At the beginning of "You Only Live Twice", 007's death is faked.
Why did James Bond's death need to be faked? Was it due to his mission to locate stolen US spaceship? Being "made" as a spy independently of that? Other reasons?
(We see someone observing his funeral at sea through the binoculars, so presumably it had a purpose to convince someone specific that he died).
Found the answer in film script.
It was, indeed, being "made" as a spy independently of the mission in the film, from prior entanglements. But it would have interfered with the mission.
Well, now that you're dead, perhaps some of your old friends will pay a little less attention to you for a while... Give you more elbow room. You will need it, too... This is the big one, 007.
