I think I read somewhere that the scene in question was introduced much later for the screenplay. Perhaps Jay can shed some light on that.

I don't have any specific knowledge about how and when that scene was introduced, but I know the screenplay was written by the end of 1970.

The interpretation of the scene -- i.e., what it intends to depict -- is still an open question. It's certainly possible it was intended as a whistle-blow, but by Broccoli, Salzman, and Maibaum (the creative forces behind it).

The question I attempt to answer on Clavius is merely whether or not Fleming had any involvement in it. Fleming was involved in covert operations during WWII and is properly considered an "insider" in the British intelligence community, although probably not to the extent generally believed by Britons. This makes him an attractive character for David Percy to weave into a conspiracy theory. Percy can argue that his contacts in British Intelligence informed him of their knowledge of the American plans to falsify the moon landing.

Richard Maibaum is simply a Hollywood screenwriter with no such inside knowledge. He cannot be expected to have inside knowledge. Therefore it makes far less sense to claim this is a whistle-blow if Maibaum wrote it. The scene doesn't appear in the book.

But it does demonstrate just how poorly David Percy researches his claims. He promised us incontrovertible proof, and instead he delivers offhand assertions which are easily shown to be in contrast with well-established fact.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JayUtah on 2002-02-10 09:23 ]</font>