Five of the most remembered actors to portray the 007 British spy
James Bond. (Left to right: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, Roger
Moore, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig.
by Felicity Blaze Noodleman
BOND TURNS 50
To celebrate the 50th. Year of the “James Bond
007” spy thrillers in motion pictures, the latest being entitled “Skyfall”; this
week’s article is undertaking the writing of a short story about the world of
spying. Ian Fleming who authored the
James Bond character in his 1952 novel “Casino Royal” has been dead since 1964. He wrote twelve 007 novels in all and were
based on his work in British Naval Intelligence during the Second World War. Although Fleming was only a cog in the large
intelligence gathering branch of the HMS Royal Navy, he seemed to take a
special delight in creating and writing about his ultra ego “James Bond”. The spy for all
occasions and assignments.
Fleming’s novels were all well received by the public and
shortly before his death the first James bond film was made in 1962. The 007 movies created a new style of motion
picture. Bond films were exciting and
the plot for each unfolded in many locations all over the world. Very exciting for the average theater
attendee’s since James Bond opened a door into a world so far removed to them.
The Bond spy prototype has been in existence for century’s
and was employed in many nations both East and West up until the end of the 20th
century. The end of the cold war between
NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization) countries and the Soviet Union really ended the need for the
so called field agents. In fact the NATO
nations are so far ahead of all the other nations in the world the only things
of interest to NATO and the United States is how other countries are
advancing. The two areas of interest for
NATO and the United Nations are the Middle Eastern nations and Korea. Small nations with aspirations of becoming as
powerful militarily as the United States, Russia or the Chinese.
Fleming’s experience in Her Majesties Royal Navy begins to
give us a clue concerning modern espionage although he writes very little about
it only making brief references to today’s “Spies”. If you’ve ever wondered how such a high
profile character such as a James Bond could ever be effective as a spy then
congratulate yourself. You’re smarter
than the vast majority. The real life
spy is something less than a Chess Board Pawn and only contributes a very small
amount of information to the “Mother Organization”. And as for the occupation of Asian or Killer;
well those jobs are filled by criminals and the dregs of society. They are never traceable or associated to the
actual intelligence organizations involved.
The spies of today’s world are actually intelligence
organizations who continually compile and gather information on so many different areas of
interest it would boggle the imagination of you or I. Their agents are actually the latest Intel chip or maybe
computer programs designed to probe the Internet for information of interest.
Every once and a while I see a glimpse of real life spies in
literature and film. A “Jack Ryan”
character in a Tom Clancy novel who is a
CIA analysis or maybe a “Joe Turner” as portrayed in a novel by James Grady’s
“Six Days of The Condor” (later shortened to “ Three Days of The Condor”; a
film staring Robert Redford). These kinds of
“work a day” government employees have for the most part replaced the 007 style
field agent. In fact if you begin to
compile the profiles of the examples I’ve just given you than a prototype spy
begins to emerge which is very close to a real spy.
The real life spies are very dull and mundane by most standards. I feel the best example of a real life spy portrayed
in film was in “The Eiger Sanction”; a film by Clint Eastwood. The novel written by Trevanian, discussed the
murder of an agent codenamed “Wormwood” and his avenge. “Wormwood” is probably the most accurate
portrayal of a real life spy I’ve ever seen.
A man living on life’s fringe in a very lonely world.
Industrial espionage is more in tune with the 007 Bond type
of spying these days. The companies of
today are very eager to know what the latest trends and developments are in
their fields of manufacturing. What is
the newest circuit making electronics smaller, faster and cheaper. Where will the latest lines and colors in
fashion be for summer. There is all
kinds of spying going on in our everyday world of commerce. It really happens everywhere: sports, business, recreation, the arts and
even in house wares.
"LIVE TO DIE
ANOTHER DAY"
THE LIFE OF CHIN JUNG LEE
A Short Story by Felicity Blaze Noodleman
The Peninsula of Korea divided into two political states of North and
South by the allies after WWII. The map also shows Korea in relation
to China and Russia in the north and Japan in the south.
Chin Jung Lee was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1948. His parents were refugees from North Korea
who escaped the North after the Communist take over in 1945 by the Russians
which divided the small country in to two different political factions creating
a North and South Korea. His father hoped for a free Korea after the Japanese were defeated at the end of the Second World War but Korea would now be occupied by new aggressors.
