RnzNa Bhattarai
On the cover of British magazine Observer in May 1973 is a picture of spy Dusko Popov and the question "is this James Bond in real life?".
Dusko Popov was born in Serbia in 1912 to a very wealthy family.
Dusko Popov in 1940 Photo: National Archives and Record Administration
The two quickly became friends.
Although Popov is not too handsome, he has prominent blue eyes that many women cannot resist.
But Popov and Jebsen have one more serious thing in common, both of which hate the Nazis.
Jebsen immediately called Popov's father the news.
In 1940, Jebsen met Popov at a hotel in Belgrade and announced that he had joined the German army intelligence service despite hating the Nazis, as this was the only way to avoid fighting on the frontlines.
On the surface, Popov accepted.
Over the next year, he passed on fake information to Germany from England.
Dusko Popov and his wife after the end of World War II Photo: Privatna Arhiva.
Popov promised the Nazis that he would help them build a spy network in London, but in essence, he was implementing the Midas Plan, the proceeds from the Nazis would be transferred to British intelligence.
The first phase of the plan took place without a hitch.
One summer evening in 1941, Popov entered the Estoril Casino in Portugal, carrying all the money.
At the casino, a Lithuanian businessman proclaimed loudly that anyone wishing to play baccarat at his table could bet any amount, he would bet the equivalent.
Popov sits down at the man's table and stakes all $ 50,000.
The confused Lithuanian businessman asks if they can assist him in case he loses money.
The Nazis next tasked with Popov was to set up a spy network in America.
Dusko Popov on the cover of Observer magazine in 1973 Photo: Observer
Several months after Popov arrived in the US, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the US decided to go to war.
Popov was asked to transmit fake news to the Nazis that the landing actually took place at Dieppe or Calais.
When the war ended in 1945, Popov moved to France.
In the 1970s, after Fleming's death, Popov published a memoir, claiming he was the prototype of James Bond.
Although Fleming never recognized this, many historians think that Popov was indeed the inspiration for Fleming.
"We believe Estoril casino is where the idea of the James Bond character came into being," said Dejan Tiago-Stankovic, the Portuguese writer.
Bond and Popov have things in common, such as having sophisticated pleasures, lavish lifestyles, and being both murderers.
