Be it known that there is not an element of truth or fact behind this statement. In fact it is beyond my powers of reasoning as to where the author of this article could have mixed up his facts.... was also one of the team that wrote Dennis Wheatley thrillers after Wheatley died in 1977.
If anyone has got any ideas, please tell!
But in the meantime, I have written asking The Guardian (which is where I think the story originated) to correct their facts.