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Codename Tricycle

by Russell Miller

Secker & Warburg $220

The first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, is said to be based on a real-life wartime experience Ian Fleming had in Lisbon, where he was a British intelligence officer fond of casinos. Parts of Codename Tricycle  read like a  Bond novel, although if this were fiction, it would be dismissed as being too far-fetched.

Russell Miller had access to British and American intelligence archives, together with private family papers, to tell the fascinating story of Dusan 'Dusko' Popov, the most successful British double agent of  the second world war - and, perhaps, Fleming's inspiration for Bond.

Popov was a wealthy, sophisticated  Yugoslav lawyer turned businessman and entrepreneur. Fluent in several languages, he was a charming womaniser and dedicated gambler. A sophisticated bon vivant, Popov stayed in  the best hotels and mixed with the cream of European society. In short, he was a playboy.

In 1940, the Abwehr German military intelligence recruited Popov, through his old university friend (and Abwehr agent) Johann 'Johnny' Jebsen, to spy on the British. They  saw Popov as the perfect spy, with few scruples, seemingly willing to do anything for the money to fund his lavish lifestyle.

What the Germans didn't realise was  that Jebsen and Popov hated the Nazis from their university days in Germany. Jebsen, heir to the Hamburg-based shipping company, was only  in the Abwehr as an expedient to avoid military service. Popov had already offered his espionage services to the British via their legation in Belgrade.

The Germans ordered Popov to Britain to establish an espionage network. He made his way to wartime London, via Lisbon for briefing and training. Popov was a key agent of MI5's XX (double-cross) Committee, which was playing a complex game of deception with the Germans. Having captured and turned all the Abwehr agents in the country, MI5 was feeding them misleading information to pass on to the unsuspecting Germans. Popov settled into London's Savoy Hotel and exclusive clubs, often in the company of beautiful women. He insisted  this high life was an essential part of his cover. Besides, the Germans were paying for everything.

In 1941, during one of several risky trips to Lisbon for debriefing and receiving payment from the Abwehr, Popov was ordered to repeat his supposed British success in the US. Among other duties listed on a newly developed microdot, the Germans asked Popov to report specifically on defences at Pearl Harbour on behalf of their Japanese allies.

When Popov arrived in New York, the Americans were more interested in the microdot than warnings about Pearl Harbour, which they refused to believe.  Popov wasted a year in the US, failing to establish an effective spy-ring there, due to lack of cooperation with the FBI. They even refused to tell him what radio messages he was supposed to have sent the Germans. This put Popov and his family in Yugoslavia at risk  of discovery and death. He avoided detection thanks to his acting skills, luck and seemingly stupid Germans. Popov and his family survived the war and he was subsequently granted citizenship and awarded an OBE by the grateful British. Jebsen was less fortunate.

So, was Popov the inspiration for Bond? The author seems to think so, referring to Fleming throughout the book, although the former Fleet Street journalist may be trying to sex up his work. At the end of the day, the extent to which Bond was based on Popov is irrelevant. Popov's story  is infinitely more intriguing than any of 007's supposed exploits. Popov was the real deal.



Codename Tricycle