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June 29th, 2008
 Ian Fleming’s frequent contact with the variety of spies and agents who passed through Room 39 stimulated his imagination to propose a variety of ideas to the Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear Admiral John Godfrey.
However, he was to see some real action when flown to Paris in June 1940 as France collapsed. He remained there for a fortnight, directing the intelligence operations around him. With Paris falling to the Germans, Fleming collected the secret service funds, which were hidden at the Paris office of Rolls Royce and effected his escape to Bordeaux.
There at the British Consulate he set about the task of burning all the documents before heading to Madrid via Portugal. Since the Straights of Gibraltar were of vital strategic importance for access to the Mediterranean, it was considered vital for the allies to prevent Spain from joining the war and aiding Hitler.
Fleming returned to London as the Blitz and the Battle of Britain were beginning. Luftwaffe bombers were targeting London and the skies buzzed with RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires attempting to hold off the Germans’ onslaught. Meanwhile, with the formation of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Naval Intelligence no longer looked after sabotage and dirty tricks on the European mainland.
One major concern to Naval Intelligence was the threat to British shipping from Germany’s U-Boat fleet, but in order to know the movement of U-Boats, cryptologists needed to crack the code used by the German Enigma code machines. Fleming came up with the answer in a memo to Godfrey:
1. Obtain from the Air Ministry an air-worthy German bomber.
2. Pick a tough crew of five, including a pilot, W/T operator and word-perfect German speaker. Dress them in German Air Force uniform, add blood and bandages to suit.
3. Crash plane in the Channel after making SOS to rescue service in P/L.
4. Once aboard rescue boat, shoot German crew, dump overboard, bring rescue boat back to English port.
Although Operation Ruthless got the go ahead and was ready to roll, it was cancelled due to a lack of suitable German marine traffic. Fleming had initially wanted to go on the operation himself; naturally Godfrey vetoed this idea, as Fleming was far too valuable to fall into enemy hands.
Operation Ruthless did demonstrate what an imagination Fleming possessed, which would later be so essential in the creation of James Bond.
 For more comprehensive information on the life of Ian Fleming see Andrew Lycett’s excellent biography, available at Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com.
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June 28th, 2008
 At the outbreak of war the intelligence gathering operations were splintered into being controlled by each of the armed forces, with Naval Intelligence the most professional of them; Ian Fleming relished his new role.
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - better known as MI6 - had suffered a double blow at the out break of war, with both the death of its head, Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, and the capture of two agents that lead to the compromising of the entire European network. The result was that Naval Intelligence was forced to act outside its remit of providing intelligence at sea.
Fleming threw himself into his work in Room 39 of The Admiralty, occupying the antechamber to the Director of Naval Intelligence, working closely with taskmaster Real Admiral John Godfrey. The team comprised of a mixture of naval men and civilians and the height of the war Room 39 employed 20 staff.
Completely in his element, Fleming helped formulate policies and ideas for Godfrey. He soon became Godfrey’s liaison with the outside world, with his easy manners, charm and contacts all helping to open doors with other services and senior SIS officers.
Quickly promoted to the rank of Commander - he started the war as a Lieutenant - any remaining obstacles due to rank or class were broken down and allowed him access to cabinet ministers when the occasion required. It was the three gold bands on the sleeve of his uniform signifying his rank that inspired Fleming to order three golf rings on his hand made Morland’s cigarettes - exactly the same as James Bond later smoked.
Although the demands on his time were such that he had little time for his personal life, Fleming did continue to see Ann O’Neill and occasionally Murial Wright. He did find time to play bridge though and it was through this that he came into frequent contact with Lord Kemsey, owner of The Sunday Times.
In addition to acting as his liaison, Fleming also represented Godfrey on several interdepartmental committees was well as to take over the function of intelligence planning. Fleming was surprised to find he enjoyed working the long hours required of him and gradually took over more and more responsibilities as part of his daily routine.
For more comprehensive information on the life of Ian Fleming see Andrew Lycett’s excellent biography, available at Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com.
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May 24th, 2008
The third article about the life of Ian Fleming picks up the story at the point when he had become a journalist in 1931 and outline his relatively carefree years before the Second World War, when his biggest concerns seemed to be golf and women.
That Christmas the Flemings were joined by Monique, but Eve did her best to make her stay uncomfortable. However, Ian continued the romance and saw her whenever he could. In late July and August of 1932, Ian was assigned to follow the Alpine Motor Trials as co-driver to Dennis Healy. The event was a treacherous 1,580 mile course through Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France and of course Ian managed to spend time with Monique; and he also managed a skiing holiday with her in March 1933, when posted to Munich to cover the rise of Hitler.
Later in March a friend of Ian told him about the case of six senior engineers from Vickers who were working on a project in Russia had been arrested for espionage. When Ian’s story was published it caused outrage across Great Britain and a major international incident. With few British correspondents remaining in Moscow, Ian found himself posted there cover the trial in April. However, on his return from Moscow, Ian was delivered an ultimatum by his mother - break his engagement to Monique lose the family’s financial backing; he took the easy option.
The following October Ian tendered his resignation from Reuters to take up a position as a stockbroker. Although he was quick to realize how unsuited he was for the role, he did enjoy the salary, social cachet and frequent golf. During this time he was part of a moneyed crowd that made frequent cross channel trips to Le Touquet and Deauville for the golf and casinos.
