James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me include the Bond girl Anya Amasova and her lover Sergei Borzov, as well as Colonel-General Nikitin, a character from Fleming's novel "From Russia, with Love" who has since become head of the KGB. Other differences include the villain, Karl Stromberg, instead being named as Sigmund Stromberg. The change of Stromberg's given name, as well as the existence of SMERSH, may be in some way due to the controversy over "Thunderball", in which Kevin McClory was made aware of certain plot points of the film "The Spy Who Loved Me". At one point the villain of the film was to be
The James Bond Dossier of Bond's correct designation: 'It's inaccurate, of course, to describe James Bond as a "spy", in the strict sense of one who steals or buys or smuggles the secrets of foreign powers ... Bond's claims to be considered a "counter-spy", one who operates against the agents of unfriendly powers, are rather more substantial'. Although, as noted elsewhere, Amis wrote three books related to the James Bond franchise, and may or may not have contributed to one of Fleming's novels, "The James Bond Dossier" would end up being the only book of this type to be published under Amis's own name.