Chasing Gold: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe's Bullion (82 page)
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Authors: George M. Taber
BOOK: Chasing Gold: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe's Bullion
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The French got all of their gold out of the mainland, and much of it ended up in their African colonies, where locals helped them move it inland.
Courtesy of Bank de France Private Photo Collection
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Courtesy of Bank de France Private Photo Collection
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After the Nazi invasion in June 1941, the Soviets moved their most valuable goods—gold, Lenin’s body, and Hermitage artworks—to safety beyond the Urals.
Courtesy of David M. Trachtenberg
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Courtesy of David M. Trachtenberg
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The note Treasury Secretary Morgenthau wrote in the middle of the night ordering that the gold stored at the New York Federal Reserve be moved immediately to Fort Knox.
Courtesy of Morgenthau Diaries, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
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Courtesy of Morgenthau Diaries, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
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Harry Dexter White was the key staff person for Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau. White’s influence grew greatly during the war, but no one in the government realized he was also a secret Soviet agent.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress Photo Collection
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Courtesy of the Library of Congress Photo Collection
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Harry Hopkins traveled to Moscow in July 1941 to ask Joseph Stalin how the U.S. could help the Soviets militarily following the Nazi invasion. Famous photographer Margaret Bourke-White of Life magazine happened to be there on another assignment. She said Stalin had the coldest eyes she had ever seen.
Courtesy of Getty Images
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Courtesy of Getty Images
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Dock workers in both Manhattan and New Jersey first unloaded boxes of bullion that had arrived from European central banks.
Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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The precious cargo was then put into armored Brinks trucks and taken to the New York Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan. The boxes were small but heavy.
Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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So much was arriving, especially in 1939 and 1940, that the underground vault was soon filling up, and the staff had to work overtime just to verify the contents and check it all in.
Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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Courtesy of the New York Federal Reserve Photo Collection
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Security was heavy at both ends of the shipments to Fort Knox. The gold was moved by escorted trucks to Pennsylvania Railroad train cars and then transferred by trucks to the vault.
Courtesy of the United States Mint
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Courtesy of the United States Mint
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Armed guards on watch at the railroad siding before the shipment arrived.
Courtesy of the United States Mint
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Courtesy of the United States Mint
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The U.S. Post Office had overall responsibility for moving the precious cargo safely south.
Courtesy of the United States Mint
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Courtesy of the United States Mint
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To ensure security, trucks pulled right up to the doors of the train before unloading.
Courtesy of the United States Mint
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Courtesy of the United States Mint
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