Did Fleming Bond Really work MI6? – Probably not
perdogg
Posts: 432MI6 Agent
Did Fleming Bond Really work MI6? – Probably not
The conventional wisdom in the Fleming Bond genre is that Bond works for MI6. This conventional wisdom has eventually caught up to Bond films, and since 1995 Bond has openly worked MI6. Not only does Bond now work for MI6, but his boss M has been promoted to Head of MI6. This branding has continued since then. From Dr No. through The Living Daylights, Bond had worked closely with the Royal Navy in some form or another.
In the movie Dr. No, M claimed to have been the Head of MI7 (Broccoli), even though the actually circumstances of this is either in dispute or unclear. This is unlikely since MI7 was responsible for propaganda. However, it is clear that someone believes that Bond has more than just a working relation with the Ministry of Defence. In fact, we actually see Bond, Moneypenny, and M in their naval uniform in You Only Live Twice. We can tell by the rank insignia that M is a Rear-Admiral (OF-7) and that Moneypenny is a Lieutenant (OF-2) in the WREN. The style of insignia that M is wearing is the rank insignia for a Rear Admiral up until 2001.
In 1939 when Godfrey took over the Naval Intelligence Division he was a Rear-Admiral retiring in 1945 as an Admiral (OF-9). It would not be inconsistent for a Rear-Admiral to run the NID. In The Spy Who Loved Me Bond is not only shown in his uniform, but also he actually takes orders directly from Frederick Gray the Minister of Defence played by Geoffrey Keen and his future M, Vice Admiral Hargreaves, played by Robert Brown. I am sure that Keen’s character was based on the real life British Admiral Sir Frederick Grey who became First Sea Lord in 1862. In Moonraker, Frederick Grey is once again the center of attention, directing orders to both M and Bond. Incidentally we did see Brosnan in his naval uniform in Tomorrow Never Dies with the rank of Commander.
In For Your Eyes Only, Bill Tanner is contacted by the First Sea Lord after the St George was sank by a mine. Why would the First Sea Lord contact the chief of staff to the Head of MI6 without going through the Foreign Ministry? Clearly MI6 would be part of the National Security apparatus, but I doubt that a Foreign Secretary would ever cede unchecked authority in the case of such a crisis. In all honesty, if a British Spy ship were to sink under mysterious circumstances and a major piece of electronics is left on the ship, I am not sure there would be any role for MI6. The Royal Navy could have just commenced operation to ensure the device was destroyed. In Dalton’s first Bond, we see M, who was played by Robert Brown, in his uniform wearing the rank insignia of Rear Admiral saying the exercise at Gibraltar was just an exercise for the Ministry of Defence, but it was more than that for the Double-O section. From 1977 to 1987, Bond worked in the Ministry of Defence. Clearly, the writers of the film got this more involved relationship somewhere.
Fleming Novels
However, upon careful examination of the Fleming novels, one should conclude that Bond does not work for MI6, but rather at an interagency Intelligence organization at the Ministry of Defence, possibly the Naval Intelligence Division, or NID. This could be what Fleming was describing in Casino Royale (empathizes added):
"Two weeks before, this memorandum had gone from Station S of the Secret Service to M, who was then and is today head of this adjunct to the British Defence Ministries." (Fleming, Casino Royale). The problem with the theory that the Fleming Bond worked for MI6 is that MI6 is part of the UK Foreign Ministry and has been since around 1920. This NID, now defunct, was in existence during the writing of the Fleming novels until 1965 when it was absorbed into the Ministry of Defence. It is ironic that the Fleming Bond era ended about the same time as the NID. Between 1939 and 1942, the NID was run by Admiral John Henry Godfrey, who some suspect was Fleming’s M in the novels. Other members who worked in the NID, Ralph Izzard, Merlin Minshall, and Fleming himself, were considered to be models for the James Bond.
