Pored ove zgrade svi smo prošli hiljadu puta, a malo ko zna ko ju je napravio i u čijem je vlasništvu bila.
We have all passed this building a thousand times, and just a few people know who made it and who lived there.
Bogati beogradski trgovac, svestan značaja lokacije, izgradio je kuću tada u Pozorišnoj ulici, sada znanoj kao Francuska, jer je gledala na glavni trg u gradu, stecište života, kako onda, tako i dan danas. Trgovac Milorad tražio je modernu zgradu, punu svetlosti, sa dugačkim terasama. Naravno, za bogataša kakav je bio Milorad, moralo je samo najbolje. A najbolji arhitekta u Beogradu tada bio je Dragiša Brašovan. Zgrada je bila gotova za manje od godinu dana, i bogati trgovac se uselio u "zdanje Popov" sa svojom ženom i tri sina 1933.godine.
A rich Belgrade merchant, aware of the importance of the location, built a house in Pozorišna street, now known as Francuska street, because it looked at the main square in the city, the center of all the events, both then and today. Merchant Milorad was looking for a modern building, full of light, with long terraces. Of course, for a rich man like Milorad, only the best was an option. And the best architect in Belgrade at that time was Dragiša Brašovan. The building was completed in less than a year, and the wealthy merchant moved into the "Popov building" with his wife and three sons in 1933.
Ta tri sina, uspešni doktori prava i medicine, bili su poznati beogradskoj javnosti kao bonvivani, a istorija će ih pamtiti i kao špijune. Najpoznatiji među njima bio je srednji sin, Dušan Popov, dvostruki špijun i nadahnuće za najpoznatijeg filmskog agenta.
Those three sons, successful doctors of law and medicine, were known to the Belgrade public as playboys, but history will remember them as spies. The most famous among them was the middle son, Dušan Popov, a double spy and the inspiration for the famous agent in the books and movies.
Dušan se, kao i svaki sin bogatog oca ondašnje Srbije, školovao u inostranstvu, studirao je prava u Frajburgu, gde se sprijateljio sa Johanom Džebsenom, koji ga je kasnije i vrbovao da radi za Abver, nemačku obaveštajnu službu, pod kodnim imenom ‘Ivan’. Kasnije se sam preporučio konzulu britanske ambasade da postane dvostruki špijun za MI-6, neznajući da mu je stariji brat već radi za njih. Naravno, Duško nije propuštao da usput dojavi i poneku informaciju prijateljima u srpskoj vladi.
Dušan, like every rich father’s son, studied abroad. He studied law in Freiburg, where he befriended Johann Jebsen, who later recruited him to work for Abwehr, the German intelligence service, codenamed 'Ivan'. He later recommended himself to the consul of the British embassy in Serbia to become a double spy for MI-6, not knowing that his older brother was already working for them. Of course, Duško did not fail to report some information to his friends in the Serbian government along the way.
Buran život je živeo Dušan Popov. Na relaciji Lisabon (središte evropske špijunaže tog vremena) - London (gde je dostavljao informacije Britancima i preuzimao lažne informacije koje je poturao Nemcima), Dušan se često prepuštao i čarima plejbojskog života. Kao bogatom bonvivanu vrata su mu bila svuda otvorena, bio je stravstven u kocki, piću i u krevetu. Naime, njegove sklonosti u krevetu, seks sa dve devojke istovremeno su bile izvor za Dušanovo kodno ime pri MI6 - ‘Tricikl’. Sve svoje dogodovštine, Duško je pričao svom prijatelju iz MI-6, Janu Flemingu, koji je nakon rata iskoristio njegove avanture za stvaranje lika čuvenog agenta 007, Džejmsa Bonda.
Dušan Popov lived a turbulent life. On the route Lisbon (the center of European espionage of that time) - London (where he delivered information to the British and took over false information that he leaked to the Germans), Dušan often indulged in the charms of playboy life. Being a rich bon vivant, the doors were open to him everywhere, he was passionate about gambling, drinking and lovemaking. As a matter of fact, his inclinations in bed, sex with two girls at the same time were the source for Dušan's code name at MI6 - 'Tricycle'. After the war, Duško talked about his adventures with a friend from MI-6, Jan Fleming, who used his adventures to create the character of the famous agent 007, James Bond.
