BIA: Bezbednosno-informativna Agencija. The Serbian foreign intelligence and internal security agency.
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency. The main foreign intelligence gathering and espionage organisation of the United States. Ian Fleming reportedly played a role in the founding of the CIA. During the Second World War, he penned an extensive memo on creating and running an espionage operation for General William ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan, head of America’s Office of Strategic Services. Donovan was instrumental in the formation of OSS’s successor, the CIA.
COBRA: Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. A senior-level crisis-response committee in the United Kingdom, usually headed by the prime minister or other high-ranking government official and composed of individuals whose jobs are relevant to a particular threat facing the nation. Although the name usually includes, in the media at least, a reference to Conference Room A in the main Cabinet Office building in Whitehall, it could convene in any meeting room.
CCID: Crime Combating and Investigation Division of the South African Police Service (see below): The major investigative unit. It specialises primarily in serious crimes, such as murder, rape and terrorism.
DI: Defence Intelligence. The British military’s intelligence operation.
Division Three: A fictional security organ of the British government based in Thames House. Loosely affiliated with the Security Service (see below), Division Three engages in tactical and operational missions within the UK’s borders to investigate and neutralise threats.
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. The main domestic security agency in the United States, responsible for investigating criminal activities within the borders, and certain threats to the United States and its citizens abroad.
Five: Informal reference to MI5, the Security Service (see below).
FO or FCO: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The main diplomatic and foreign policy agency of the United Kingdom, headed by the foreign secretary, who is a senior member of the cabinet.
FSB: Federal’naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii. The domestic security agency within Russia. Similar to the FBI (see above) and the Security Service (see below). Formerly the KGB (see below) performed this function.
GCHQ: Government Communications Headquarters. The government agency in the United Kingdom that collects and analyses foreign signals intelligence. Similar to the NSA (see below) in America. Also referred to as the Doughnut, because of the shape of the main building, which is located in Cheltenham.
GRU: Glavnoye Razvedyvatel’noye Upravleniye. The Russian military intelligence organisation.
KGB: Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti. The Soviet foreign intelligence and domestic security organisation until 1991, when it was replaced by the SVR (see below) for foreign intelligence and the FSB (see above) for internal intelligence and security.
Metropolitan Police Service: The police force whose jurisdiction is Greater London (excluding the City of London, which has its own police). Known informally as the Met, Scotland Yard or the Yard.
MI5: The Security Service (see below).
MI6: The Secret Intelligence Service (see below).
MoD: Ministry of Defence. The organisation within the United Kingdom overseeing the armed forces.
NIA: National Intelligence Agency. The domestic security agency of South Africa, like MI5 (see above) or the FBI (see above).
NSA: National Security Agency. The government agency in the United States that collects and analyses foreign signals and related intelligence, from mobile phones, computers and the like. It is the American version of the UK’s GCHQ (see above), with which it shares facilities both in England and the US.
ODG: Overseas Development Group. A covert operational unit of British security operating largely independently but ultimately under the control of the UK’s FCO (see above). Its purpose is to identify and eliminate threats to the country by extraordinary means. The fictional ODG operates from an office building near Regent’s Park, London. James Bond is an agent with the 00 Section of O (Operations) Branch of the ODG. Its director-general is known as M.
SAPS: South African Police Service. The main domestic police operation serving South Africa. Its efforts range from street patrol to major crime.
SAS: Special Air Service. The British Army’s special forces unit. It was formed during the Second World War.
SBS: Special Boat Service. The Royal Navy’s special forces unit. It was formed during the Second World War.
Security Service: The domestic security agency in the United Kingdom, responsible for investigating both foreign threats and criminal activities within the borders. It corresponds to the FBI (see above) in the United States, though it is primarily an investigative and surveillance operation – unlike the FBI, it has no authority to make arrests. Known informally as MI5 or Five.
SIS: Secret Intelligence Service. The foreign intelligence gathering and espionage agency of the United Kingdom. It corresponds to the CIA in the United States. Known informally as MI6 or Six.
SOCA: Serious Organised Crime Agency. The law-enforcement organisation within the United Kingdom responsible for investigating major criminal activity inside the borders. Its agents and officers have the power of arrest.
Spetznaz: Voyska Spetsialnogo Naznacheniya. A general reference to special forces in the Russian intelligence community and the military. Known informally as Spetznaz.
SVR: Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedk. The Russian foreign intelligence gathering and espionage agency. Formerly the KGB (see above) performed this function.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
All novels are to some extent collaborative efforts, and this one more so than most. I wish to express my deep appreciation to the following for so tirelessly assisting to make sure this project got off the ground and that it grew into the best book it could be: Sophie Baker, Francesca Best, Felicity Blunt, Jessica Craig, Sarah Fairbairn, Cathy Gleason, Jonathan Karp, Sarah Knight, Victoria Marini, Carolyn Mays, Zoe Pagnamenta, Betsy Robbins, Deborah Schneider, Simon Trewin, Corinne Turner and my friends in the Fleming family. Special thanks go to the copyeditor of all copyeditors, Hazel Orme, as well as Vivienne Schuster, whose inspired title graces the novel.
Finally, thanks to the operatives of my own Overseas Development Group: Will and Tina Anderson, Jane Davis, Julie Deaver, Jenna Dolan and, of course, Madelyn Warcholik.
And for readers thinking that Cape Town’s Table Mountain Hotel I mention in the book sounds familiar, that’s because its inspiration is the Cape Grace, which is just as lovely but is not – to my knowledge – populated by any spies.
IAN FLEMING
Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, was born in London on 28 May 1908. He was educated at Eton and later spent a formative period in Kitzbuhel, Austria, where he learned languages and made his first tentative forays into fiction writing. In the 1930s he worked for Reuters, where he honed his writing skills and, thanks to a Moscow posting, gained valuable insights into what would become his literary
He spent the Second World War as Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence where his
