Episode 3017
The Diamond Smugglers
Fri, 2025-Aug-08 00:30 UTC
Length - 2:02
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.
The featured article for Friday, 8 August 2025, is The Diamond Smugglers.
The Diamond Smugglers is a non-fiction book by Ian Fleming that was first published in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape on 29 November 1957. The book is based on two weeks of interviews Fleming undertook with John Collard, a member of the International Diamond Security Organisation (IDSO) and a former member of MI5; the IDSO was headed by Sir Percy Sillitoe, the ex-head of MI5 who worked for the diamond company De Beers.
The IDSO was formed by Sillitoe to combat the smuggling of diamonds from Africa, where it was estimated that £10 million worth of gems were being smuggled every year out of South Africa alone. The book expands upon a series of articles Fleming wrote for The Sunday Times in 1957.
Fleming is better known as the author of a series of books about James Bond; in 1956 Fleming wrote Diamonds Are Forever which sparked his interest in the diamond industry. The Diamond Smugglers is one of two non-fiction books he wrote. It received mixed reviews, although critics thought the subject was interesting and that the facts were as interesting as works of fiction. There was interest in turning the book into a film, but the plans did not come to fruition.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:30 UTC on Friday, 8 August 2025.
For the full current version of the article, see The Diamond Smugglers on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm generative Amy.
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