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Ft. Knox: No Gold?

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Bloviating Zeppelin: Ft. Knox: No Gold?

Bloviating Zeppelin

(in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Ft. Knox: No Gold?


It has been postulated, I've just recently been made aware, that there may in fact be no gold in the United States Bullion Depository, otherwise known more simply as Ft. Knox, in Kentucky.

It is alleged that Ft Knox holds 5,046 tons (147.2 million troy ounces -- as gold is customarily measured in ounces) of gold. In contrast, The Federal Reserve Bank in New York's Manhattan underground vault is alleged to hold 7,716 tons of gold, but some of it held "in trust" for foreign nations, central banks and international organizations.

The necessity for the USBD at Ft Knox came about by then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's -- to be blunt -- illegal Executive Order 6102, which resulted in the physical confiscation of gold in all forms from private American citizens on April 5th of 1933. What is known now as Ft Knox was completed in 1936.

EO 6102 criminalized the possession of physical gold by anyone other than the United States government. People were paid $20.67 per troy ounce for the gold they possessed. People who, then, had large amounts of gold sent it physically to countries such as Switzerland because of various private banking laws.

The US government, of course, realized a profit from EO 6102 and used that money to create the Exchange Stabilization Fund brought about by the Gold Reserve Act in 1934.

The Gold Reserve Act had economic ramifications far beyond national finance. At that time many contracts stipulated that their monetary terms could be demanded in gold.

Such gold clauses were intended to protect against the United States devaluing the dollar.

When the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 and the Gold Reserve Act of 1934 outlawed the use of gold, then such contracts became sources of controversy.

In the gold clause case Norman vs. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co., 294 U.S. 240 (1935), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gold clauses were invalid. However, Congress later reinstated the option to use gold clauses for obligations (new contracts) issued after October 1977 in accordance with 31 U.S.C. ยง 5118(d)(2).

A viable country runs on what is called the Gold Standard. Meaning that, basically, whatever paper money exists is backed by an actual physical asset.

But note this:

The total amount of gold that has ever been mined has been estimated at around 142,000 metric tons.[25] This is less than the value of circulating money in the U.S. alone, where more than $8.3 trillion is in circulation or in deposit (M2).[26]

Therefore, a return to the gold standard, if also combined with a mandated end to fractional reserve banking, would result in a significant increase in the current value of gold, which may limit its use in current applications.[27]

A point little realized: the United States stepped completely away from the Gold Standard. All links were finally severed when President Richard Milhous Nixon ended any possible association between gold and the US dollar on August 15th of 1971.

In retrospect, that one move placed this nation -- by extension, later, the entire world -- into the situation it finds itself now. The die was cast. [A great UK article is here.]

From then on, until today, the dollar has not been "backed" by anything resembling a physical asset, but by trust and confidence.

Let me repeat that again, for those of you who may just have tuned in:

From then on, until today, the dollar has not been "backed" by anything resembling a physical asset, but by trust and confidence.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is quite how precariously our current dollar stands.

With this in mind, your understanding of the US stock market should have expanded exponentially.

It's not solely predicated but upon physical assets or hard commodities, but primarily upon emotions.

Feelings.

As in: how do you feel about your money today? What trust do you have in your portfolio?

Even more base: what kind of CONFIDENCE do you have in your American government?

You, I'm certain, see where I'm going with this.

With that in mind, you remember about Ron Paul, don't you?

You remember that Ron Paul is about the only person in DC politics who has called for an actual audit of the Federal Reserve? And that would include the Treasury Department. Which, by extension, would call for an audit and examination of our United States Bullion Depository at Ft Knox.



This is the one crucial point that I credit to Ron Paul.

The last president, to my knowledge, who actually visited Ft Knox -- for reassurance -- was then-President Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Please allow me to cut to The Proverbial Chase:

Our US government alleges that there is still over 5,000 tons of gold in Ft Knox.

With that in mind, there are those persons -- locally as well -- who say that there is little if any gold left in Ft Knox and that, over the years, it has been sold, ransomed, distributed, sown to the four winds, for political purposes.

Which brings up a literal host of excellent questions, to include:

1. If that is true, do you want, in this economy, an actual audit of the Federal Reserve to include the USBD at Ft Knox?

2. Do you really want to know if Ft Knox is packed with gold, or if it merely hosts a primarily-empty room surrounded by an incredible series of over-the-top security measures?

