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Fort Knox Means Serious Safety
 

Photo: Barbara Henry

MIND MAGAZINE | Even today, gold is still praised as one of earth’s most precious minerals, and so the confidence and thrust people put into a country’s currency is somewhat equal to the quantity of the precious mineral it possesses. Even if business leader rely much more on the economic situation of a country rather than its gold reserve, billion of dollars worth of gold are still kept aside to back up the value of the Yen, the Peso, the dollar and so on…

During the great depression, the American government decided to endeavor the ambitious project to gather almost all of its gold supply in a single high-security compound, Fort Knox, and the decision hold on through tumultuous times filled by depressions, wars and the evolving economy. The United States Department of Treasury jealously holds the keys to Fort Knox. The world’s largest gold reserve, located in Kentucky is right next to a military garrison of several thousands soldiers ready to defend the world’s largest gold reserve. It is believed that 80 percent of the United States gold stock is located there, but there are also similar reserves in Denver, West Point and San Francisco. The purpose of keeping almost all the gold in one safe location is to create the best possible level of security for the gold bars, which are the symbols of economic strength and potential for the country.

More than just a Federal Reserve installation, Fort Knox is also a city mainly composed of facilities to accommodate the large military population - over 20,000 - dispatched there to protect the gold reserve. The city of Fort Knox is located 30 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky, military personnel regulates the air space over the city. The military base also serves as one the country’s leading training camp specialized in, among other things, the formation assault tank operators and army officers. The city was named after Henry Knox, a general who took a great role in the United States independence. The foundation of the city goes back to mid 19th century and the construction of the gigantic two story high safe ended on 1936 for a total cost of about $500,000. Although the value of the American currency is no longer determined by the price of gold, the Kentucky gold reserve never lost its relevance since having an extensive gold stock makes investors more prompt to invest. It used to be possible to ask for a small quantity of gold for each dollar a person owned but this is no longer allowed nowadays; there is simply too much money and not enough gold.
 

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The world’s most important gold reserve is also among the oldest currently in operation. After years of construction and financed by a vast governmental construction program aiming at reducing the effects of the great depression in the 1930’s, the vault plus the building that surrounds it were completed. The term “surround” is not lightly used, the depository is literary enveloped by the exterior part of the building as the safe, is completely independent of any other construction: its foundations, walls and roof are totally distinct from the building people can see on the surface. Furthermore, the safe is autonomous beyond what most people think due to its own exclusive power plant, water processing facility and other installations making the largest gold depository even more impenetrable.

Little information have filtrated through the years concerning the dimension of the vault, although documents obtained through the privacy act of 1974 revealed that the vault is two-stories high and composed of many subsections, all of them isolated by concrete walls reinforced by steel. As for the exterior building that leads to the entrance of the safe, its dimensions are 105 feet by 110 feet, and its is protected by a large infield that some persons claim to be infested by land mines, though this information was impossible to confirm. Today’s version of the compound is geared with the latest equipment in safety, numerous video cameras, motion sensors, seismic detectors, heat-sensitive devices, and countless other applications are all put together to make Knox’s level of safety among the highest standards in the world.

Obviously, details regarding the composition of the defense system, as well of the quantity of gold contained in the compound remains classified, for safety reasons. Yet, it is known that it took six months for an entire military detachment to carry the complete load of gold in the original configuration of the depository. Moreover, for reason only known by the military, the menu at the Fort Knox cafeteria is also under law secrecy…

For anyone to consider stealing the content of the depository in Fort Knox is rather an overly ambitious project, or as the United States Mint stated: “Fort Knox is probably the safest place in the world to store precious goods.” That is why so many people have trusted the US Mint to store objects of incalculable value: British Crown jewelries, unique paintings, blue prints for crucial facilities, military strategies, tablet for printing money, etc. Truly, Fort Knox Depository means serious safety.


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