International Diamond Security Organisation
| International Diamond Security Organisation | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Sir Percy Sillitoe |
| Owners | De Beers |
The International Diamond Security Organisation (IDSO) was set up in 1953 by Sir Percy Sillitoe at the behest of De Beers to tackle diamond smuggling, using ambushes, death squads and torture. Based in South Africa, Sillitoe's IDSO commissioned a private army to penetrate and topple the “million-carat network”―the world’s most notorious diamond smuggling ring.[1]
When IDSO's operation was complete, the Sunday Times gave the story to Ian Fleming, who had impressed Sillitoe with his earlier Bond adventure "Diamonds Are Forever". Fleming was contacted by an IDSO agent, John Collard, whom he met in Morocco. The result of their conversations was a series of newspaper articles about the "million carat network", a book, "The Diamond Smugglers", and the James Bond novel "Diamonds are Forever" (1956).[2]
Successor
IDSO was considered by many to be the forerunner of South Africa's notorious Bureau of State Security.