Who Is Bond: The Real Triple Agent Who Inspired ‘James Bond’

Who Is Bond: Gambling, espionage, and beauties … He had mastered every fun. His name was Popov. We are talking about Dusko Popov, a Serbian double agent who became famous during the second world war. Popov’s name is also taken as a triple agent in the history of the espionage world.

It is said that British Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming created the character of James Bond only after meeting Dusko Popov.

Some say that during the Second World War, Popov was reported to have attacked the Japanese at Pearl harbor. Popov also told the then FBI director Edgar Hoover about it.

If Edgar Hoover had believed Popov’s point, the destruction of the Americans in Pearl Harbor could have been avoided.

Who Is Bond: The Real Triple Agent Who Inspired ‘James Bond’

Who was Dusko Popov

Dusko Popov was born in a prosperous Serbian family in the year 1912. After studying law at Belgrade University, he moved to Germany for further study.

Dejan Tiago Stankovic, the author of the novel ‘Estoril’, written against the backdrop of the second world war, states, “In Germany, Popov had a friendship with people whose strings were connected with the intelligence agency ‘Abyehr‘. Contacted and offered to spy on Germany in the UK. “

“Because at that time, Germany did not have many foreign spies in Britain. Popov accepted the offer of ‘Abyehr’ and went directly to the British Foreign Intelligence Agency ‘Mi-Six’. Popov gave Mi-Six to all told things. “

With this Popov became a double agent working for both Britain and Germany. This is between the years 1940 to 1944. Popov’s codename was ‘Agent Tricycle’ in British espionage circles.

An unusual mood detective

Eighteen years ago, Britain made public for the first time classified documents involving spies and double agents of the pre-World War era.

The BBC’s Claire Hills, after looking at those documents, then wrote, “The most colorful mood detective who works for British interests can only be called by one codename. He’s a Playboy double agent. He was such a person Who could manage both Biwi and Mehbooba together. “

Popov used to stay in a special room in London’s Savoy Hotel. How is the care of the beauties, Popov was in it, he got the fame of Playboy. However, later the world came to know that Dusko Popov was also fond of more than one partner in bed.

Major TA Robertson, an officer of the British Intelligence Service, wrote of Popov in an official record, “On Christmas 1940 Tricycle and I met at lunch at the Quaglinos restaurant in London.

From there we went to the Lansdown Club to play billiards at Berkeley Square Went. Then Savoy returned to the hotel for dinner. I think Tricycle enjoyed it a lot. He drank champagne fiercely. “

‘Highly confidential.’

Popov’s importance in Britain’s intelligence machinery can also be gauged from the fact that some people also called him the most important agent of the country.

Wireless communication, postcards written with non-visible ink, and special codes of microdots, there were many such arrows in Popov’s quiver.

Popov had convinced his German colleagues that they were giving them vital intelligence clues about Britain. While the reality was that Popov was providing this information to Germany only with the consent of ‘Mi-Six’.

There was also a chapter in the agent Tricycle’s file with the name ‘highly confidential. This chapter referred to the incident when a German officer gave Popov a list of questions to gather information about British weapons.

German officials wanted to know from Popov what was being produced in factories in Weybridge, Wolwhampton, and Dartford in the UK. What kind of guns and weapons does the British military have?

But Popov was a double agent …

Germany wanted to gather every minute of information from Popov. He was asked how many combat aircraft Britain has, how many Spitfires and Hurricane aircraft? What is in the armored division of the army and what is not?

Officials of the British intelligence service prepared answers to these questions for Popov, which might seem real, but they were incomplete. Agent Tricycle was used to provide this information to the German authorities.

Dusko Popov formulated a non-visible ink formula. They used to mix it in a glass of wine. Dozens of such things are mentioned in Popov’s file. His postcards were written with invisible ink, letters sent by airmail that used to be stamped open and exams, and letters to girlfriends that were actually sent to His Majesty’s service.

He spoke English, Italian, and French all three languages, he also knew improvisational German.

In his message, he informed about the damage done to the cities of Germany due to the bombing of Allied countries. In one such message, Popov said that the bombing had damaged the Hamburg port in Germany, but it is still worth using.

Stoic and flamboyant

About Dusko Popov, a British military official wrote, “Agents leave no chance to embarrass Tricycle Germany. On one occasion in 1941, Popov even said that Britain’s victory within two years He is fully convinced about this because both Germany’s economy and moral strength were weakened. “

In one such ritualistic message, Popov was described as a ‘zealous and intelligent man’.

