Was This WW2 Secret Agent The Real James Bond? | Secret War

The name's Popov. Duško Popov. Was this Croatian secret agent the inspiration for the legendary James Bond? Discover how this one man made D-day possible and nearly stopped pearl harbour.
Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Matt Lewis and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code 'TIMELINE' 👉 access.historyhit.com/
You can find more from us on:
/ timelinewh
/ timelineworldhistory
/ timelinewh
This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact [e-mail]

[@scribbler60]

As a fictional character, Bond was most likely a compilation of numerous characters that influenced Fleming. Popov was one among many.

[@giorgosarifoglu953]

Most likely yes...a combination of many real characters and ww2 and cold war stories....

[@safiremorningstar]

Don't forget the gentleman had a desire himself to be out in the field and doing things but he wasn't so you could call this wish fulfillment in his own mind... And many of the real spies that he knew of the guys who are really out in the field, and some women as well.

[@safiremorningstar]

Because from where he said he got to see everything it was a good place to sit when you think about it.

[@giorgosarifoglu953]

@@safiremorningstar what are you talking about??? Popov was a known agent and a real one too...but Ian Flemings James Bond is cherry picked stories from real agents and real stories....

[@helanna9843]

Ian Fleming said in an interview that much of the James Bond character he wrote was based on Sidney Reilly, a Russian born spy he was familiar with during his work for British intelligence. A television series, "Reilly, Ace of Spies" was filmed in the 1980's based on that character.

[@josephteller9715]

Flemming lied and would not reveal much about WW2 due to the official secrets act. Reilly was from an earlier era.

[@shaunmyers3562]

True, but Fleming admitted before his death that he was inspired by Popov when he encountered him in a casino. That's how you get the first James Bond novel Casino Royale.

[@jabersawaya7131]

Popov and Garbo are the true heros of WW2

[@jankostojkovic977]

Nice documentary. But he wasn't Croatian, he was Serbian.

[@misha8896]

Yes, originally from Titel

[@davidtuttle7556]

An easy mistake for us Westerners to make, not understanding Balkan curlures and nationalities have little to do with arbitrary borders and more to do with family, religion, and histories that are quite complicated. Please accept this mea culpa.

[@AdamDylanFoley]

so?

[@fanroche8573]

@@AdamDylanFoley those differences are pretty essential to understanding the balkans and historic context

[@EileenThompson-cq8nd]

Thank you so much for this incredible story of such a great man! I am now a member of your channel and am beyond impressed with your content!

[@TheJapanChannelDcom]

Hoover would be ashamed of how history has remembered him for what he really was.

[@fokkerd3red618]

That's what happens when alphabet agencies within our government aren't kept in check. The ATF is a prime example of why these agencies shouldn't exist

[@andrewhall7930]

I've watched probably 2000 documentaries in my life.And I can say unequivocally the Documentary has the best music

[@annehersey9895]

Dushko WAS one of the XX Committee’s top agents but equal to Popov, was Agent Garbo, Juan Pujols Garcia who was awarded the Iron Cross first class AND an MBE from the British!

[@nishtapsicoterapiatanatolo9077]

Interesting And thrilling video!! Thanks!

[@kayef5724]

Damn no one here knows 007 history, Porfirio Rubirosa was his name. The original James Bond.

[@rebeccasullivan7965]

Wow great video well worth watching... cheers

[@earth7551]

No it was Christopher Lee

[@jimihendrix991]

myth...

[@earth7551]

@@jimihendrix991 Lol no myth realty Lee was welcome when in the filming of The Howling 2 they were not allowed as soon as the town chiefs found out Christopher Lee was allowed there were granted permission he help liberate the town from nazis

[@taylorlibby7642]

I think I've easily heard of at least a couple of dozen different "real James Bonds" over the years. A new one pops up about as often as someone comes out with a book naming a new Jack the Ripper suspect. 😂🤣

[@nanabutner]

To my way of thinking, Ian Fleming was writing about a world he not only knew, but was also a part of. How much is someone else--how much is Fleming--who knows, but the stories are still entertaining?

[@cynthiaalver]

Great video! Would love to see more about individual contributions to the war. Thank you.

[@ToplicaSRB]

I love how they manage to spin it and say he was croatian. Amazing historical accuracy. I wonder how they manage to conclude that he is Croatian, for a person, whose parents are Serbian, who was born in Titel (then Austria-Hungary, now Serbia), who did live in Dubrovnik which was then part of Yugoslavia, finished highschool in Paris and law school in Belgrade, and then lived abroad. Its not even debatable (as for some historical figures), its plain fact.

[@Ranjanwatson]

Nicely narrated rich with research. Thank you for sharing.

[@radoslavcelnik8821]

Ian Fleming may have based his stories on various agents, but the never-changing character of James Bond is definitely from Duško Popov.

[@PHamster]

He looks like Antenna Man

[@woah6958]

Who is that?😮

[@accnp6]

Duško was Serbian.

[@thule505]

no he wasnt..croatian

[@jamesjamerson7233]

Great documentary ❤

[@caraelizabeth7307]

Would have said Sidney Reilly was the real 007 before watching this. Now he’s got competition!

[@stevewheatley243]

Excellent.👌

[@sekhem313]

the REAL James Bond was an ornithologist - we wrote the book Birds of the West Indies. He regretted allowing his name to be used in public fiction.

[@ThePrinceofallsayain]

Bruh they share the name but everyone knows the real bond in fiction is cooler than some bird geek

[@safiremorningstar]

The funny thing about the microdot is my grandfather the film and other things that he was sending were the size of a pinky finger nail so I guess it was bigger than a micro Dot.

