On November 16 1968, 560 metal drums labeled 'Plumbat' were loaded on to a small ship, the Scheersberg A, in Antwerp. The drums contained uranium ore which was being shipped by a small German chemical company to an obscure Italian paint company for processing. The Plumbat Affair is a fascinating detective story; the alliances that were formed and the deals that were made at the highest levels of international politics and in the depths of the underworld make this a thriller beyond the imaginings of most novelists.