Ian Fleming and Operation Golden Eye
Keeping Spain out of World War II
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The elaborate Allied schemes to keep Spain and Portugal out of WWII—featuring the real-life spy work of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.
Historian Mark Simmons reveals the various Allied operations designed to keep the Iberian Peninsula out of WWII. It is a tale of widespread bribery of high ranking Spanish officials, the duplicity of Adm. Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr, and an elaborate scheme developed by a Naval Intelligence commander who would later create the iconic spy character.
Ian Fleming and Alan Hillgarth were the architects of Operation Golden Eye, the sabotage and disruption scheme that would have been put in place, had Germany invaded Spain. Fleming visited the Iberian Peninsula and Tangiers during the war, in what was arguably the closest he came to being a real secret agent. It was these visits that supplied much of the background material for his James Bond novels. Fleming even called his home on Jamaica where he created 007 “Goldeneye.”
The book begins in October 1940, when Hitler met with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. At that time, an alliance between Germany and Spain seemed possible. In response, Adm. Godfrey of British Naval Intelligence created Operation Tracer, in which a listening and observation post would be buried in the Rock of Gibraltar, should it fall to the Germans. Simmons also explores the SIS and SOE operations in Portugal and the vital Wolfram wars. Though Operation Golden Eye was eventually put on standby in 1943, its intrigue and intricacy are both fascinating and enlightening.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this detailed but dry history, Simmons (Nicolson's Gold), a former member of the Royal Marines, explores Britain's attempts to keep Spain and Portugal neutral in WWII with a specific focus on naval intelligence and the role of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Simmons posits that this time was pivotal in Fleming's creative development and "all these influences would lead him to make a living with his pen," but he doesn't offer much support for this claim. Fleming is absent for long portions of the book as Simmons explores the diplomatic dynamics playing out in Portugal and Spain in the early 1940s; recounts intelligence campaigns (including Operation Tracer, a fascinating plan to leave British spies inside the Rock of Gibraltar if Germany successfully took control) with only vague or speculative discussions of Fleming's role; and profiles other operatives, including Wilhelm Canaris, a German official secretly working against his superiors. The portions with Fleming draw frequently on supposition, and the connections to his writing are not particularly insightful ("Gold crops up many times in Ian Fleming's James Bond books, often in the form of buried or lost treasure"). Bond enthusiasts hoping to see direct parallels will not find this rewarding, but readers with a deep interest in WWII might.