The whole message was in these words, “He has personality, charm. He lives in a social circle in any city of Europe or America as if it were his home. He is like an international placeboy—peace period. I spend a month or more in Paris in the year. He especially likes the beauty of beautiful women. “

The most interesting thing was that Agent Tricycle refused to take money from the British intelligence service. Popov said that the country for which he has sincere devotion, is happy to work for him and Germany gives him a lot of money according to need.

But on many occasions, the British intelligence service gave him money. One such record reads, “Friday, March 14, 1941. I met Tricycle at lunch in Savoy.

When Tricycle told me that he didn’t have the necessary money to pay the bill, he looked tired.” “It seems that he will have had a very expensive last evening.”

Portugal at the time of the second world war

After training in Italy, the British sent Popov to Portugal where his German boss ‘Casino Estoril’ was staying in the hotel.

“At that time, Portugal’s historic ‘Casino Estoril’ hotel used to be a hotbed of espionage activities,” says Dejan Tiago Stankovic.

‘Casino Estoril’ was a beach resort outside the city of Lisbon.

Historian Irene Pimentel explains, “Portugal was a neutral country at the time of the Second World War. Like other neutral countries in Europe, Portugal also had spy activities at their peak. Hotel lobbies, bars, and spies were everywhere. Most were from Germany and Britain. “

“They greeted each other, mingled, and sought to gain confidential information. Popov and his German boss ‘Casino Estoril’ shared information via numbers on the roulette table (a sort of gambling game).”

Meeting Ian fleming

Had the world not been struggling with the furor of the Coronavirus at this time, James Bond’s ‘No Time to Die’ would have been at the box office.

“During the Second World War, Dusko Popov and Ian Fleming met at the ‘Casino Estoril‘ hotel on a summer night in 1941,” Dejan Tiago Stankovic explains.

Ian Fleming was then a British Naval Intelligence officer and later became famous worldwide for playing the character of James Bond. Dejan Tiago Stankovic says, “I believe the idea of ​​James Bond in Ian Fleming’s heart must have come from the same place after that meeting.”

After Portugal, Disco Popov had a separate mission in America.

Dejan Tiago Stankovic says, “The night before he went to America, Popov was gambling in Estoril. The next day he had to go on a trip, so he had a lot of money.

The money was given to him by the Germans. He was very much at the gambling table. He was behaving carelessly and appeared with different girls. His personality did not look like that of a detective. That’s when Ian Fleming looked at him. “

Portugal’s ‘Casino Estoril’

Both Fleming and Popov were in Estoril at the same time. Both of the check-in documents are fitted in the display of Hotel Palacio Estoril.

In 1969, parts of James Bond’s film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were shot in this hotel. The hotel also has a suite named James Bond in which guests can stay.

Dezan Tiago Stankovic explains, “We have information that Fleming and Popov used to stay here regularly. There is every possibility that Fleming and Popov would have met at the Casino that night. However, Fleming met Popov and Never wrote anything about him, so his story is not known to the world. “

But after Fleming’s death, Popov wrote his autobiography ‘Spy Encount Spy’ in which he claimed that it was from him that Fleming inspired James Bond.

James Bond’s film ‘Casino Royale’ is actually ‘Casino Estoril’.

Inspiration for James bond

Dejan Tiago Stankovic says, “There have been few detectives in history whose personality resembles the character of James Bond, but Dusko Popov was really like James Bond.

Yes, except for the habit of drinking. Popov’s It was claimed that he could not drink like James Bond, but the character of 007 is undoubtedly fond of alcohol. “

In connection with the research for his book ‘Estoril’, Dejan Tiago Stankovich found that Fleming had created something for his character James Bond, such as expensive things, a cheerful lifestyle and a fondness for beautiful women, which seems to be largely inspired by Popov is.

Dusko Popov’s dating record suggests that he had relationships with many women.

French actress Simone Simone is also named in Popov’s girlfriends.

Tricycle codename

Many people also say that Popov got the codename of Agent Tricycle because he was a triple agent and he also worked for America. Dejan Tiago Stankovic tells another story of this, “The story I’m sure about is that Popov was reported to have attacked the Japanese on the Pearl Harbor port.

But he was so blatant and so stupid that Americans Edgar Hoover, the then director of the intelligence agency FBI, could not believe him. Hoover did not trust him. Popov did not look like a man who had Be stretched for reliable information. “

After all, why did Germany’s intelligence officers trust Popov so much?

Dejan Tiago Stankovic says, “When Popov’s family was battling poverty in Belgrade, they were playing with wealth. Thousands were making thousands.

Popov’s family was held hostage during the Nazi’s attack in Belgrade. That’s why. Germany felt that Popov could be trusted. But Popov’s double game never stopped because Popov’s aim was more than anything else. Had to get money. “