Who were Bond’s first two kills?

Who were Bond’s first two kills?

February 9, 2024 0 By 007 Travelers

James Bond earns his 00 status, i.e. licence to kill by eliminating two people in British Secret Service before the code number is granted to him. But who were those first two kills?

In “Casino Royale” (2006) film, Bond (Daniel Craig) tells MI6 Section Chief Dryden (Malcolm Sinclair) in Prague, Czech Republic, that he knows Dryden is selling British intelligence secrets (check). Bond reveals to Dryden that he killed Dryden’s contact Fisher (Darwin Shaw) in Lahore, Pakistan. (Fisher’s name is never revealed in the film. He is just Dryden’s contact). In the “Casino Royale” DVD extra materials, more is revealed as Bond follows Fisher to a cricket match in Lahore, before killing him in a fight in a cricket ground toilet. So, Fisher is Bond’s first kill in movies. Bond shoots Dryden in his chair, making this Bond’s second kill.

Darwin Shaw as Fisher in “Casino Royale” (2006)
Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq, LLC

Malcolm Sinclair as Dryden in “Casino Royale” (2006)
Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq, LLC

However, there are different descriptions of Bond’s first two kills in the books. Ian Fleming tells in the first Bond book “Casino Royale” (1953) that the first incident was in New York, USA when Bond shot Japanese cipher expert and the second in Stockholm, Sweden. However, Fleming does not name Bond’s victims.

“The office was very jealous although they didn’t know what the job was. All they knew was that I was to work with a Double O. Of course you’re our heroes. I was enchanted.”

Bond frowned. “It’s not difficult to get a Double O number if you’re prepared to kill people,” he said. “That’s all the meaning it has. It’s nothing to be particularly proud of. I’ve got the corpses of a Japanese cipher expert in New York and a Norwegian double agent in Stockholm to thank for being a Double 0. Probably quite decent people. They just got caught up in the gale of the world like that Yugoslav that Tito bumped off. It’s a confusing business but if it’s one’s profession, one does what one’s told. How do you like the grated egg with your caviar?”

Ian Fleming: “Casino Royale” (1953)

In the 1973 Bond “biography” “James Bond, the Authorized Biography of 007“, John Pearson says the name of the shot in New York is Shingushi and the name of the spy in Stockholm is Svenson.

“The man’s Japanese. He’s called Shingushi and he’s in New York. Officially he’s with their consulate-general – he has an office on the thirty-sixth floor of a sky-scraper on Lexington Avenue. But unofficially the man’s a cypher expert – probably the greatest in the world. We’ve been studying him, and now we know for certain what he’s up to. For several months we’ve known that the Germans have been getting detailed information of Allied shipping movements from New York, and it appears that this has been relayed from their friends in Tokyo. The question was how the Japanese were getting it. Now Stephenson’s found out. The Japanese have been intercepting all our messages, to and from the Atlantic convoys, and little Shingushi has been busily decoding them.”

“It was an eerie noise within the darkened room – Bond’s voice and then the strangled thud of two silenced rifles firing almost simultaneously. Dolan fired first as arranged, for his shot had to break the double glass in the Consulate window. A split second later, Bond’s shot sped through the hole straight to its target. Bond paused to watch the little Japanese keel over, then collapse. At this distance he barely seemed a man at all – more like a target on a range.”

And another case:..

“Stockholm. Lovely city. There’s a man called Svenson. I’m afraid we need him dealt with – rather your line of country.”

Bond raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

“He’s one of ours – in theory. We trained him over here – you may have met him. He’s a Norwegian – big, good-looking chap – ex-sailor. I had him set up in a Stockholm shipping agency for cover, but he’s doubled on us.”

“Svenson, I’m coming after you,” he shouted, then kicked the door in. There was a shot – a bullet hit the woodwork by his head, and spun off down the stairs. Bond was expecting this. He had dodged back and fired twice towards the source of the shot. This seemed as good a way as any now of killing Svenson. It would be less like murder – more of an equal fight.