First the Jung
family fled to South Korea and then immigrated to the United States as
political refugees under the provisions of the US Immigration Department. Chin Sr. had been an informant for the US
Army’s OSS, the military branch which would later become the CIA. He helped the OSS during WWII and now in the new Cold War. His life was in danger from the Communist’s
in North Korea. He and his new wife would immigrate to the United States in Los Angeles, CA. This would be
their new home.
As some of the first Koreans to settle in Southern California
the Lees would be free naturalized citizens in their new home and life would be so very different to
the life they had experienced in Korea.
With the birth of their first son a new generation of the Jung family
would begin. An American generation.
Chin was bought up in the traditional Korean home with his
parents. His father Chin Sr. established
a small market catering to the Korean needs of the now growing community in Los
Angeles and his mother Sue Lee worked in a dry cleaning establishment. He learned to read and speak both Korean and
Chinese from his parents who were fluent in both. They also spoke some Russian and Japanese. He went to his local public school near the
family home. He truly was a first
generation Korean-American.
Being educated in an American school was difficult for Chin
at first but he soon grasped the new English language and began to do well in
his studies. During his High School
years Chin became active in the extracurricular organizations offered at his
large Los Angeles High School. Chin knew
he wanted to attend College but how?
This is when he came into contact with the Army ROTC program offered at
his high school.
With a scholarship granted by the ROTC program and support
from his family he began college at the University of Southern California. He was an excellent student and discovered he
had a high aptitude for language. This
was not a surprise to Chin. He began to
study Russian formally since he could neither read nor write the language and
he soon became fluent in five languages now speaking, reading and writing in
Korean, Chinese, Russian, English and able to speak some Japanese.
It was at this point the US Army began to take a special
notice of Chin Jung Lee. He was offered
a full scholarship at West Point, The United States Military Academy. Here at West point he would be given an
education which would prepare him to be an Officer in the US Army. Chin was looking forward to a career in the
Army. He graduated from West Point with
honors and was given his first duty assignment at Fort Hood, TX. He had come a long way from the family home
in Los Angeles and would travel even further with his first overseas tour of
duty in Seoul, South Korea.
Chin would be a new kind of spy. He would be an intelligence specialist
translating communications intercepted by the United States and S Korean
intelligence agencies. Chin would also volunteer for more dangerous field assignments.
Was it an accident, providence or fate which brought the 22
year old Chin to this point of his life?
He wondered. He had been serving
in the Army now for two years working as an intelligence officer. He had all the right qualifications and
excelled at his work. Now a new branch
of the US Government would approach Chin with a job offer which he would
readily accept. He would become an intelligence
officer for the CIA. He would become a
Spy gathering intelligence through communications and even in the field – in
North Korea; and sometimes in China and Russia.
Chin was sent State side for further education and training
at Quantico, VA with the US Marines and the FBI. He was formally induction into the CIA at
Langley, VA. After a year of specialized
training in Virginia Chin was long overdue for his military “Leave”. Some R&R with his family in Los Angeles
was all he could think about. The year
was now 1972. As Chin returned home his
thoughts were of all his hard scholastic achievements and his new career in the
military. Once he reached his Los Angeles
home Chin felt a sense of relief he had never known before. He now appreciated his home like he never had
before.
Somehow things were now different for him now. His parents had noticeably become older and
so was he. Both his mother and father expressed
their pride in Chin’s accomplishments since he’d left home and now he was an
honored guest in the family home. As he
talked with his father about his work with the Army and the CIA Chin came to
know a side of Chin Sr. he had never seen before. Chin realized that he had followed more
closely in his father’s steps than he knew.
Chin Sr. began to talk about the family home and life in
North Korea under the Japanese occupation of WWII and then under the Communists. He described things which he had done for the
OSS in great detail. He illustrated these
story’s with maps and hand drawn illustrations he’d saved over the years. For a moment Chin Jr. felt like he was back
at his base in Seoul, S. Korea receiving an intelligence briefing. Chin Jr. discovered he was the son of a SPY! The stories his father and mother were
telling his seemed to in creditable to be true.