In fact, in his review of the Fleming novels, author Kingsley Amis even attempts to dispel the notion that Bond is even a spy in the very first sentence of his critique The James Bond Dossier (Amis):
“It’s inaccurate, of course, to describe James Bond as a spy, in the strict sense of one who steals or buys or smuggles the secret of a foreign powers.”
There are numerous references to Bond working for the Ministry of Defence in the Fleming novels and short-stories. Not only are there several references to Bond working for the Ministry of Defence, but also to his boss M and his Secretary Leolia Ponsonby. In fact, at the conclusion of The Spy Who Loved Me (Fleming) Bond tells Vivien to contact him “In care of the Ministry of Defence”. Then there is the obituary in You Only Live Twice (Fleming, You Only Live Twice) where “"As your readers will have learned from earlier issues, a senior officer of the Ministry of Defence, Commander James Bond...is missing" and that "M.G. writes I was happy and proud to serve Commander Bond...past three years at the Ministry of Defence". We know that Mary Goodnight was introduced in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, so there is no doubt that Bond had been working for the Ministry of Defence since then.
The most important reference comes from James Bond himself in the Short-story The Property of a Lady (Fleming, Octopussy and The Living Daylights) in which Bond flatly comes out says ““And if I [Bond] told you I’m from the Ministry of Defence?” Clearly Bond works for the Ministry of Defence. There are no references to MI6 or SIS in any of the Fleming Bond novels, except for a brief mention of the SIS In Dicta at the very end of the novel of The Man with The Golden Gun. However, Bond reaffirms his position with the Ministry of Defence. “Certainly he [Bond] was a Commander in the Special Branch of RNVR…”. (Fleming, Goldfinger)
All of these references cannot be ignored and all are in their proper context. How could some be an employee of the Ministry of Defence and be an employee of MI6 at the same time.
One of the things that cannot be ignored was Fleming’s role in World War II. It is assumed that Admiral John Henry Godfrey CB, Fleming’s boss during the War, was the bases of the character M in the novels. More importantly, Fleming drew on his own experience.
According to Henry Ziegler’s biography of Ian Fleming (Zeiger): “The Department of Naval Intelligence was known as N.I.D. 17, and Fleming signed all of his correspondence 17F. The Department was located in Room 39 of the Old Admiralty, and with Fleming in the Room were others of Godfrey’s staff – a stockbroker, a lawyer, two Royal Navy Captains, a paymaster and a confidential secretary” and : “He [Fleming] said: “I couldn’t possibly have had a more exciting or interesting War. Of course, it’s my experience in Naval Intelligence, and what I learned about secret operations of sort of another, that finally led me to write about them – in a highly bowdlerized way – with James Bond”.
Furthermore, “We have already seen that he admired Hammett and Chandler and he thought of James Bond as being in the tradition of their heroes, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. He said Bond was “a sort of amalgam of romantic tough guys, dressed up in 20th Century clothes, using 20th Century language,” and he believed he was closer to the real agents he had known in Naval Intelligence than to ‘any of the rather cardboard heroes the ancient thrillers.” (Zeiger).
Clearly, Fleming did not consider his character as working for MI6, but rather working in the same confines of Naval Intelligence. In his December 1964 interview with Playboy Magazine (Fleming, Playboy Interview) Fleming explained to Interviewer Alex Hailey how Bond got the “double-0” moniker. “Well, though this [Bond’s double-o prefix] was purely a fictional device to make Bond’s particular job more interesting, the double-0 prefix is not so entirely invented as all that. I pinched the idea from the fact that, in the Admiralty, at the beginning of the War, all top-secret signals had the double-0 prefix.”
Another minor point regarding the background to Bond. We know that 007 fought in World War II in Ardennes, even though Bond was a Commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. This was a part of Bond’s obituary in You Only Live Twice. Clearly, it would make sense that Bond would have continued his career with the Ministry of Defence.
