Who those sources were cannot, of course, be revealed. Like purveyors of royal gossip, Bond whisperers never identify themselves; to do so would be to court the fate of Professor Dent, in “Dr. No,” who is shot after attempting—the fool!—to kill Bond with a mere tarantula. (The actor playing Dent, Anthony Dawson, had already tried to do away with Grace Kelly, in “Dial M for Murder,” and been stabbed for his pains. How epic can fails be?)