Ian Fleming and Operation Golden Eye

Keeping Spain out of World War II

Simmons Mark

Fascinating account of how intelligence and espionage were enacted to stop Spain from joining the Axis during World War II
A highly readable account describing the colourful characters and unbelieveable schemes involved
This book will appeal to those interested in the life of Ian Fleming, his wartime experiences and the origins of James Bond

This book tells the story of the various Allied operations and schemes instigated to keep Spain and Portugal out of WWII, which included the widespread bribery of high ranking Spanish officials and the duplicity of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr.

Ian Fleming and Alan Hillgarth were the architects of Operation Golden Eye, the sabotage and disruption scheme that would be put in place had Germany invaded Spain. Fleming visited the Iberian Peninsula and Tangiers several times during the war, arguably his greatest achievement in WWII and the closest he came to being a real secret agent. It was these visits which supplied much of the background material for his fiction – Fleming even called his home on Jamaica where he created 007 "Goldeneye".

The book begins with Hitler's dilemma about which way to move, and his meeting with Francisco Franco at Hendaye in October 1940, a major turning point in the war when an alliance between Germany and Spain seemed possible. Simmons explores the British reaction to this, with Operation Tracer being created by Admiral Godfrey, head of Naval Intelligence. This was a plan to leave a listening and observation post buried in the Rock of Gibraltar should it have fallen to the Germans. A chapter is also devoted to Portugal – the SIS and SOE operations there and the vital Wolfram wars. Operation Golden Eye was eventually put on standby in 1943 as the risk of the Nazis occupying Spain was much reduced. Simmons consulted Foreign Office, SOE, CIA and OKW files when writing this book.

About the Author

Mark Simmons is a writer of espionage books fiction and non-fiction. Military History Monthly described his "Agent Cicero" as "an excellent treatment of the Cicero affair". Mark comes from a family with a long tradition of service in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. In the 1970's he served in the Royal Marines Commandos after gaining his Green Beret he was drafted to 40 Commando seeing active service in Cyprus. Later he served in 3 Commando Brigade, and with the Commando Logistics Regiment. With the Regiment he took part in the Belize emergency of 1977, and served on detached duties with 42 Commando, the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre, and 36 MAU of the United States Marines. "The British and Cyprus" 2015 relates some of the time he spent on the island during the Turkish Invasion of 1975. As does his second book and first novel "From the Foam of the Sea" which has been compared to the work of Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley. In 2013 he introduced his reluctant hero Rob Nicolson, former Marine Commando and MI5 operator in 'Room 39 and The Cornish Legacy' against the background of the Miner's Strike of 1984. He investigates the mysterious death of his aunt who worked for Naval Intelligence in WWII which is entangled with the career of an IRA double agent. This was followed by Nicolson's Gold in 2017, where Rob has to put his life on the line to protect Britain's oldest and most closely guarded secret. But is the secret a trap in itself into which Rob could fall. Mark has also written two novels featuring Father Carlo Miller, an Anglo-Italian priest set in the 1930's Italy where he is caught between his faith and the Fascist State. "The Serpent and the Cross" 2010 is set against the background of 1930's motor racing and a plot by SOE in WWII to kill Mussolini. The Western Morning News called it "A stylishly pacey novel". The second volume was published in 2016 "Shadows Washed in Blood" set on the island of Sicily against the background of the British run Marsala wine trade and the Targa Florio motor race. Mark has written over 150 articles mainly on Military/naval, travel, and motoring subjects. Shortly a series of articles are due to be published in Medal News "From Villa Park to Passchendaele" telling the story of one Birmingham Pal. And Mark is now working on a book about Ian Fleming's time in Spain and Portugal during WWII.

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