[@troyc4487]

The real James Bond was Ian Fleming. He actually did try to take down Nazis in the gambling style of Casino Royale. And, he did conduct daring secret operations for Royal Naval Intelligence.

[@paulthompsen]

,pp

[@josephteller9715]

Fleming was not. Fleming was mostly not a field agent, he ran field agents. His character was built as a composite off of several agents and assets that the government ran, and were carefully crafted to NOT break the official secrets act that all British Intelligence are bound to.

[@camerondempster4147]

A man called Intrepid. William Stephenson

[@j.l.emerson592]

The fictional James Bond/007 was a composite of several men who were double/triple agents during WWII. Popov played a large part in the espionage of WWII. BTW, this has been known for decades... Since maybe the 1960s?

[@LIJXFVKINBVY]

Did Ian Fleming base James Bond Character on Christopher Lee?

[@earlycat170]

Apart from not being British, Portfirio Rubirosa has my vote

[@murderedcarrot9684]

The "Real" 007 was Carol Burnett. True Story.

[@Kathy-ut9kf]

Tim Conway the Ambassador of Misinformation 😅

[@GiseleLeclerc]

it was a Canadian who was the real James Bond character

[@mustangmanmustangman4596]

you are the only person right! even his family didnt know

[@MythicTales993]

This video truly opened my eyes. Thank you so much!

[@PopGoesTheology]

Spoiler alert: Yes, he was.

[@briancooper2112]

Bond was based on real spy Fleming met during ww2.

[@skipmagil]

Oh no

[@kayef5724]

No it wasn’t, it was Porfirio Rubirosa.

[@RonaldPickering]

@@kayef5724No. His name was Mark Renton from Leith, Edinburgh - Scotland.

[@murderedcarrot9684]

Wich one throws a shoe?

[@michaelpjeffries1521]

He was an amalgamation of several people he met along the way. Name came from a church near hotel in Toronto St James & Bond. The Sinclair farmhouse was last of camp X to go in 64 in a training exercise by fire department. Erasing last evidrnce of its existence.

[@BurgerTaco]

Cat spotted at 5:14 😊

[@nicknamedude]

This is even better than Bond

[@dushy35]

cool name

[@janealla88]

Is there a movie about his life

[@josiasguiomar2504]

Double Cross Eddie Chapman was the "real" James Bond.

[@bastiaanstapelberg9018]

No the real Bond was a Dutch soldier Peter Tazelaar......see wiki.

[@johnjacobs1625]

kool

[@user-ri9hb6th1w]

I love that fact that we used the same tactics to mislead the germans as they had to to france we he invaded..... And american russian and british being squeezed on three fronts 😮😅😂

[@user-ri9hb6th1w]

Ha! I bet they wished they woulda listened to him about pearl harbor ! But also my view is that england needed america to join the war to beat the naziz and a attack on pearl harbor would been the perfect reason for the americans to join the war , the truth in war is always protected by a bodyguard of lies . "winston churchhill"

[@Mike-hu3pp]

The USA doesn't like to listen to "foreigners" because they are always right. I've been yelled at by a few Americans for my accent and not pronouncing words "correctly". The A or H bombs wouldn't have been built without European ingenuity.

[@KentuckyBrad]

Christopher lee was the real james bond

[@robinbrowne5419]

Sean Connery was the real James Bond. Everybody else is an imposter. 🙂👍

[@nanabutner]

😄😄. I too love Sean Connery as James Bond!

[@robinbrowne5419]

@@nanabutner Search youtube for All 24 James Bond theme songs It will bring back some memories :-)

[@safiremorningstar]

The microdot is not that well let's put it this way my grandfather who was with the French underground and a photographer used his photographic skills to create tiny little film I mean we're talking micro-sized pieces that went inside a pin which would then be passed off by his underground partner and the woman who was keeping his family protected and that woman let's say there was something wrong with the pin and would pass it off to whoever it was at the market and the pin would be handed back minus the piece of film that was inside literally it's the size of what a Microdot would be and considering the chemicals he used to create the film that was smaller than a portrait picture would be in a tiny little cavity you can make out one of the pieces because the corroded the back of where it had sat.

[@giorgosarifoglu953]

@@safiremorningstar the microdot was used from 37' and onwards and is still used in many secret service departments because you can't hack it ...its old technology and still useful

[@israel_started_it_ALL_in_1947]

WW2

[@Tobeesho]

It will all end on that day in ISRAEL on the Mountain of Olives, when King Jesus' lands! Israel we shall see.😊

[@katherinecooper6159]

I prefer Sean Connery

[@RedRepublicanArmy]

He is CODY BANKS.

[@GameandFoodTech]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪should be recognized as separate country.

[@dartvader9939]

J e Hoover was a narcissist

[@Mr.KaganbYaltrk]

He wasn't handsome though

[@helenstillman-dk7jm]

Ian fleming didnt even write it the real 007 did & paid ian fleming to say he did cos of his bro - the real 007 was round well b4 ww2

[@rogersmith3405]

Popov was a Serb

[@ceda666]

Is Novak Djokovic croat? Tesla is a croat? Every serbian is a croat? They just don't know...never did, but who cares. Yugoslavia is a serbian state project, same as USSR was russian one. People that lived in that Frankenstein country were not known by their nationality until the breakup of the country in the 1991-95.

[@paulenka5]

ok war criminal.