The incidents described in the stories are modeled on Maugham\'s experiences as a secret agent, and the central character, Ashenden, is very much an autobiographical character.
The 1936 Alfred Hitchcock-directed film Secret Agent is a loose adaptation of The Traitor and The Hairless Mexican, with John Gielgud as Ashenden (whose real name is Edgar Brodie) and Peter Lorre as The General..
Winston Churchill reportedly advised Maugham to burn 14 other stories.
The short story of Giulia Lazzari is a blend of Gullick\'s attempts to assassinate Chattopadhyaya and Mata Hari\'s story.
At the same time, the latter was on his way to Geneva to meet another Indian nationalist, Mahendra Pratap, and forward the Kaiser\'s invitation to Berlin.
Donald Gullick, a British agent, was dispatched to assassinate Chattopadhyaya.
Among other enterprises, Britain\'s European intelligence network attempted to eliminate several Indian nationalists in Europe, notably members of the Berlin Committee.
Maugham, who was in the British Secret Service in Europe during the war, based many of his stories on his own experiences.
He is supposed to have modeled Chandra Lal after Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, an Indian nationalist in Germany during the war.
The incidents described in the stories are modeled on Maugham\'s experiences as a secret agent, and the central character, Ashenden, is very much an autobiographical character
