Spy story
During the war, Fleming worked for British naval intelligence, overseeing operations designed to confuse the Germans in a fog of misinformation. In the summer of 1941, Fleming spent several weeks in Lisbon, Portugal. One of his favorite haunts was the Casino Estoril, which would become the model for Casino Royale, the setting of Fleming’s first Bond novel.
Popov was in Lisbon the same time, and he too spent many nights at the Casino Estoril. He was pretending to spy for the Nazis but in fact was working for the British. His code name was Tricycle.
(It’s a good thing Fleming changed that to 007, which sounds far more lethal. Can you imagine — “James Bond Tricycle, license to ride on the sidewalk”?)
Fleming, as an intelligence officer, would have known all about Popov. During his stay in Lisbon, Popov was carrying $50,000, which belonged to Her Majesty’s Government. Loftis thinks Fleming was assigned to keep tabs on the Popov — and to make sure that the $50,000 did not became a casualty of the war.
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