Amis then confirms that Bond works for Naval Intelligence: "But even if Bond had learnt to handle a bazooka in the Ardennes sector in 1944 (What was a Commander from Naval Intelligence doing there, by the way?)...” (Amis). An opinion shared by Paul Antony:
Paul Antony’s 007 Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation “Consider the Similarities: both six foot two in height, both graduates of Eton (England’s exclusive school) both Commanders in Naval Intelligence.” (Friedman)
Proponents of the Bond MI6 theory claim that Fleming used Ministry of Defence as a cover for Bond. However, logic would dictate that claiming to be from Ministry of Defence would not prove to be very effective cover in the face of enemy danger. This claim is also undercut by the fact that Bond uses different covers in the novels including Universal Exports Ltd, Scotland Yard in Moonraker, and the Royal College of Arms in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and CID in The Property of a Lady.
Many proponents of MI6 theory also attempt to point to Moonraker where we learn from Gala Brand’s soliloquy that Bond received special permission to work in United Kingdom. However, one must remember that NID was responsible for both naval intelligence and the collection of foreign intelligence. This would not be inconsistent with having to receive special permission to operate within borders of the United Kingdom. All this would indicate is that Bond does not work for MI5, which we already knew. Yet no permission is sought in Goldfinger, even after it is discovered that Goldfinger is discovered to be SMERSH’s banker for Bond to pursue Goldfinger within the borders of the United Kingdom. Also, Bond is free to work on The Property of a Lady within the borders of the United Kingdom without the permission of the PM. Given that Bond is not required permission in Goldfinger and The Property of a Lady, one can conclude that Fleming never really considered this prohibition to be significant enough to repeat. Especially since we only learn of this through Gala Brand, not M or Bond himself. This device could be used only to increase the mystery of Bond through the eyes of Gala Brand. One of the most intriguing claims is the Fleming was bound by the Official Secrets Act not to mention the existence of MI6. The Home Office’s MI5 was mentioned in The Property of a Lady.
Since I am not a lawyer in the United Kingdom, I cannot get into the fine points of the law and how it was regarded, but again this would defy logic. Why would Fleming consider Bond to working for an organization that he was not permitted to discuss and has no experiences in the workings of this organization? Under this logic, it would be possible for Bond to work for the mythical MIB (Men in Black) or any other organizations simply because he was not permitted to talk about it.
Fleming does refer to the ‘Secret Service’ in a generic sense, so why not just remove all references to the Ministry of Defense and leave Bond working for the ‘Secret Service’? Fleming would be able to have it both ways if he intended his character to work for MI6.
Another issue that would be hard to explain is why would MI6 have only three agents who be permitted to kill in the line of duty. This would make the double-0 section overworked and again, would defy all logic. Agents in the field are trained to kill if needed.
The ultimate logical question would be, what would be the point of having the double-0 if Bond worked for MI6? Why not just have Bond work for ‘The Secret Service’ with a licence to kill assumed?
In the 1979 film novelization James Bond and Moonraker , Christopher Wood continues with the Bond working for the Ministry of Defence “…alias M, gazed thoughtfully out the window of his eighth floor office overlooking Regent Park. The office belonged to Trans-world Consortium but this was also an adjunct of the British Ministry of Defence which might have termed the Secret Service.” (Wood). Wood even has James Bond meeting with the Minster of Defence “He’s [M] got the Minster of Defence coming in at any minute” (Wood). Why would the British Minister of Defence be meeting with an MI6 agent and where would Wood get the idea that James Bond works for the Minster of Defence? From Fleming of course.
Conclusion
One could argue of course that Bond did not work for NID, but there is nothing stated in any of the Bond novels to indicate he worked for MI6. In fact, various inconsistencies from novel to novel could indicate the real possibility that Fleming really never put much thought for whom Bond worked. This is probably closer to the truth. However, clearly there is no evidence he worked for MI6.
