Ian Fleming and Operation Golden Eye: Keeping Spain Out of World War II

In this detailed but dry history, Simmons (Nicolson’s Gold), a former member of the Royal Marines, explores Britain’s attempts to keep Spain and Portugal neutral in WWII with a specific focus on naval intelligence and the role of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Simmons posits that this time was pivotal in Fleming’s creative development and “all these influences would lead him to make a living with his pen,” but he doesn’t offer much support for this claim. Fleming is absent for long portions of the book as Simmons explores the diplomatic dynamics playing out in Portugal and Spain in the early 1940s; recounts intelligence campaigns (including Operation Tracer, a fascinating plan to leave British spies inside the Rock of Gibraltar if Germany successfully took control) with only vague or speculative discussions of Fleming’s role; and profiles other operatives, including Wilhelm Canaris, a German official secretly working against his superiors. The portions with Fleming draw frequently on supposition, and the connections to his writing are not particularly insightful (“Gold crops up many times in Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, often in the form of buried or lost treasure”). Bond enthusiasts hoping to see direct parallels will not find this rewarding, but readers with a deep interest in WWII might. (Nov.)