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Fort Knox Means
Serious Safety
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.
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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