List of all the Ministry of Defence references in the Bond Novels:
1. Casino Royale, Ian Fleming 1953 Gildrose, London - Chapter 2 "Dossier for M" - "Two weeks before, this memorandum had gone from Station S of the Secret Service to M, who was then and is today head of this adjunct to the British Defence Ministries."
2. Moonraker, Ian Fleming 1954 Gildrose, London - Chapter 1 - "Secret Paper work" - "Loelia Ponsonby, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence".
3. Ibid - Chapter 4 - "The 'Shiner' - "Admiral Sir M -M-: something at the Ministry of Defence".
4. Ibid - Chapter 4 - "The 'Shiner' - "Commander James Bond ...something at the Ministry of Defence".
5. Diamonds Are Forever, Ian Fleming 1955 Gildrose, London - Chapter 3 -"Hot Ice" - "Afterndouble-0 n, Sergeant. This is Commander Bond of the Ministry of Defence"
6. Thunderball, Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham 1961 Gildrose, London - Chapter 1 - "Take it Easy, Mr Bond" - "That's not what the MO [Medical Officer] thinks". A Medical officer is a doctor in the British Army or Royal Navy.
7. The Spy Who Loved Me, Ian Fleming 1962 Gildrose, London - Chapter 15 - "The Writing On My Heart" - "..you can get me [Bond]..c/o Ministry of Defence"
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service Ian Fleming 1963 Gildrose, London - Chapter 6 - "Bond of Bond Street" - Bond said..."I am from the Ministry of Defence"
9. Ibid- Chapter 8 - "Fancy cover" - "..Bond was employed by the Ministry of Defence."
10. Ibid- Chapter 18 - "The Man from Fish and AG" - ".respect those [secrets] of the Ministry of Defence." M is telling the Ministry that he is subjected to the OSA
11. You Only Live Twice Ian Fleming, 1964 Gildrose London – Chapter 12 –Obit - "As your readers will have learned from earlier issues, a senior officer of the Ministry of Defence, Commander James Bond...is missing"
12. Ibid - "M.G. writes I was happy and proud to serve Commander Bond...past three years at the Ministry of Defence"
13. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, 1965, Gildrose London – Chapter 1 –“May I help you?” -“The girl at the Ministry of Defence who operates the switchboard.”
14. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, 1965, Gildrose London- Chapter 17 – “Certainly he was a Commander in the Special Branch of RNVR…”
15. Ibid– Chapter 2 –“Attentat”-“The Ministry of Defence is pleased” plus another reference to Medical Officer.
16. The Property of a Lady – Octopussy and The Living Daylights Ian Fleming, 1966, Gildrose London– “And if I [Bond] told you I’m from the Ministry of Defence?”
The conventional wisdom in the Fleming Bond genre is that Bond works for MI6. This conventional wisdom has eventually caught up to Bond films, and since 1995 Bond has openly worked MI6. Not only does Bond now work for MI6, but his boss M has been promoted to Head of MI6. This branding has continued since then. From Dr No. through The Living Daylights, Bond had worked closely with the Royal Navy in some form or another.
In the movie Dr. No, M claimed to have been the Head of MI7 (Broccoli), even though the actually circumstances of this is either in dispute or unclear. This is unlikely since MI7 was responsible for propaganda. However, it is clear that someone believes that Bond has more than just a working relation with the Ministry of Defence. In fact, we actually see Bond, Moneypenny, and M in their naval uniform in You Only Live Twice. We can tell by the rank insignia that M is a Rear-Admiral (OF-7) and that Moneypenny is a Lieutenant (OF-2) in the WREN. The style of insignia that M is wearing is the rank insignia for a Rear Admiral up until 2001.
