Why Fort Knox is Totally Forbidden
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Today we explore the #history of Fort Knox, America's most important gold depository and occasional archive of vital historical documents.
Chapters
00:00 - Where does the United States keep all of its Gold?
00:53 - Describing the volt of the United States Bullion Depository
02:02 - Why America’s gold was moved to Fort Knox
02:53 - Why you can’t visit Fort Knox
03:14 - Construction of United States Bullion Depository
04:11 - The complicated process of moving gold to the Bullion Depository
05:01 - Why the Library of Congress moved vital American documents to the Bullion Depository
06:12 - United States Bullion Depository during the cold war
07:24 - Why even Presidents don’t visit Fort Knox
08:45 - The Bullion Depository and Fort Knox in popular media
IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.
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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Neve Brown,
Editor - Sebastian Ripoll
Host - Ryan Socash
» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.
Clarification: the incident described at 9:00 was not carried out by the U.S. Mint Police.
Пікірлер: 1 800
Clarification: the incident described at 9:00 was not carried out by the U.S. Mint Police.
It's now full of Blockbuster VHS tapes
@PumkinSeedandSpice
11 ай бұрын
😂😂😂
@matthewclark2123
11 ай бұрын
Not my tapes, they’re still behind my couch.
@freeman10000
11 ай бұрын
🤣
@brettrobinson2901
11 ай бұрын
Or millions of pieces of paper with I.O.U. on it...
@borntoclimb7116
11 ай бұрын
Like in the simpsons episode
With 31,462,154,854,903 of US debt. I think Fort Knox is protecting a city worth of IOU notes.
@paulbedichek5177
11 ай бұрын
Our economy is 20 trillions our debt is fine. I would like it lowered by lowering social security payments just a little . Over 20 years ,the debt would go up just a little while the economy expanded. DO NOT give dead beats $400 billion for debts for college.
@geoffdrew5207
11 ай бұрын
@@paulbedichek5177 The national debt is now $32 trillion, that is a quarter of a million dollars for every US tax payer, the country is essentially bankrupt.
@averyce2
11 ай бұрын
@@paulbedichek5177 AMEN
@bowdlerise
11 ай бұрын
that's what the Chinese are for!
@cwg9238
11 ай бұрын
its been emptied out for decades. thats why they dont allow visitors or any audits, even though its supposed to belong to the taxpayers.
I grew up in Kentucky and my dad took me to Fort Knox to see the Patton Museum. Before we left, he decided to drive up to the gate of the gold depository building and asked if he could “see the gold.” We were met by armed military police who were not in the mood to humor his request. To this day I can’t imagine why he thought that was a good idea. 😂
@CaisiusJ
10 ай бұрын
If you don't ask the answer will always be no
@anthonyxuereb792
10 ай бұрын
If it's any consolation your father isn't alone in what he did.
@RainmakerXBooty
10 ай бұрын
Fortune favors the bold but even still that’s extremely bold 😂
@zedhiro6131
10 ай бұрын
@@anthonyxuereb792 I can imagine their were quite a few that did that (we are Americans after all) that would also explain the seriousness of the response.
@reginaldinoenchillada3513
10 ай бұрын
Your father is an American Legend. Asked the question most of us are afraid to ask. I say, make them tell you no. As Americans, is it not our gold and our fort?
I'm a Truck Driver and have delivered many loads to Fort Knox and I enjoy going there and have always been met with great attitudes and even have had escorts to different locations on the property
I was stationed at Fort Knox late 1980s. Immediately adjacent to the depository's northern perimeter is the base golf course. A story that made the rounds of people on post was the golfer who ignored the signs to move past the outer low fence line to retrieve a golf ball and ended up on his face and spread eagled in the grass when the response force arrived.
@GardenerEarthGuy
11 ай бұрын
Story, because government workers are knee deep in bull.
@I8one2Many
11 ай бұрын
Is it empty?
