10. The Extraordinary Life of a Triple Spy
There are not that many people who have lived a life as extraordinary or as impactful as Dusan “Dusko” Popov (1912 – 1981), a Serbian WWII spy and triple agent who was decorated by both the Germans and the British. A mostly unsung and largely unrecognized hero, Popov played an oversized role in the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy. And he did it in style. Popov helped beat the Nazis while he traveled around the world and led a playboy life, as he partied in top-notch nightclubs and casinos with a bevy of beauties and famous actresses.
He pulled that off because he was blessed with an abundance of natural charm and smoothness, good looks that set hearts aflutter, plus an agreeable presence that just drew people to him. That combination of charisma, coolness, wit and looks did not go unnoticed by a mid-level British intelligence officer named Ian Fleming, who went on after the war to create fiction’s greatest spy, James Bond. Indeed, it is almost a certainty that Fleming, who became acquainted with Popov during the war, modeled much of Agent 007 upon the smooth Serb.
