry into London rents by Sir Milner Holland, himself ironically a Profumo prizewinner at the Inner Temple. Rachman's name was mentioned at the Old Bailey by Mandy Rice-Davies, who this week claimed on TV that she was a 'one-guy girl' ('well, one at a time'). At the trial of Dr. Ward. the hundred reporters recorded the Who's Who standard of revelation from Mesdames Keeler and Rice-Davies, and sharpened their pens for the mysterious 'Charles' who remained anonymous. A final echo of the Wimpole Mews set was the Tories' surprise decision to hold the Stratford by-election in the middle of August, when the Labour candidate will be cavorting his way through Lorna Doone on TV. He claimed, with an unfortunate turn of phrase, that Labour was 'all stripped for action.'

THE. NUCLEAR TEST BAN was agreed after secret negotiations in the Kremlin conclave, even though success was not signalled by a white mushroom cloud and a cry from Mr. Khrush- chcv of 'habemus pactam: The Chinese Went home after the collapse of their talks with the Russians, and Pravda Complained. that the Chinese 'will not recognise as revolutionary any process not smelling of gunpowder.' Mr. Adoula, the Congolese Premier, met Mr. Macmillan in London. and perhaps each congratulated the other on retaining office against all expectations. The Malta Independence Conference dragged on. President Kennedy took panic measures to save the dollar, and Mr, Boyd-Carpenter went to Germany to try to persuade the Germans to buy the further L70 million of arms that they promised to buy. More squabbling broke out in Laos, Egypt and Syria became enemies again, the UN apartheid committee recommended an economic boycott of South Africa, and the EEC had to lower its economic targets because of the disrup- tions of last winter—caused by the weather, not by the General.

*

BRITAIN'S two days of summer came and went, but it was a good week for British prestige. American Airlines bought fifteen BAC One-eleven planes, an order that may open the floodgates for aircraft sales to America. Exports rose sharply, BEA made a June profit of Ll million, and beer production also rose. The National In- comes Commission called for more information on profits, and urged that excess profits should he passed on to the consumer. Mr. Marples told iinard that he was not giving any special sub- sidy for a new 'Queen' liner,'but the company could apply for shipbuilding aid like any other firm. Three soccer players were charged with attempting to fix the results of matches, and the Federation Of London Anarchists burst into the Cuban Embassy and broke the Ambassador's glasses. Soon the anarchists may do the same in the proposed MPs' office block, which, it was announced this week, is to be built beside the Houses of Parliament.

*

SONNY LISTON took four seconds longer to retain his boxing crown against Floyd Patterson, though Patterson spent one-fifth of the fight on the floor. Guides and warders in museums and palaces went on strike, there were rumours that the Derby winner was doped, and Princess Anne is to be educated at Benenden. To complete an odd week, Sir Gerald Nabarro, when signing autographs at Bingley, did not notice that one of the pieces of paper thrust in front of him was an application form to join the Labour Party.