STEALING THE FIRE [ 1/2]

IN 1996, the New York Times, quoting U.N. inspectors, reported that a German nuclear technician named Karl-Heinz Schaab sold stolen atomic secrets to Saddam Hussein.

Documentarians John S. Friedman and Eric Nadler set out to investigate.

They managed to get access to Schaab during his trial in Munich, which ended in his conviction for treason.

The result is “Stealing the Fire,” which shows that leading black-market suppliers of nuclear technology had their roots in Hitler’s Germany.

Most troubling is just how easy it is to sell nuclear secrets with the help of large corporations and the acquiescence of governments.

Running time: 95 mintes. Not rated. At the Cinema Village, 12th Street, east of Fifth Avenue.