@thelispinglizard5458
11 ай бұрын
Please tell us is it empty
@petesmith9472
11 ай бұрын
Out if spite rather than anything practical…they could see he was a golfer..if not, they shouldn’t have guns.
@jimschultz2179
11 ай бұрын
My neighbor says he was stationed there in the 90s and claims the rumor is there Is no gold.
Fort Knox and the gold depository are two separate entities. The depository is located at Fort Knox, but is not part of Fort Knox. I was stationed at Fort Knox in the 70s and then Fort Knox was an open post. Civilians were allowed to enter. However, the depository was closed to everyone.
@ronjclm8590
11 ай бұрын
Is that because the gold has already been stolen by our "government's" leaders ? Our money isn't backed by gold, so I'll bet some insiders hauled all of it home.
@brianarbenz1329
11 ай бұрын
As a journalist, I have visited Ft. Knox for news stories, and I visited once to counsel a soldier who had gone awol.
@Capt_OscarMike
11 ай бұрын
@@brianarbenz1329 If the soldier was AWOL I assume you didn't "counsel" him at Fort Knox...also, as a journalist why would you be counseling him? Not disputing just curious.
@ddreamberry2
11 ай бұрын
@@Capt_OscarMike AWOL soldiers are placed in PCF (Personnel Confinement Facility) for counselling and eventual outprocessing, if they ultimately choose to leave the service.
@brianarbenz1329
11 ай бұрын
One trip to Ft. Knox was to do a story on a private contractor modernizing the base's computers. But when I got there he was not able to make it -- because he had been arrested. The arrest was off base and not military related. His employer's HQ in South Carolina claimed he had used the company credit card to buy lots of personal electronic supplies for his own use. I went to the jail in Louisville to look at his arrest record and found that this man had a list of alcohol-related crimes a mile long. I don't know what role booze played in his alleged credit card misuse. But when I met him, he had that red nose and sunken cheeks. Very unexpected twist in that story.
I've driven by it many times and it truly is a surreal piece of American History. You get pretty close to it just driving by on 31W but it's rumored that they don't take kindly to people stopping along the highway. What a cool place.
@WyteXLighting
2 ай бұрын
It is american history it was built 1800s I thank it was a military prison they took the wall down they should have tours
Great story! While with the 5/33rd Armor at Ft. Knox '80-'82, part of our duties was "Eldorado Duty" (City of Gold). Two tanks were always prepared to be at the Depository within 30 minutes. Extreme cold temps meant having to start the designated tanks (M60) every two hours around the clock, so they could move out at a moments notice. It was dangerous doing that at 2 AM in the cold with nothing but cat-naps of 1.5 hours in between starting the tanks. Came close to crushing someone when a tank got too cold to start and we had to slave it off - like with jumper-cables. Never get between two tanks if one is running.
@danielhaas9612
10 ай бұрын
Kentucky.... EXTREME COLD.... LOLOLOL
@davidpalmer9780
10 ай бұрын
They didn't have tank engine heated blankets back then?
@yourfriendlyneighborhoodic128
9 ай бұрын
if there were really gold in there 2 tanks should be there constantly , no be able to be there within 30 minutes.
@ericwilson178
9 ай бұрын
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodic128 I was just a tank crew member that trained Army officers and Marines on tank gunnery. I didn't write the policies. I just followed orders. I don't think anybody was going to get very far with the gold in 30 minutes. It would take them longer than that to get past the machine guns. There is really gold in there. "Before that day, President Roosevelt was the only non-authorized personnel to step foot inside Fort Knox and inspect the vault. Since then, only treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, Governor Matt Bevin, and a handful of other Congress members visited the vault in 2017."
@ericwilson178
9 ай бұрын
@@davidpalmer9780 I never heard of any.
I find it extremely hard to believe that they took us off the gold standard and the gold is still there.
@veramae4098
11 ай бұрын
It should all be sold to pay down the debt.
@frankcastle9691
11 ай бұрын
Agree.
