Christopher Moran explored the similarities between Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and the real world of the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA had long taken an interest in the James Bond novels, even drawing inspiration from Bond’s adventures and especially technology, but drawing on recently declassified material, including the papers of CIA Director Allen Dulles, Mr. Moran showed how Ian Fleming broke the “Company’s” culture of secrecy and vaulted ahead of the press, Hollywood, and the academic community in fleshing out the public profile of the CIA in the early Cold War period. This is the subject of Mr. Moran’s forthcoming book, Classified: Secrecy and the State in Post-War Britain. Mr. Moran also responded to questions from members of the audience.
“Ian Fleming, James Bond and the Public Perception of the Central Intelligence Agency” was a lecture given in the Whittall Pavilion of the Library of Congress.