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How Much of a Spy Was James Bond?

007InVT007InVT Classified
edited May 2014 in Literary 007 Posts: 893
I feel that Fleming's Bond gets knocked for not being much of a spy and while there is truth to this, do we think that there are examples of good tradecraft in amongst it all?

I think so.

I think Bond does some nice intelligence and counterintelligence work particularly in Thunderball, From Russia, With Love, Property of a Lady, Casino Royale and On Her Majesty's Secrey Service.

Comments

  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    This is an interesting question.
    I remember the bedroom security techniques described in Dr.No as being quite revolutionary for their time and I'm sure there are many other examples of trade craft splattered across the novels.
    That said, I've always thought of 007 as more of a 'secret agent' than a 'spy'.
    Perhaps this is a bit of intellectual masturbation that I've dreamed up to differentiate Bond from the real deal that tend to inhabit the world's of Deighton and Le Carre. Both of whom litter their novels with the most detailed trade craft. As did the late, great Elleston Trevor (aka Adam Hall) with his delicious Quiller stories.
  • JamesBondBlogJamesBondBlog
    Posts: 19
    I think we need to consider where the bar is set in terms of defining a spy.

    I think @Villiers53 makes a good point about perhaps distinguishing a 'secret agent' from a 'spy.'

    Is Fleming's Bond really asked to spy that often? It seems to me anyway, that more often than not, he's being sent out on a mission which the goal of which isn't always (but sometimes is) intelligence gathering, but resolution. He's there to end or fix a problem.

    There are exceptions, as noted by @007inVT, where Bond does good work in gathering intelligence in the course of the mission.

    Is his effectiveness in getting results being questioned? I don't see how it could be. Whether he is being sent to gather more facts, or to simply end a problem, he's gotten the job done the majority of the time, against fantastic odds and opposition.
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    Posts: 5,745
    A spy, in my mind, is the guy with the camera and zoom lens who follows in the car three lengths back. The guy who gets as much information on an individual or entity without any intentional confrontation. A spy is the 'dress up in disguise' guy; the behind enemy lines guy.

    An agent, or secret agent, is the guy you sent in with an actual task, assignment, and/or goal to achieve. The dirty-work worker. You send a spy to snoop, an agent to kill. Bond is closest to a secret agent. He's sent in to both gather information, but also ultimately stop bad people and bad things.

    Spies can be secret agents, and secret agents can be spies. I don't think we can strictly label someone like Bond. He's not strictly a handyman, but when the time comes, he has the right tools.
  • johntitor1johntitor1
    Posts: 12
    In the Fleming books, sometimes he does some intelligence gathering initially and then the plot demands that he takes action such as in the Moonraker novel. I'm reading Diamds are Forever now and he does start off using an alias and going undercover to infultrate the diamond smuggling operation, but then he's told that if things get out of hand that he would have to hand over the case to the FBI, which he obviously doesn't want to do.

    I haven't read all the books, but my take so far is that Bond is more of an agent than a spy. Even though he might be initially called upon to do intelligence gathering, it's usually anticipated that he'll need to use his skills as an agent at some point to stop the bad guys or keep something disasterous from happening.

    In the Bond movieverse, I'd say he's pretty much an agent from start to finish as he does very little actual spying.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Good comments. I agree he's more in the secret agent camp but Fleming does a nice job of inserting some tradecraft so he's not totally hopeless as a spy.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Bond did have a few cover names such as Hillary Bray in OHMSS. Were there any others? Mr and Mrs. Bryce I thought in one novel.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited May 2014 Posts: 18,281
    007InVT wrote:
    Bond did have a few cover names such as Hillary Bray in OHMSS. Were there any others? Mr and Mrs. Bryce I thought in one novel.

    David Somerset in FRWL. Mark Hazard in TMWTGG.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Good catch @Dragonpol.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    007InVT wrote:
    Good catch @Dragonpol.

    You can always count on him.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Mark Hazard, what a kickass name. ;)
  • EllisEllis
    Posts: 224
    People know his name, his reputation and favorite drink? Not much of one.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Ellis wrote:
    People know his name, his reputation and favorite drink? Not much of one.

    Read the OP. Fleming, not Filming.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Murdock wrote:
    Mark Hazard, what a kickass name. ;)

    Right. Should have his own series
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    007InVT wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    Mark Hazard, what a kickass name. ;)

    Right. Should have his own series

    Bond also used the Mark Hazard cover name in the Daily Express comic strips that were original stories.
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