"Monumental Tower" to commemorate the NATO forces in Korea
and their first battle. "Task Force Smith" the battle for Osan, Korea
July 5, 1950. Intelligence provided by Chin Sr.
would aid the NATO forces.
The two weeks spent at home flew by but it was so good to be
back with the family. Old memories began
to fill his thoughts. He had worked so
hard to make it through school spending his time studying. Now he realized he had not built any personal
relationships. If he was to find a love
interest it should happen soon before he became too old. Was his biological clock going off? He wondered, but there was no one for him to
pursue. His mother spoke with him about
it but still it was a shallow thought, at least for Chin.
Soon it was time to prepare for his journey back to Seoul,
S. Korea. He said his goodbyes to the
family at the airport where his military transport would fly nonstop back to
his duty assignment in Korea. When he
arrived at the Army Base in Seoul chin received new orders and continue his
journey to his new assignment.
Everything about this was highly classified, his orders, his new base
and his new job. He was being assigned
to the most sensitive duty stations in South Korea. Chin would be working in the most secret
bases in Korea. Once he arrived Chin was
given his full security briefing. Chin
was then driven to his quarters and then to his offices.
The main gate at Osan Air Base South Korea.
This base was like nothing he had ever seen or heard about
before. Officially it was an Air Force
Base which was being run by the CIA. The
base had a large Army detachment which was mainly responsible for the security
of the installation. Also assisting the
Army was an equally large detachment of South Korean Army forces, the ROK. All were there to protect the air field and
the CIA installation. It was nothing
Chin had ever seen or imagined before.
Once settled into his office and with yet more briefings,
Chin learned he was to be working in Cryptology as a language specialist. The installation was intercepting radio
transmissions from North Korea, China and Southern Russia. All were coming across his desk for
translation. Every morning he would
attend meetings informing base superiors of the information being received and
the intelligence which would be included for dispatch to all of the agencies
which the base was disseminating to. It
was a worldwide network of intelligence organizations. The remainder of the day would be spent
putting together the package to be sent out.
A package which included satellite and aerial photography as well as all
radio and television transmissions. The
base had its thumb on the Communists every move.
This was a relatively new kind of spying. Satellite surveillance was now the eyes and
ears of the west. A post in space which
was being maximized to the fullest. In
conjunction with this new wealth of information, air flights were being dispatched
almost daily to take a closer look. It
was a gold mine of intelligence which had to be interpreted every day. Chin began to settle into his new job. His training was serving him well and he
quickly became recognized for his professionalism and expertise in his new line
of work. He was highly knowledgeable and
an asset to his organization. He would
soon be promoted from his rank of Captain to Major and be given more
responsibility. He had moved quickly up
the ladder of rank and would soon be the assistant officer in charge of his
unit.
One morning, as fate would have it, the daily briefing
included an unusual feature. A group of
MIA’s (personnel missing in action) had been located deep in North Korea. A mission was being put together to rescue
these men and volunteers were being sought for the operation. Chin felt he could assist and asked to join
the effort. He was accepted and told he
would be placed in charge of the rescue operation. He was more qualified than he knew. The operation was code named “Over Coat” and
Chin’s designation would be “Top Hat”.
Cover for a Cloak and Dagger Mission.
This operation had been planned out in advance and every
conceivable circumstance had been considered.
This would be a bold excursion into North Korea and would be so
classified that any knowledge of such a mission would be denied by all of the
allied forces in the west. The chances
for success were, well almost next to none, but now with Chin on board the
team’s chances for success greatly improved.
Since Chins parents were from N. Korea his Korean was perfect for the
job. His training at Quantico now would
be of value.
“Top Hat” and “Over Coat” began to rehearse the mission
right down to the finest of details. The
team would be flown into N. Korea by helicopter and parachuted into the area
with a truck which had been prepared with N. Korean insignias. It had been captured and was the real
thing. Chin was to impersonate a N.
Korean officer and his team “Over Coat” would all be S. Korean Army specialists. They would be impersonating N. Korean army troops. At first he found his troops difficult to
work with but he soon discovered these men responded best to an almost brutal
kind of discipline. Once he adjusted to
this attitude things quickly came under control. The game was now afoot. The team was now ready for the mission.
