Editing Felix Leiter (section)

==Novels==
Felix Leiter, [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]]'s [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] ally and friend, played a part in six of the [[Ian Fleming]] novels; he is introduced in [[Casino Royale (novel)|''Casino Royale'']] as being thin, tall, about 35 years old{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=90}} and a former [[U.S. Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] who was working with the Joint Intelligence Staff of [[NATO]].{{sfn|Griswold|2006|p=45}}  Kerstin Jütting describes Leiter as "a cool and quiet no-nonsense character who knows 007's strengths and weaknesses well".{{sfn|Jütting|2007|p=110}} Physically, Fleming describes Leiter in ''Casino Royale'': "a mop of straw-coloured hair lent his face a boyish look which closer examination contradicted".{{sfn|Cork|Stutz|2007|p=152}}

Leiter is Bond's saviour in ''Casino Royale'', providing him with 32 million francs when Bond has been cleaned out by [[SMERSH]] paymaster [[Le Chiffre]], calling it "[[Marshall aid]]".{{sfn|Black|2005|p=6}} Media historian [[James Chapman (media historian)|James Chapman]] notes that Bond's relationship with Leiter represented the [[Special Relationship]] between Britain and America, although the American Leiter is in the subordinate position to the British Bond.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=34}} Academic [[Jeremy Black (historian)|Jeremy Black]] agrees, although points out that the Bond and Leiter relationship suggested "a far smoother working of the Anglo-American alliance than was in fact the case."{{sfn|Black|2005|p=7}} Academic and writer [[Kingsley Amis]], in his exploration of Bond in ''[[The James Bond Dossier]]'', considered that this view of Leiter was partly because of Fleming's writing, noting that "Leiter, such a nonentity as a piece of characterization&nbsp;... he, the American, takes orders from Bond, the Britisher, and that Bond is constantly doing better than he".{{sfn|Amis|1966|p=90}} Bond scholars Bennett and Woollacott note that although the two men share adventures, it is Bond who leads, not Leiter. Leiter's role is to "suppl[y] Bond with technical support and hardware, add&nbsp;... muscle where needed and money".{{sfn|Bennett|Woollacott|1987|p=100}}

Fleming's second novel, [[Live and Let Die (novel)|''Live and Let Die'']], reveals that in his early twenties, Leiter wrote a few pieces on [[Dixieland jazz]] for the ''[[New York Amsterdam News]]''.{{sfn|Griswold|2006|p=45}} He is kidnapped by the novel's villain, Mr. Big, who feeds him to a [[great white shark]]. Bond scholar John Griswold notes that in the original draft of the story, Fleming killed Leiter off in the shark attack;{{sfn|Griswold|2006|p=88}} when Naomi Burton, Fleming's US agent with [[Curtis Brown (literary agents)|Curtis Brown]], protested about the death of the character, Fleming relented and Leiter lived, albeit missing an arm and half a leg.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=6}} Espionage scholar [[Rupert Allason]], writing as Nigel West, noted that Leiter's involvement in a domestic U.S. matter was a breach of the CIA's charter, as laid out in the [[National Security Act of 1947]].{{sfn|West|2010|p=26}}

After the shark attack, Leiter returned in [[Diamonds Are Forever (novel)|''Diamonds Are Forever'']] with a hook for his missing hand and a [[prosthesis|prosthetic leg]]; as he had lost his gun hand, he was no longer with the CIA, but employed as a [[private detective]] by [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency|Pinkerton Detective Agency]],{{sfn|West|2010|p=170}} although he was on the reserve of the CIA and was recalled for [[Goldfinger (novel)|''Goldfinger'']], [[Thunderball (novel)|''Thunderball'']] and [[The Man with the Golden Gun (novel)|''The Man with the Golden Gun'']].{{sfn|West|2010|p=119}} Fleming had flown to the US in August 1954 to research the background to ''Diamonds Are Forever''; his friend [[Ernest Cuneo]] introduced him to a rich socialite, [[William Woodward Jr.]], who drove a [[Studillac]]—a [[Studebaker]] with a powerful [[Cadillac]] engine. According to Bond scholar [[Henry Chancellor (filmmaker)|Henry Chancellor]], "the speed and comfort of it impressed Ian, and he shamelessly appropriated this car" for Leiter to drive in the novel.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=158}}

For the post-Fleming continuation Bond authors, Leiter has also appeared on a periodic basis. After [[John Gardner (thriller writer)|John Gardner]] took over writing the James Bond novel series, Leiter made an occasional appearance and the novel ''[[For Special Services]]'' introduces his daughter, Cedar Leiter, who is also a CIA officer (and briefly Bond's romantic conquest).{{sfn|Simpson|2002|p=54}} [[Raymond Benson]] also included Leiter's character in some of his novels, including ''[[The Facts of Death]]'' and ''[[Doubleshot]]''.{{sfn|Lane|Simpson|2000|p=129}} The 2008 [[Sebastian Faulks]] novel ''[[Devil May Care (Faulks novel)|Devil May Care]]'' and the 2011 novel ''[[Carte Blanche (novel)|Carte Blanche]]'' by [[Jeffery Deaver]] both contain the character.<ref>{{cite news|last=Breen|first=Jon L.|title=Back on the Job; Familiar faces, contemporary cases|newspaper=[[The Weekly Standard]]|date=5 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kemp|first=Peter|title=Live and let spy|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|date=25 May 2008|location=London|page=4}}</ref>

On March 26, 2025, Ian Fleming Publications announced the first-ever Felix Leiter novel, written by [[Raymond Benson]]. ''[[The Hook and the Eye]]'' will be set in Fleming's 1950s timeline and published first as a serial e-book followed by a print publication in 2025. <ref> {{Cite web |url=https://www.ianfleming.com/announcing-the-hook-and-the-eye/?v=0b3b97fa6688 |title= Announcing The Hook and the Eye |date=March 26, 2025 |website=Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. |access-date=2025-03-26}}</ref>