In 1939 when Godfrey took over the Naval Intelligence Division he was a Rear-Admiral retiring in 1945 as an Admiral (OF-9). It would not be inconsistent for a Rear-Admiral to run the NID. In The Spy Who Loved Me Bond is not only shown in his uniform, but also he actually takes orders directly from Frederick Gray the Minister of Defence played by Geoffrey Keen and his future M, Vice Admiral Hargreaves, played by Robert Brown. I am sure that Keen’s character was based on the real life British Admiral Sir Frederick Grey who became First Sea Lord in 1862. In Moonraker, Frederick Grey is once again the center of attention, directing orders to both M and Bond. Incidentally we did see Brosnan in his naval uniform in Tomorrow Never Dies with the rank of Commander.
In For Your Eyes Only, Bill Tanner is contacted by the First Sea Lord after the St George was sank by a mine. Why would the First Sea Lord contact the chief of staff to the Head of MI6 without going through the Foreign Ministry? Clearly MI6 would be part of the National Security apparatus, but I doubt that a Foreign Secretary would ever cede unchecked authority in the case of such a crisis. In all honesty, if a British Spy ship were to sink under mysterious circumstances and a major piece of electronics is left on the ship, I am not sure there would be any role for MI6. The Royal Navy could have just commenced operation to ensure the device was destroyed. In Dalton’s first Bond, we see M, who was played by Robert Brown, in his uniform wearing the rank insignia of Rear Admiral saying the exercise at Gibraltar was just an exercise for the Ministry of Defence, but it was more than that for the Double-O section. From 1977 to 1987, Bond worked in the Ministry of Defence. Clearly, the writers of the film got this more involved relationship somewhere.
Fleming Novels
However, upon careful examination of the Fleming novels, one should conclude that Bond does not work for MI6, but rather at an interagency Intelligence organization at the Ministry of Defence, possibly the Naval Intelligence Division, or NID. This could be what Fleming was describing in Casino Royale (empathizes added):
"Two weeks before, this memorandum had gone from Station S of the Secret Service to M, who was then and is today head of this adjunct to the British Defence Ministries." (Fleming, Casino Royale). The problem with the theory that the Fleming Bond worked for MI6 is that MI6 is part of the UK Foreign Ministry and has been since around 1920. This NID, now defunct, was in existence during the writing of the Fleming novels until 1965 when it was absorbed into the Ministry of Defence. It is ironic that the Fleming Bond era ended about the same time as the NID. Between 1939 and 1942, the NID was run by Admiral John Henry Godfrey, who some suspect was Fleming’s M in the novels. Other members who worked in the NID, Ralph Izzard, Merlin Minshall, and Fleming himself, were considered to be models for the James Bond.
In fact, in his review of the Fleming novels, author Kingsley Amis even attempts to dispel the notion that Bond is even a spy in the very first sentence of his critique The James Bond Dossier (Amis):
“It’s inaccurate, of course, to describe James Bond as a spy, in the strict sense of one who steals or buys or smuggles the secret of a foreign powers.”
There are numerous references to Bond working for the Ministry of Defence in the Fleming novels and short-stories. Not only are there several references to Bond working for the Ministry of Defence, but also to his boss M and his Secretary Leolia Ponsonby. In fact, at the conclusion of The Spy Who Loved Me (Fleming) Bond tells Vivien to contact him “In care of the Ministry of Defence”. Then there is the obituary in You Only Live Twice (Fleming, You Only Live Twice) where “"As your readers will have learned from earlier issues, a senior officer of the Ministry of Defence, Commander James Bond...is missing" and that "M.G. writes I was happy and proud to serve Commander Bond...past three years at the Ministry of Defence". We know that Mary Goodnight was introduced in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, so there is no doubt that Bond had been working for the Ministry of Defence since then.
