That sends him to the titular casino to win back the money at cards, only to find Bond waiting for him at the table.Ĭolorful name aside, the character's position reflects the gritty reality of commerce and information that constitute real-world intelligence efforts. He invests heavily in a string of French brothels - creating easy blackmail opportunities for SMERSH - that go bust when the French government outlaws prostitution. In the book, Le Chiffre (whose name means 'The Cypher') launders money for SMERSH, the Soviet counterintelligence organization that serves as Bond's principal foe in many of the original novels. Casino Royale was first published in 1953, with the Cold War raging and the Western powers engaged in extended intelligence machinations against the Russians.
