Ian Fleming smuggled B.P. secrets into Bond’s adventures

Monday 03 October 2016

How Ian Fleming smuggled Enigma secrets into Bond’s adventures :
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Author was so interested in Bletchley Park he left clues in the books in 
a ‘wild contravention’ of the Official Secrets Act

- idden clues included game of chess in 007 novel From Russia, With Love
- Expert says game was based on a real-life contest involving
   codebreaker
- Ian Fleming was involved in naval intelligence during the war

By Alexander Holmes For The Daily Mail

His books were riddled with intrigue and mystery, so it’s unsurprising
that fans of Ian Fleming’s books have tried for decades to decode some
of the real-life spies the author used to inspire the character of James 
Bond.

However, it may just be that Ian Fleming could have borrowed more than
just personalities for inspiration in his novels.

An expert told Henley Literary Festival, that the author was allegedly
so enthralled with the secret goings-on in Bletchley House, that he left 
clues inside a variety of 007 novels in a ‘wild contravention’ of the 
Official Secrets Act.

The hidden clues seemed to not be picked up on by government officials,
and included subtle references to the Enigma machine to the inclusion of
a game of chess so ‘obviously’ based on a real-life competition,
according to The Daily Telegraph, which saw a top codebreaker pitted
against a Soviet grandmaster.

Sinclair McKay, who has written a number of books on Bletchley Park,
told Henley that the details would have been deliberately included
because of his ‘adoration for the code breakers was enormous.’

Later, he told The Daily Telegraph: ‘Ian Fleming was involved in naval
intelligence during the war.

‘He was one of the very, very few outside the Bletchley operation that
knew precisely what these women and men achieved. He had to sign the
Official Secrets Act because of it.’

Fleming began by including a character in his first novel Casino Royale
called ‘Le Chiffre’ which can be translated into ‘The Code’ or ‘The Cipher’.

He grew in confidence in the following four years, with Mckay believing
that the author was inspired by a chess game from 1954 which saw top
codebreaker and chess player Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander take on David
Bronstein, a soviet chess grandmaster.

The game was widely covered by national press, whereby Alexander beat
his opponent. It was also watched by a number of soviet agents who hid
themselves in the audience to make sure none of their team defected.

The chess game used in the 1963 film may also have been inspired by a
match between Bronstein and Boris Spassky, a Soviet world champion.

McKay said : ‘It is no surprise that just a couple of years after
Alexander played chess, the 007 novel From Russia, With Love featured a
key chess scene.

‘Instead of Bronstein, it was Kronsteen that was at the table – but he
was also being watched by Soviet agents and his game ends in disaster,
too.’...


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3818915/How-Ian-Fleming-smuggled-Enigma-secrets-Bond-s-adventures-Author-interested-Bletchley-Park-left-clues-books-wild-contravention-Official-Secrets-Act.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/02/ian-fleming-left-teasers-about-bletchley-park-in-james-bond-nove/