The most important reference comes from James Bond himself in the Short-story The Property of a Lady (Fleming, Octopussy and The Living Daylights) in which Bond flatly comes out says ““And if I [Bond] told you I’m from the Ministry of Defence?” Clearly Bond works for the Ministry of Defence. There are no references to MI6 or SIS in any of the Fleming Bond novels, except for a brief mention of the SIS In Dicta at the very end of the novel of The Man with The Golden Gun. However, Bond reaffirms his position with the Ministry of Defence. “Certainly he [Bond] was a Commander in the Special Branch of RNVR…”. (Fleming, Goldfinger)
All of these references cannot be ignored and all are in their proper context. How could some be an employee of the Ministry of Defence and be an employee of MI6 at the same time.
One of the things that cannot be ignored was Fleming’s role in World War II. It is assumed that Admiral John Henry Godfrey CB, Fleming’s boss during the War, was the bases of the character M in the novels. More importantly, Fleming drew on his own experience.
According to Henry Ziegler’s biography of Ian Fleming (Zeiger): “The Department of Naval Intelligence was known as N.I.D. 17, and Fleming signed all of his correspondence 17F. The Department was located in Room 39 of the Old Admiralty, and with Fleming in the Room were others of Godfrey’s staff – a stockbroker, a lawyer, two Royal Navy Captains, a paymaster and a confidential secretary” and : “He [Fleming] said: “I couldn’t possibly have had a more exciting or interesting War. Of course, it’s my experience in Naval Intelligence, and what I learned about secret operations of sort of another, that finally led me to write about them – in a highly bowdlerized way – with James Bond”.
Furthermore, “We have already seen that he admired Hammett and Chandler and he thought of James Bond as being in the tradition of their heroes, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. He said Bond was “a sort of amalgam of romantic tough guys, dressed up in 20th Century clothes, using 20th Century language,” and he believed he was closer to the real agents he had known in Naval Intelligence than to ‘any of the rather cardboard heroes the ancient thrillers.” (Zeiger).
Clearly, Fleming did not consider his character as working for MI6, but rather working in the same confines of Naval Intelligence. In his December 1964 interview with Playboy Magazine (Fleming, Playboy Interview) Fleming explained to Interviewer Alex Hailey how Bond got the “double-0” moniker. “Well, though this [Bond’s double-o prefix] was purely a fictional device to make Bond’s particular job more interesting, the double-0 prefix is not so entirely invented as all that. I pinched the idea from the fact that, in the Admiralty, at the beginning of the War, all top-secret signals had the double-0 prefix.”
Another minor point regarding the background to Bond. We know that 007 fought in World War II in Ardennes, even though Bond was a Commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. This was a part of Bond’s obituary in You Only Live Twice. Clearly, it would make sense that Bond would have continued his career with the Ministry of Defence.
Amis then confirms that Bond works for Naval Intelligence: "But even if Bond had learnt to handle a bazooka in the Ardennes sector in 1944 (What was a Commander from Naval Intelligence doing there, by the way?)...” (Amis). An opinion shared by Paul Antony:
Paul Antony’s 007 Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation “Consider the Similarities: both six foot two in height, both graduates of Eton (England’s exclusive school) both Commanders in Naval Intelligence.” (Friedman)
Proponents of the Bond MI6 theory claim that Fleming used Ministry of Defence as a cover for Bond. However, logic would dictate that claiming to be from Ministry of Defence would not prove to be very effective cover in the face of enemy danger. This claim is also undercut by the fact that Bond uses different covers in the novels including Universal Exports Ltd, Scotland Yard in Moonraker, and the Royal College of Arms in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and CID in The Property of a Lady.
