The James Bond Bedside Companion (18 page)

Perhaps Fleming's closest American friend, lawyer and newspaperman Ernest Cuneo. (Photo courtesy of Ernest Cuneo.)

In late 1941, Fleming created the Number 30 Assault Unit, something he liked to call his "Red Indians," an outfit of Intelligence Commandos who specialized in cleaning out Nazi hideouts after their capture. Fleming's idea for the unit actually came from the Germans. After the battle of Crete in May 1941, a German unit overran a British one and seized all ciphers and technical equipment Fleming thought the notion of a commando spy outfit was exciting and adapted it for Naval Intelligence. The men in the 30 A.U. were trained in counterespionage techniques and capturing enemy intelligence documents. The outfit began operating in the Middle East, working with the Eighth Army. 30 A.U. worked in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and had a strong participation in D-Day. Other units tended to resent them, for at times they were a rowdy bunch who thumbed their noses at discipline. But the accomplishments of the outfit were impressive and 30 A.U.'s reputation was justly famous. Eventually, its control passed from Fleming's hands.

In 1942, Admiral Godfrey became Flag Officer of the Royal Indian Navy, and he was replaced as D.N.I. by Commodore E.G.N. Rushbrooke. Fleming, who retained his close working relationship with the D.N.I., liked to refer to his new commanding officer as "Rush Admiral Rearbrooke."

The air raids had begun in London and the threat of death from bomb blasts existed every day. The war took its toll on Fleming's personal life during this period. First, Muriel, his girlfriend, a dispatch rider, was killed when a bomb struck her flat one night. Then Ian lost his younger brother Michael, who died as a result of wounds as a P.O.W. after Dunkirk.

In the autumn of 1944, Fleming was back in Washington for routine meetings and to attend a special Intelligence conference in Kingston, Jamaica, an island he had never visited. He met his friend Ivar Bryce, who was working for William Stephenson, in Washington, and helped clear Bryce's passage to Jamaica. Bryce owned a home in Jamaica, called Bellevue, and invited Fleming for a three-day visit before the conference. After taking the Silver Meteor to Florida, as James Bond did in LIVE
AND
LET DIE,
the two men departed for the Caribbean. At Bellevue, they were greeted by an enthusiastic housekeeper, an empty cupboard, and terrible weather; it rained the entire three days. But surprisingly, at the end of this time, Fleming asked Bryce to help him search for a piece of land where he could build a house. He had fallen in love with the island. In March of 1945, he began construction of his retreat—which he named "Goldeneye." Fleming was very proud of Goldeneye, especially since he designed it
himself. The three-bedroom house was modestly furnished, with a shower adjoining each bedroom. His island neighbor, Noel Coward, complained that the house didn't face the sunset, and called the place, "Goldeneye, nose, and throat," The house is still looked after by Violet, the cook and housekeeper. Violet remembers that sometimes for fun, Fleming would purchase cow and donkey carcasses and pitch them into the sea, to watch the sharks feed on them. "Usually he'd invite friends from all over the island to watch with him, and they'd have lots of fun." When Fleming described the sound a shark's jaws make in his books, he knew what he was talking about!

The ambience in and around Goldeneye. (Photos by Mary Slater.)

Ian Fleming made valuable contributions to his country during the war, only a few of which have been noted here. It was a serious and demanding time for him, and many said it was his finest hour. Throughout it all, Fleming kept his sense of humor, sharing it with others and helping them through the trying times. His friend Clare Blanshard, who was personal assistant to the Chief of Naval Intelligence—Eastern Theatre recalls a letter from Fleming in May of 1945 in which he wrote that except for filching the archives of the German Navy on the Czechoslovak border and lashing a few German WRNS (women's naval force), he had had no "devilry" for some time. Work had increased since Germany's defeat but it mostly involved fighting over the corpses of the German Navy and bickering for the "wish-bones"! The war provided Fleming with the opportunity to expand his expertise in many fields, create new circles of friends, and fill his need to make his mark, as his father had done, in the British war effort. He was discharged on November 10, 1945.

Immediately after the war, Fleming took the position of Foreign Manager at Kemsley Newspapers. The job offered many opportunities to travel abroad while pursuing stories for the
Sunday Times.
Fleming's work for the newspaper was outstanding, and he did some of his best writing during this period. He was particularly good at travel-adventure stories. Buried and sunken treasure fascinated him, and he wrote a series of articles on the subject He went diving with Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and joined an exploration led by Norbert Casteret, a noted French archaeologist, in the Gouffre Pierre Saint-Martin on the Franco-Spanish border. In the spring of 1954, he persuaded Somerset Maugham to allow the
Sunday Times
to serialize a number of articles Maugham was writing on "the ten best novels of the world." Maugham had never allowed a newspaper to serialize his work, but Fleming's enthusiasm for the project, along with the promise that his material would not be edited, convinced Maugham to agree. It was a major coup for Fleming.

In the autumn of 1953, Fleming was offered the role of "Atticus." Although it had prestige, the Atticus column was basically high-class gossip. Nevertheless, it was an honor that Fleming was asked. He took the job on the condition that none of the writing would be altered. John Pearson worked as one of Fleming's assistants on the column. He remembers Fleming's unusual story ideas. Once, Fleming asked Pearson to identify the most ridiculous and expensive Christmas present one could purchase in London. After seeing Pearson's research, Fleming chose to write about a very expensive gold-plated "egg decapitator," which sliced off the top of an egg without breaking the shell. Since Fleming didn't have to sign his own name to Afficus, Pearson notes, the author could reveal his personality without fear of ridicule or direct personal criticism.

In the summer of 1955, Lord Kemsley decided to sell his distinguished bibliographical journal,
The Book Collector,
which was not meeting its expenses. Fleming, who was fond of the publication, bought it from Kemsley. Fleming left the running of the journal to its editor, John Hayward, but managed to obtain funds from American foundations to secure its future. Though he never wrote for
The Book Collector,
Fleming was proud of saving and owning this exceptional source of information.

D
uring the period immediately after the war, Fleming met his future wife. For a better understanding of the effects marriage had on Ian Fleming, one must first look at his attitude toward women in general. His reputation as a ladies man was a controversial one. He reportedly was very cruel and ruthless with the women he courted. His close friend Robert Harling confirms that Ian had "some kind of contempt" for women. According to Lisl Popper, Ian, if given the choice, would much rather have dined with a man than a woman.

One girlfriend from the thirties says that "Ian was cozy and sympathetic when he was in a good mood, but he was never in the same mood two days together, which I suppose was part of the attraction." This same woman also says that Ian would pretend that ordinary events were adventures, or make out that some well-known restaurant was special and secret He claimed the etiquette of walking on a lady's right was "to have his sword-arm free." He was somewhat ashamed of being a stockbroker because he thought it so unromantic. "The
only 'incident'
I
can remember," she says, "was when he made me hide in his bedroom when a couple of friends were coming in for half an hour. There was no earthly reason why I shouldn't have stayed and talked to them, particularly as it was in the afternoon, but he thought it exciting to have a girl hidden in his bedroom. I thought it rather silly."