Seated at a large desk with his back to the window, and apparently absorbed in reading a document was the most remarkable man I have ever met in my life.

The thing that struck me most about him was the shape of his large, intelligent head, which I saw in

profile against the light. Without paying the slightest attention to me as I stood by the door,

he went on reading, occasionally making a note on the papers before him. Then, with startling suddenness,

he put his papers aside, and banging the desk hard of his hand, said, Sit down, my boy, I think you will do.

I knew then that something really eventful had come into my life.

This was my first introduction to see,

the name by which this man was known to all who came in official contact with him.

He had of course other names and one quite well known in London society,

but to us, or rather to those who served under him, he was always known

and referred to by this single letter of the alphabet. C was the head of the British Secret Service.

Well, welcome to the rest is classified. I'm David McCloskey, and that was Augustus Agar, a naval

officer who carried out all kinds of wonderful undercover missions.

And he's talking about his first meeting with a man known by the single letter of C.

That's right. In the James Bond films, it's M. But in real life, it's C.

And C is the chief of MI6. I'm Gordon Carrera, and we're going to be talking

about the first chief, a man called Mansfield Coming, and who gives the letter C to all the future

chiefs of MI6, who are still using that designation. David, have you ever been to the director of the CIA's

office? Well, I have, and we should talk about it.

We should also just note that up until we started researching this episode, Gordon,

I really did think the C stood for chief, which I'm embarrassed to say.

No, and a lot of people do.

...