One thing to be said for American air power was that it was
almost undetectable by the enemy. Planes
flew so high the North had no knowledge of their existence and the “Close in
support” was highly experienced in flying under the North’s radar. This is how “Top Hat and Overcoat” would
reach their target only surfacing high enough to parachute everything to the
ground. Just a short brief blip on the
enemies radar and then gone.
CH 54 A Skycrane used to transport "Top Hat and Over Coat"
into North Korea.
When the troop but boots on the ground the mission quickly
got underway. All traces of their
landing had to be covered. They took
possession of their truck and headed to the N. Korean base holding the MIA’s. Phases one and two were complete with no
casualties. Now came the difficult
part. Walking right through the enemy’s
front door and picking up the MIA’s to bring back to the South. At this point all of the details of the
mission were being handled by the clock and everything was proceeding according
to plan.
A faint untraceable message was being sent to the N. Korean
base instructing them to expect Chin and his men and to release the MIA’s to
Chin’s custody for transport to an undisclosed location. “Top Hat and Over Coat” arrived shortly and
Chin presented his documentation to the camp commander demanding the MIA’s. Everything was working as planned. The N. Korean commander had no idea he was
talking to the “Sun of a Spy”! The MIA’s
were loaded onto the truck and they were off in short order. Chin could not believe how well things were
working. All of the planning was paying
off with huge results. This took care of
steps three and four.
Enemy North Korean soldiers similar to those encountered by Chin and
his men.
Now for the difficult part of the mission. “Top Hat and Over Coat” would transport the MIA’s
to a location not far from the point where they had entered N. Korea to be
picked up by helicopter. Again they
would fly under N. Korean radar to a Naval Aircraft Carrier destined for Seoul
S. Korea. The MIA’s were very bad
condition. Dehydrated, malnourished and
in need of medical attention the men were hardly up to the trip but they would
have to make it. Chin and his men would do
what they could for the MIA’s hoping they could get them safely aboard the
awaiting transports. Once again the
mission would unfold as planned.
Once aboard the awaiting helicopter everyone felt a lot
better. It was now just a short hop,
skip and a jump to the Aircraft Carrier.
The US Army pilots wasted no time in departing N. Korea and making their
way for the coast and through the seven mile distance to the naval vessel which
was waiting to receive them in international waters. Finally they would be in US territory and
safe. The mission had been a success.
Upon arrival at the Naval Aircraft Carrier the MIA’s were
released for medical treatment. Chin and
his men were debriefed as their mission was concluded. This was a huge relief for Chin. His first field mission couldn’t have gone
any better. It was at this point that he
discovered who these MIA’s were, all except one were CIA operatives working
undercover in N. Korea much like his own father had been all those years
ago. The other man picked up by the
Chin’s mission was a little more unusual to say the least. He was an Englishman who was in N. Korea on a
solo mission unrelated to any military operation being conducted by the allies.
Chin asked to sit in on the debriefing for the MIA’s and was
allowed to do so since it had been his efforts which rescued these men. This alone was an education in itself. The Englishman however was debriefed by a
special envoy of British officials with an American official from the
Department of State. This was all a
greatly classified matter. Chin again
asked if he might meet with the Englishman whom he only knew as Jim.
A brief face to face was set up for the two men, a chance to
exchange greetings. Jim was in much
better condition by now and thanked Chin for his rescue and his life. Jim briefly informed Chin that he was a
British agent and his mission was classified and unsuccessful. Chin gave Jim a bit of encouragement and told
him that he would “live to die another day”.
Jim just laughed and said 00’s always carry through with their
assignments and this was the first time he was unable to deliver. Chin asked,” what do you mean by “00” Jim”? “Well that’s my designation you see, I’m James Bond, 007”!
Chin has now retired from the Army and CIA having served for more than thirty years. During that time he was promoted to Brig. General working for most of that time in Korea and then serving in the Pentagon in Washington, DC. He has returned to Los Angeles, CA and lives on his retirement benefits and his inheritance from the family business which has grown and is now being operated by his brothers and sister. I see him now and again some times for coffee in the morning and listen to his stories! He's an interesting man to know!
Pro-unification messages hang on the barbed wire
at the Imjingak, near the
demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating South and North
Korea on
December 20, 2011 in Paju, South Korea.
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