3. Do you want to make that result public?

4. Or is that an issue that should lie dormant until the country is emplaced into a much stronger political and economic position than it is now?

Because here is what would occur:

If Ft Knox were found to contain little or no gold as the result of a physical, public audit, the local, national and global confidences in the Unites States of America and its dollar would plummet, literally, overnight.

The average American could wake up one morning to discover that his or her assets were mostly worthless, that the dollar was predicated solely upon paper, and that this paper was just that: paper.

Do the math and what I call The Logical Extension:

A running flood on banks, not nearly enough physical paper to cover everyone's assets and investments, a run on commodities, a run on water, food, fuel, hard assets, an absolute hoarders' mentality.

Because of our current thinnest of margins on warehousing and the perilous but necessarily demanding transportation of products within not just days but hours -- current supplies in most any realm would last, at most, perhaps three days. Trains and trucks. Stalled by a national dollar paralysis.

And that gets back to a few of my more Basic Questions.

  • Are you prepared?
  • Could this happen?
Is there gold?

If not, then why not?

And what can you do, if anything?

BZ

8 Comments:

Blogger Always On Watch said...

We the American people have been ensnared and are trapped.

Mon Nov 14, 05:51:00 AM PST  
Blogger Bushwack said...

Great post BZ. And you are correct in asking the questions. I'm of the opinion that there's gold in Ft Knox. I'm also of the opinion that it's far less than most think. Our paper is not backed by anything other than more paper.

Personally, I believe that a push to audit the fed/gold holdings would have dire results. The world teeters on the brink now, that would push it over. And you know what? I'd rather do it now than have my grandkids deal with it.

I hear folks all the time talking about buying gold for emergencies. Not sure if that's the way to go.

I've been to disaster areas, I've seen the damage done by mother nature and man. I've seen banks all down and nobody was accepting gold as payment. The only way GOLD can become a "Payment" option is if the entire WORLD collapses and we're back to the 1800s. In that case Pelts/meat/weapons/grown food will be just as good as gold as payment options.

Gold is a good investment if you can buy low and sell high OR you mine it yourself when the price per oz. covers the cost of mining and makes it worthwhile to do so.

Ron Paul is correct on many issues. However; He's NEVER going to be POTUS. He couldn't compete with Obama on stage because he'd agree with Obama on 50% of the things Obama's done. Not only that he whines too much and he'd have us in the 1800's faster than Obama. Now RAND PAUL might have a much better chance.

Mon Nov 14, 07:12:00 AM PST  
Blogger Greybeard said...

All good questions.
The easiest answer?
Hope for the best, but plan, (seriously!) for the worst.
That's what I've been doing for several years. I'm a nobody, so take that into consideration. But what can it hurt to be prepared for an economic collapse?

Mon Nov 14, 10:18:00 AM PST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rumors have floated for at least 35 years that I am aware of that Ft. Know was as bare as the cupboard of Mother Hubbard...

Way past my clearance level...

Mon Nov 14, 12:44:00 PM PST  
Blogger mrchuck said...

GREAT POST BZ !!!!
However, I am a retired old fart who enjoys his evening gin and tonic, and here you go upsetting the apple cart for your blog followers with my like minded values.

I think ammunition will be the "coin of the realm" if this Republic goes down the tubes.

I shopped in Wal-Mart today for our groceries and other items needed. The 5 people in frot of me ALL used a WIC card or a USA welfare card!!! All 5 of them.
I use my credit card which I pay in full every month to acquire the several hundred dollars cash the card company sends me periodically.
I see that Obama's Administration is killing this USA on purpose.
It his is plan to bring down this USA. No question about it.
Gold,,,, I have some, but I can't protect me, my wife, my property with it.
Ammo,,,,, Yes.

Mon Nov 14, 03:00:00 PM PST  
Blogger Trekkie4Ever said...

We have been bamboozled, totally and completely.

I am very concerned.

Mon Nov 14, 04:22:00 PM PST  
Blogger Old NFO said...

Good questions, problem is I have NO good answers... sigh

Guess I better buy more ammo.

Mon Nov 14, 05:05:00 PM PST  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Robert: I'm thinking the same thing. Now is NOT the time for actual truth; it would be worse than we could know. And with the more dire of results.

The best we can do, all, is to keep our families safe and plan for the worst.

We'd be silly if we didn't plan, like the adults we all are.

BZ

Tue Nov 15, 12:04:00 AM PST  

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