Spy fiction

Quote :

Ian Fleming is best known for his novels about the superspy James Bond. But his reputation as a creative genius has been considerably enhanced by his exploits during the second world war as a lieutenant commander in naval intelligence. He has been praised in particular for coming up with Operation Ruthless, the first viable plan to capture naval Enigma codebooks for Alan Turing and his codebreakers at Bletchley Park.

In the words of the official Enigma historian, this was ‘a somewhat ungentlemanly scheme’. That was putting it mildly. The plan was that a British pilot would crash land a captured German bomber beside a German rescue ship in the English Channel, and British secret agents disguised as Germans would mow down their German rescuers so that they could seize the Enigma codebooks.

That drama never took place. But Ruthless has never been forgotten, because it inspired a series of similar schemes which eventually led to the capture of the Enigma codebooks and the breaking of the code. Fleming has always taken the credit for it: his authorship is even celebrated in an exhibit at Bletchley Park, the country estate near Milton Keynes where the Enigma codebreaking took place.

There is only one problem. Newly disclosed documents show that Fleming was not in fact the author. The documents — which were released to me by GCHQ so I could include them in an updated edition of my Enigma book, but remain Crown copyright because they have yet to be declassified — suggest that the plan was really thought up by a man named Frank Birch. Like Fleming, Birch had served his time in naval intelligence and was a writer, though he was also an actor and broadcaster. At the time he was head of the naval section at Bletchley Park. As such, he had been told by Turing and his team that Germany’s most secret naval Enigma messages, which would be vital in facing the threat posed by Dönitz’s U-boats, would never be read unless codebooks were captured. This realisation evidently fired his creative juices, and he came up with a plan that must have made Fleming green with envy.

Full article http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/all/6916398/spy-fiction.thtml

By Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, Spectataor 7 May 2011

Thank you, Ambler, for that excellent post. It is indeed heartening to see the debate that followed. May I add this interesting response from Fleming's stepdaughter that appeared in the following Friday's Spectator:

Quote :

Sir: It would not keep me awake at nights if Frank Birch rather than Ian Fleming was the creative mind behind Operation Ruthless (‘Spy Fiction’, 7 May). I write to make two points. The first is that ‘loot’ was a very Ian word. (He was my stepfather.) In fact the wording of the original proposal is typically Ian: more so than the details in the ‘dressed up’ version. The second point is that at that date professional colleagues did not use first names. Copies of letters from Ian in this house routinely start ‘dear Birch’, for example. (Sorry! I have no actual ‘Birch’ letter.) It is, therefore, more likely that F stood for Fleming rather than for Frank.

Fionn Morgan
Battersea, London

ambler wrote:

Thank you, Ambler, for that excellent post. It is indeed heartening to see the debate that followed.

That's what happens when only about 20% of the members post. :pale:

Indeed. If anyone wishes this place to continue then they're going to need to make more of an effort.

I'm sorry Ambler, but I'm far more interested in Fleming's sociopolitical/cultural commentary and his fictional creations than I am in his war-time activities. And I'm afraid that on a website with only 81 members, this sort of esoterica is unlikely to generate much activity.

Ed Tom Kowalsky wrote:

I'm sorry Ambler, but I'm far more interested in Fleming's sociopolitical/cultural commentary and his fictional creations than I am in his war-time activities. And I'm afraid that on a website with only 81 members, this sort of esoterica is unlikely to generate much activity.

As a spy fiction scholar, spynovelfan's/Jeremy Duns is a guy who'd be interested. Unfortunately, his history with danslittlefinger (i.e. facilitating the banning of DLF from Cb.n) might prevent that. Differing opinions are fine, but not internal forum wars.

interesting information, thank you Ambler for posting it

however I have no opinion to offer on the subject either way I'm afraid
for me it is an incidental detail and I will leave it to those who possess a greater interest than my own in such historical minutiae to consider, and await their verdict on what is the balance of truth
either way it will have no effect on the regard in which I hold Ian Fleming, which is based entirely on my enjoyment of his writing

posting is a hobby activity, for fun, which it won't be if it becomes an obligation or a chore

to paraphrase Ron Dennis paraphrasing someone else
critical mass can only be sustained by continuing to add new energy
a regular flow of fresh blood means alternative opinions and different angles to discuss
as well new people to share the same old opinions with
that was the lifeblood that made the old site work, the interaction between the regulars and the newbies
sadly to a large extent this is missing from both sites at the moment

IMO the old site now has less informed opinion, but I often find it's the enthusiasm of new posters, although they may be "naïve" or "misguided", that is more likely to stimulate in me an urge to respond
it also seems to be generating more new "Bond related" threads
this site is populated by people who are often already very familiar with each others views and therefore have less reason to express them to each other further
personally I enjoy interacting with different people from both the groups of regulars, as well as the new people
so to me the way things are currently is somewhat frustrating and sad…

"posting is a hobby activity, for fun, which it won't be if it becomes an obligation or a chore"

Well said, Seve.

And I basically agree with the remainder of your post as well.

Seve wrote:

so to me the way things are currently is somewhat frustrating and sad…

Too true - we're stuck in a well formatted graveyard with a speck of the spark of the old, whereas the vitality and youth is stuck in a place that has none of the trimmings and remnants of home. Its that feeling of "home" that got me here in the first place and will keep me here, though I certainly agree with Seve that both sites are missing their kindred souls at the mo.