In the novel Operation Thunder (Thunderball, 1961) by Ian Fleming, the Venezuelan bolívar appears as one of the most solid and reliable currencies in the world in the 1950s. Thanks to the support of the oil boom, Venezuela enjoyed a robust economy and its currency was seen as a safe haven, on par with Swiss francs.
For this reason, in the book, the criminal organization SPECTRE converts its illicit gains precisely to Swiss francs and Venezuelan bolívars. In the words of the text itself (my translation):
«…the total collected so far —not counting the last dividend yet to be distributed— is around one and a half million pounds sterling, which we have converted to Swiss francs and Venezuelan bolívars; we do this for prudence, because they continue to be the two strongest and most stable currencies on the planet».
Fleming did not choose the bolívar by chance. Part of the action takes place in the Caribbean, and Venezuela was then the most prosperous and strategic country in the area: a major oil producer, a gateway for capital in and out, and a regular scene for arms trafficking, smuggling, and intelligence operations.
Including the bolívar adds realism to the story: the great criminals and spies of the time really diversified their fortunes in the few currencies that resisted devaluations and inflation. Moreover, the detail reflects the weight that Venezuela had on the geopolitical and financial map of the 50s and early 60s, when it was one of the richest countries in Latin America and its currency circulated with authority throughout the hemisphere.