Many proponents of MI6 theory also attempt to point to Moonraker where we learn from Gala Brand’s soliloquy that Bond received special permission to work in United Kingdom. However, one must remember that NID was responsible for both naval intelligence and the collection of foreign intelligence. This would not be inconsistent with having to receive special permission to operate within borders of the United Kingdom. All this would indicate is that Bond does not work for MI5, which we already knew. Yet no permission is sought in Goldfinger, even after it is discovered that Goldfinger is discovered to be SMERSH’s banker for Bond to pursue Goldfinger within the borders of the United Kingdom. Also, Bond is free to work on The Property of a Lady within the borders of the United Kingdom without the permission of the PM. Given that Bond is not required permission in Goldfinger and The Property of a Lady, one can conclude that Fleming never really considered this prohibition to be significant enough to repeat. Especially since we only learn of this through Gala Brand, not M or Bond himself. This device could be used only to increase the mystery of Bond through the eyes of Gala Brand. One of the most intriguing claims is the Fleming was bound by the Official Secrets Act not to mention the existence of MI6. The Home Office’s MI5 was mentioned in The Property of a Lady.
Since I am not a lawyer in the United Kingdom, I cannot get into the fine points of the law and how it was regarded, but again this would defy logic. Why would Fleming consider Bond to working for an organization that he was not permitted to discuss and has no experiences in the workings of this organization? Under this logic, it would be possible for Bond to work for the mythical MIB (Men in Black) or any other organizations simply because he was not permitted to talk about it.
Fleming does refer to the ‘Secret Service’ in a generic sense, so why not just remove all references to the Ministry of Defense and leave Bond working for the ‘Secret Service’? Fleming would be able to have it both ways if he intended his character to work for MI6.
Another issue that would be hard to explain is why would MI6 have only three agents who be permitted to kill in the line of duty. This would make the double-0 section overworked and again, would defy all logic. Agents in the field are trained to kill if needed.
The ultimate logical question would be, what would be the point of having the double-0 if Bond worked for MI6? Why not just have Bond work for ‘The Secret Service’ with a licence to kill assumed?
In the 1979 film novelization James Bond and Moonraker , Christopher Wood continues with the Bond working for the Ministry of Defence “…alias M, gazed thoughtfully out the window of his eighth floor office overlooking Regent Park. The office belonged to Trans-world Consortium but this was also an adjunct of the British Ministry of Defence which might have termed the Secret Service.” (Wood). Wood even has James Bond meeting with the Minster of Defence “He’s [M] got the Minster of Defence coming in at any minute” (Wood). Why would the British Minister of Defence be meeting with an MI6 agent and where would Wood get the idea that James Bond works for the Minster of Defence? From Fleming of course.
Conclusion
One could argue of course that Bond did not work for NID, but there is nothing stated in any of the Bond novels to indicate he worked for MI6. In fact, various inconsistencies from novel to novel could indicate the real possibility that Fleming really never put much thought for whom Bond worked. This is probably closer to the truth. However, clearly there is no evidence he worked for MI6.
List of all the Ministry of Defence references in the Bond Novels:
1. Casino Royale, Ian Fleming 1953 Gildrose, London - Chapter 2 "Dossier for M" - "Two weeks before, this memorandum had gone from Station S of the Secret Service to M, who was then and is today head of this adjunct to the British Defence Ministries."
2. Moonraker, Ian Fleming 1954 Gildrose, London - Chapter 1 - "Secret Paper work" - "Loelia Ponsonby, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence".
3. Ibid - Chapter 4 - "The 'Shiner' - "Admiral Sir M -M-: something at the Ministry of Defence".
4. Ibid - Chapter 4 - "The 'Shiner' - "Commander James Bond ...something at the Ministry of Defence".
5. Diamonds Are Forever, Ian Fleming 1955 Gildrose, London - Chapter 3 -"Hot Ice" - "Afterndouble-0 n, Sergeant. This is Commander Bond of the Ministry of Defence"
6. Thunderball, Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham 1961 Gildrose, London - Chapter 1 - "Take it Easy, Mr Bond" - "That's not what the MO [Medical Officer] thinks". A Medical officer is a doctor in the British Army or Royal Navy.
