Ian Fleming
 
|
Director of Intelligence, Rear Admiral John Godfrey recruited Ian Fleming as his Personal Assistant in 1939.
Godfrey used Fleming to liaise with the other intelligence sections of the wartime administration, including the Secret Intelligence Service and Special Operations Executive. Fleming wrote a now famous inter-departmental memo called the Trout Memo for Godfrey just after the start of the war. The memo began: "The Trout Fisher casts patiently all day. He frequently changes his venue and his lures. If he has frightened a fish he may 'give the water a rest for half-an-hour,' but his main endeavour, viz. to attract fish by something he sends out from his boat, is incessant." The document describes ideas for fooling the enemy. |
Included was this passage: "The following suggestion is used in a book by Basil Thomson: a corpse dressed as an airman, with despatches in his pockets, could be dropped on the coast, supposedly from a parachute that has failed. I understand there is no difficulty in obtaining corpses at the Naval Hospital, but, of course, it would have to be a fresh one."
This suggestion was the basis for Operation Mincemeat, which was the 1943 plan to conceal the invasion of Italy from North Africa.
This suggestion was the basis for Operation Mincemeat, which was the 1943 plan to conceal the invasion of Italy from North Africa.
|
Godfrey, is of course regarded as the principle inspiration for Fleming’s, M in his novels. Another possible book character, Felix Leiter, is likely to have at least in part, been based on Colonel ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan, who was America’s special representative on Intelligence between Washington and London.
Fleming accompanied Godfrey to the States, where he assisted in the writing of a blueprint for an Office of the Coordinator of Information, which became the Office of Strategic Services which then became the Central Intelligence Agency - You can read more HERE Fleming’s war time career included a close working relationship with covert operations. He formed a unit of specialist Intelligence Commandos, known as 30 Commando, to seize documents and Intelligence related documents in advance of an attack or advance in operations. Fleming was also involved with T-Force, or Target Force, whose principle job was “to guard and secure documents, persons, equipment, with combat and Intelligence personnel, after capture of large towns, ports etc. in liberated and enemy territory." During his time working with these operations Ian Fleming came into contact with the characters we are most interested in – those upon whom Q was based. |
There hasn't been a film about Ian Fleming's life, but if there was, surely Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush would play the great author!
|
