By Gary Christenson
Deviant Investor
In 1950 the US owned about 20,000 metric tons of gold — approximately 640,000,000 troy ounces. By August 15, 1971 when President Nixon “temporarily” closed the “gold window” that hoard had decreased to about 8,100 tons (Fort Knox, the NY Fed, and other locations). The US government had been overspending, exporting dollars oversees, and other governments had “cashed in” those dollars for gold. At that rate of decrease, the US gold hoard would have been entirely dissipated by now. Perhaps it is gone!
President Nixon had a choice — default on the US promise to redeem dollars with gold, or reduce spending. Like any prominent politician he chose to continue spending and to blame the problem on someone else — the “international money speculators” but it might as well have been the Russians, Democrats, the French, Communists, an ethnic group, or the weather — anyone but those responsible – The President, Congress, and the bankers.