Bond waited, holding his fire. He could see nothing in the room, but somebody was moaning. Bond paused in readiness to shoot again.

“Svenson,” he called softly.

“For God’s sake hold your fire,” said a voice, Svenson’s voice. ‘Why are you doing this to me?”

“You know why,” said Bond.

“James, just wait while I put the light on. Don’t you know you’ve hit her?”

Bond realized it was a woman moaning. The light went on.

Svenson was sitting up in bed. He was much fatter than Bond remembered and sat clutching the bedclothes to his chest. He was unarmed and white with fear. Sprawled across the floor lay the girl Bond had seen that morning. She was naked. Blood was pumping from a bullet hole below the breast. In her hand she still held a small silver automatic.

There was not much that Bond could do for her. The violet eyes were already closed, the knees drawn up against the slender belly. She tried to speak, then slumped against the floor. Bond knew that she was dead.

Svenson was trembling. He was moaning now.

“Let me explain,” he said. “You are my friend, James. You must understand.”

“I understand too well,” said Bond.

It was a pathetic business. Bond had never witnessed the effect of total fear before. He would have liked to have shot Svenson where he lay, but couldn’t. Instead he heard his terrified confession followed by the inevitable plea for mercy. Bond was revolted – as much by himself now as by Svenson. War is a dirty business: but some men’s wars are dirtier than others.

When Svenson realized that Bond was quite implacable he begged him one last favour – to be allowed to shoot himself – and Bond agreed. He took the gun from the dead girl, left one bullet in the chamber, and threw it on the bed.

“I’ll wait outside,” he said. “Get it over quickly.”

Bond waited several minutes but there was no shot. When he went back into the bedroom, Svenson was still lying in the bed. He had the girl’s gun in his hand and fired at him, as Bond knew he would. Svenson’s gun-hand trembled when he fired. Bond’s didn’t.”

John Pearson: “James Bond, the Authorized Biography of 007” (1973)

In Anthony Horowitz‘s book “Forever and a Day” (2018), the places stay the same, but the names of the people change! The name of the Japanese spy in Horowitz’s book is Kishida, and the agent who meets his fate in Stockholm is called Rolf Larsen.

“Well, sir, he managed his first kill without any difficulty. It was that Kishida business. “The Japanese cipher man.”

“Yes, yes. I read the report. He’s certainly a good shot and he kept his nerve. At the same time, though, firing a bullet into a thirty-sixth floor of a New York skyscraper doesn’t necessarily prove anything. I’d like to see how he works at close quarters.”

And the Stockholm case:..

“It turned out that Rolf Larsen had been a highly successful double agent, working for the Nazis, taking part in small-scale operations while at the same time keeping his masters informed about the bigger picture. He had been responsible for the death of dozens of Norwegian agents, including some who had actually fought at his side. But that wasn’t what had signed his death warrant. In 1944, a plan was put forward by the British for an assault on northern Norway, with troops leaving the Shetland Islands on fishing boats, penetrating the fjords under cover of darkness and fog. Two men had been sent ahead to pinpoint a suitable landing position and Larsen had betrayed them both. They had been captured, tortured and killed. The assault had been abandoned.”

“I’m here for Bourne and Calder”

Bourne and Calder. “The two men sent to the northern coast of Norway. The two men Larsen had betrayed. It hadn’t been part of Bond’s brief to extract any information from the traitor before he killed him, but he had to know for his own peace of mind.

“Do you understand?” he asked.

Larsen hesitated, then nodded very slowly. He didn’t need to make any movement. Bond had already seen what he needed in the man’s eyes; the acknowledgement of guilt. So be it. Without a second thought, he drove the knife forward, into the neck muscle, slanting it towards Larsen’s brain.”

Anthony Horowitz: “Forever and a Day” (2018)


What can be said about this other than that nothing is obvious in the world of spies! 🙂

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