 Fleming became involved with several anti-Nazi causes through his friends, including Percy Muir, which makes it rather ironic that when he finally found a flat of his own, it was leased from Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists. Here, at 22B Ebury Street, he played out a well-worn seduction routine.
Among his frequent female consorts was Muriel Wright. However, friends had noticed that since Monique, Ian had become ruthless with his girlfriends and had gained the reputation of something of a cad; despite her adoration him, Ian didn’t treat her well. It was also during this time that he met Ann O’Neill, and they began their long affair.
By March 1939 war looked more than likely, with Hitler threatening the Polish border. Ian’s brother, Peter, was working in intelligence and managed to get Ian a temporary position with The Times to cover a trade mission in Moscow. This was almost certainly Ian’s introduction to the intelligence world.
Following his reports from Moscow, he was interviewed by Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence and offered a temporary position starting in June. By July he was working full time in Naval Intelligence as the Assistance to the Director of Naval Intelligence and while there was nothing in his previous life to suggest he would do well in this position, it ultimately proved to be the making of the man - a position that he was finally able to throw himself into and in which he excelled.
For more comprehensive information on the life of Ian Fleming see Andrew Lycett’s excellent biography, available at Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com.
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May 19th, 2008
This second article of the series continues to look at the life of Ian Fleming following his resignation from officer training at Sandhurst and his education and career before the Second World War.
Following Ian’s humiliating departure from the army, his mother was at a loss with what to do with him next. In the end she decided to send him to Kitzbuhel in Austria with the aim of preparing him for the rigorous Foreign Office exam.
The school was located at the Villa Tennerhof and run by Ernan Forbes Dennis and his wife. Although Ian had spent a previous summer there, it was his older brother Peter’s progress in German during the summer of 1927 that decided things; although his French and German were already good, excellent language skills were essential for the Foreign Office.
His initial interview with the Foreign Office took place in May 1928, which pronounced him a suitable candidate for the entrance exam and following the advice of Forbes Dennis, Ian enrolled in Munch University in the autumn of that year to continue his German language studies, and the following year in Geneva for French.
It was after a family holiday in Corsica in 1929, before setting off for Geneva, that Ian met two figures who were to remain lifelong friends; while in London he first met William Plomer, who was later to become his proof reader, and Percy Muir, who was instrumental in helping start Ian’s book collection. The collection includes original editions of works about the great discoveries, inventions and theories of the 19th century and can be found today in the Lilly Library at Indiana University Bloomington.
While at Geneva, Ian became enthusiastic about golf and frequently climbed at Chamonix. To further his studies he also took up Russian on the advice of Forbes Dennis and sought to further his understanding of international diplomacy by frequently mixing with diplomats. It was also during this time that he met and fell in love with Monique Panchaud de Bottomes, with whom he spent much of the summer before his Foreign Office exam in September 1931.
When Ian failed to land one of just three Foreign Office positions available, his mother immediately blamed Monique for her son’s failure. However, Eve Fleming used her considerable influence to land Ian a position with Reuters, where he began to learn the ropes as a journalist.
For more comprehensive information on the life of Ian Fleming see Andrew Lycett’s excellent biography, available at Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com.
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May 1st, 2008
This year marks the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming, a name that is implicitly tied to James Bond. However, as the books were eclipsed long ago by the films, it seems while many are familiar with Fleming’s name, far fewer actually know much about his life or his extraordinary intelligence career during the Second World War. With the centenary date fast approaching, now seems like the moment to attempt to rectify this imbalance, with the first part of a concise biography of Ian Fleming.
Born in London’s Mayfair on May 28th 1908, Ian Lancaster Fleming was the second of four brothers born to Conservative MP Valentine Fleming and his wife Eve. Valentine was the son of Robert Fleming, founder of the merchant bank that bore his name, ensuring Ian was born into the most privileged of circumstances. However, Valentine was killed in France during the First World War, shortly before Ian’s ninth birthday, an event that was to haunt him for the rest of his life. Valentine counted among his friends Winston Churchill, who wrote his obituary in The Times; later Ian was to display a copy signed by Churchill in each of his houses.
Ian joined elder brother Peter at Eton in 1921. While he excelled at sports, he showed little academic aptitude and in 1925 and 26 became the first Victor Ludorum - Champion Athlete - for two consecutive years. During this time Eve had sold the family home and moved to Chelsea, and promptly embarked on an affair with Augustus John, a leading painter of the time.
Ian had been railroaded into following his father’s footsteps by Eve and was being lined up for officer training at Sandhurst. However, when it became apparent that he was doing his utmost be uncooperative, Ian was removed from Eton by his mother - not expelled as some claim, like 007 - and sent to a crammer to study for the Sandhurst entrance exams.
Having gained entrance to Sandhurst - his mother’s high society connections certainly helped here - Ian found the discipline difficult, or at least seemed determined to ignore the rules as best he could. He finally managed to put an early end to his fledgling army career when he contracted gonorrhoea from a prostitute, his mother deciding that the army was not for him after all and forcing him to resign.
For more comprehensive information on the life of Ian Fleming see Andrew Lycett’s excellent biography, available at Amazon.co.uk/Amazon.com.
Read more about Ian Fleming
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