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RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, which he was still revising at the time. It was probably during these few weeks that Fleming decided to have Rosa Klebb kick Bond with a poison-tipped shoe at the end of the novel, leaving the reader to wonder if the secret agent was dead or not. Fleming may have wanted to do away with Bond altogether, killing him with a jarring, cynical ending. Or he might have done it with tongue in cheek, knowing full well that a resurrection was indeed possible and it would be great fun to pull such a joke on his readers. Indeed, when one fan wrote to him after the novel was published, Fleming replied, saying not to worry; if and when Bond "goes," he will do it with a "bang."
    In May of 1956, a curious friendship began between Fleming and a gun expert and writer, Geoffrey Boothroyd. Boothroyd wrote to Fleming out of the blue, first explaining how much he liked the Bond books. But then he went on to complain about Bond's use of a .25 Beretta, saying that in reality it was a "lady's gun, and not a really nice lady at that." He suggested that Bond be armed with a revolver, in particular, a Smith and Wesson .38 Centennial Airweight. Boothroyd then described his own model, which had a barrel sawed-off to 2-3/4 inches and a cutaway trigger guard for quicker shooting. He went on to suggest a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum for long-range work, and a Berns-Martin triple-draw holster instead of Bond's chamois shoulder holster.
    Fleming welcomed the criticism and suggestions, and throughout the summer of 1956, he corresponded with Boothroyd, who lived in Glasgow. Several types of guns were discussed, and Fleming was delighted at having an entirely new source for the kind of detail he loved to write into the Bond books. What he finally did was create a character called "Major Boothroyd," the Armourer, who, on M's orders, recommends that James Bond change his guns. This happens at the beginning of DOCTOR NO, after Bond has recovered from Rosa Klebb's near-lethal kick. Bond is armed with Fleming's preference, a Walther PPK in a Berns-Martin triple-draw holster, and a Smith & Wesson .38 Centennial Airweight for long-range. But Fleming must have mixed up his notes—a Berns-Martin triple-draw holster is made only for revolvers and a Walther PPK would slip out. And it was the .357 Magnum that was for long range, not the .38 Centennial model. Fleming jokingly passed the letters of complaint as to accuracy he received on to the expert from that day forward.
    Boothroyd's services came in handy again when the jacket for FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE was devised that summer. Fleming wanted a trompe l'oeil style painting, and Cape hired the excellent artist, Richard Chopping. Fleming asked Boothroyd to lend him his Smith & Wesson with the sawed-off barrel so that Chopping could use it for a model. Boothroyd sent the gun, and Fleming delivered it to the painter's studio in Essex. About that time, a multiple murder took place in Glasgow, which would later become known as "the Burnside Murders." The bullets recovered from the three corpses were .38 caliber. Boothroyd, whose Smith & Wesson was registered, was visited by the police. He worriedly explained that Fleming had the gun in London and a few hours later, Fleming himself was visited by Scotland Yard. Not wanting the police to disturb the artist at work, Fleming produced his correspondence with Boothroyd and explained the situation. The police granted Fleming's request to allow Chopping to keep the gun until the painting was finished. As it happened, Chopping finished the painting the next day and promptly returned the gun. Needless to say, Boothroyd's revolver was not the murder weapon.
    In June, Ivar Bryce sold his share of NANA, as he and Ernest Cuneo were planning to acquire some independent American television stations. Fleming was invited to join them. The project was eventually dropped, but Fleming continued his interests in American television when NBC producer Henry Morgenthau III approached