Ian Fleming, John Collard & Sir Percy Sillitoe | The Diamond Smugglers, correspondence relating to the book's production, 1957

Ian Fleming, John Collard & Sir Percy Sillitoe

Correspondence relating to the production of The Diamond Smugglers, from Ian Fleming to John Collard & Sir Percy Sillitoe

Comprising:

Nine typed letters signed, eight to John and one to Sir Percy, including a three-page letter signed twice by Fleming with extensive manuscript notes, all on Kemsley House headed paper, 3 July-10 October 1957

One sheet, headed in red 'COPY FOR MR. COLLARD', with two brief notations by Fleming, 17 September 1957

Five telegrams from Fleming, mainly to John Collard, 4 September-15 October

[with:]

Lilliputt, October 1958

AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF PRIMARY MATERIAL FOR THE DIAMOND SMUGGLERS

The Diamond Smugglers is Fleming's non-fiction account of Sillitoe's three-year investigation into a South African smuggling ring, also based on the experiences of the 'Diamond Spy', John Collard. It was published in 1957 in the US and 1958 in the UK.

Sir Percy Sillitoe, former Director General of MI5, was at the time of this correspondence head of De Beers International Diamond Security Organisation. Film rights were agreed with Rank (noted herein), with Fleming to write the storyline for The Diamond Smugglers. Scripts were attempted over several ears, including contributions from Bill Willoghby, director John Boorman and Fleming's literary colleague Kingsley Amis, but the project was ultimately shelved in 1966. Much of Fleming's research from his earlier interviews of Sillitoe was used as source material for Diamonds Are Forever (1956).