7. The Spy Who Loved Me, Ian Fleming 1962 Gildrose, London - Chapter 15 - "The Writing On My Heart" - "..you can get me [Bond]..c/o Ministry of Defence"
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service Ian Fleming 1963 Gildrose, London - Chapter 6 - "Bond of Bond Street" - Bond said..."I am from the Ministry of Defence"
9. Ibid- Chapter 8 - "Fancy cover" - "..Bond was employed by the Ministry of Defence."
10. Ibid- Chapter 18 - "The Man from Fish and AG" - ".respect those [secrets] of the Ministry of Defence." M is telling the Ministry that he is subjected to the OSA
11. You Only Live Twice Ian Fleming, 1964 Gildrose London – Chapter 12 –Obit - "As your readers will have learned from earlier issues, a senior officer of the Ministry of Defence, Commander James Bond...is missing"
12. Ibid - "M.G. writes I was happy and proud to serve Commander Bond...past three years at the Ministry of Defence"
13. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, 1965, Gildrose London – Chapter 1 –“May I help you?” -“The girl at the Ministry of Defence who operates the switchboard.”
14. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, 1965, Gildrose London- Chapter 17 – “Certainly he was a Commander in the Special Branch of RNVR…”
15. Ibid– Chapter 2 –“Attentat”-“The Ministry of Defence is pleased” plus another reference to Medical Officer.
16. The Property of a Lady – Octopussy and The Living Daylights Ian Fleming, 1966, Gildrose London– “And if I [Bond] told you I’m from the Ministry of Defence?”
"And if I told you that I'm from the Ministry of Defence?" James Bond - The Property of a Lady
Comments
As far as the MOD references, I always assumed that they were a red herring cover that agents were to use when anything regarding their employer came up - even with others working within the British government. Who do you work for, who do I contact, etc? As far as the commercial cover of an import/export company, I assumed again that this was just another way of concealing Bond's employer.
I don't think Fleming ever put the location of his Secret Service within any real governmental organizational chart. I think he just copied the basic structure from MI6 and the SOE and the NID and shook them together and pulled out what he wanted to suit his writing. He was also fast and loose with many of the things he put in the novels because he was writing these as fantasies and adventures and not as anything else. That's why trying to put Bond's world into a real world scenario is a bit like trying to nail jello to a tree.
This why I stated: In fact, various inconsistencies from novel to novel could indicate the real possibility that Fleming really never put much thought for whom Bond worked
Exactly. It always somewhat reminded me of The Man From UNCLE. He invented the organization as a counter intelligence arm of the United Nations to fight THRUSH and though it's organization was based on real agencies like the CIA, it was just a plot convenience like the Secret Service.
After taking in some audiobooks of Ben Macintyre's, more recently, A Spy Among Friends about Kim Philby and the Cambridge spies, it's interesting how MI6 extensively used newspaper men posted abroad to gather intelligence. Ian Fleming is mentioned pretty frequently because of his association with the personalities involved, but Macintyre stops short of actually stating that Fleming did any spying himself because there are no public records to say that. However, I wouldn't be surprised if more archive material gets declassified to out Fleming as a cold war intelligence operative.
The recent issue of MI6 Confidential, #30, has an article about Roald Dahl that includes background about his friendship with Fleming that started in WWII during Dahl's assignment in Washington DC, but nothing more is mentioned about Fleming beyond their social activities. I have another audiobook that I have yet to take in, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant, which includes accounts about Fleming, so there might be some interesting information there; we'll see.
My observations...
I read in one of the Fleming bios that IF remained in the Naval Reserve until the early 1950's. If that is correct, he may have been subject to the Official Secrets Act, and felt the need to make sure he didn't accidentally reveal some arcane information that could earn him a rebuke. I'm more likely to believe that he wasn't too interested in establishing a detailed back story for Bond since in general he was more interested in moving the plots of his thrillers forward, FRWL being an exception.
ASP9MM's observation that Bond's organization meets the description of a post war SOE is a fascinating concept.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
I got that book and it's fascinating reading...you'll enjoy it.
Thanks, Commander, I'm looking forward to it!