@abcde_fz
11 ай бұрын
You're correct, yet it's still there. But I raised the question as to whether there's more gold in the vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, because the US stores some portions of gold reserves from a couple of countries who feel that's the best place to keep it. I was too lazy to go check Google...
@Doan84
11 ай бұрын
Germany tried to retrieve its Gold that's supposed to be down there. They were denied to even inspect the Gold and some pressure from the media, the US sent a tiny amount back to Germany. It came out, that the Gold Germany received was not the Gold they originally deposited there. There is suspicion, that the Gold is long gone, which explains the US' behavior. Eventually attention to the case died down and nothing happened since.
@greghelms4458
11 ай бұрын
@@abcde_fz how do you know it’s still there?
I believe it’s time to have an audit of what’s there. Not just one room, but the entire facility!
@Trigger200284
11 ай бұрын
Dude, the rich schemed away that gold 40 some years ago. I am certain that its an empty room as far as gold goes.
@bak-mariterry5180
11 ай бұрын
@@Trigger200284 Possibly, still, I for 1 ,would like an audit .
@Schlipperschlopper
11 ай бұрын
Mr. Goldfinger robbed it during the 1960s ! :-)
@kevinfreeman3098
11 ай бұрын
@@Trigger200284 you obviously have no idea how it's laid out... There are multiple vaults or "gold rooms" as you seem to prefer, and on multiple levels... Before you go and think too much, take a minute and educate yourself.
@Trigger200284
11 ай бұрын
@@kevinfreeman3098 I am fully aware of how a vault works. I am fully aware of how fort knocks is supposed to have gold. Take a minute to educate yourself as to what my comment said before you reply with building layouts when I commented that the rich have disposed of the gold for their own purposes. You see, you can have a 4 bedroom house and no beds. The only way you know if the beds are there, is if you can see them. The owners claim there’s beds but there’s no proof. I think you might be brain damaged…
Interesting. Never really thought on the topic before seeing this post. Thanks!
@ITSHISTORY
8 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Speaking of Fort Knox in pop culture, the building became a museum in the Star Trek universe. Money became obsolete when the world converted into a new world economy, so Fort Knox was converted into a museum. It's been noted in fiction and in reality that no one has ever broken into Fort Knox, but that didn't stop two Ferengi from trying to do so in 2365.
Over the three plus decades I have served our Veterans at VA Hospital. I have met several U.S. Army Soldiers that were stationed at Fort Knox. I always ask, only one had ever been in the building and never got close to stairs or an elevator. Very cool video. Thanks.
Fascinating, but you left out the military surrounding the fort. Two colleagues, Canadian tank soldiers, told me about training there with the US tank corps. They didn't try to get inside, but they were positive that just getting past the US tankers would be almost impossible.
@PrinceCezar27
11 ай бұрын
Can confirm.
@AlAllerton
11 ай бұрын
A good friend of mine trained people in the California desert to operate tanks. He did it for like 6 years. One day he just left, I guess, and moved back to southwest Ohio. A few years past and the military snatched him up one morning in an unmarked van. We didn't hear from him for a while but when we finally did we had to drive to Fort Knox to pick him up and take him back home.
@Dontworryboutit315
11 ай бұрын
May of been at one point but the all the armor divisions was transferred
@JMM33RanMA
11 ай бұрын
@@PrinceCezar27 The Canadian tankers were envious of the US equipment. they could be quite disparaging of their UK and US second hand equipment.
@joyfulanomaly3984
11 ай бұрын
The US Bullion Depository is located next to Ft. Knox, not in it. Two separate parts of the government on separate land. The Department of Defense and the Department of Treasury are next door neighbors here.
First time seeing your content. Great narration and engaging subject.
What a lot of people don’t realize is you actually can see this building from the highway just a few hundred feet away on the other side of the fence, you really are not that far from it.
@nickmcintyre2060
2 ай бұрын
Not that far physically. Literally that shit may as well be in space.
I have lived in Knox and worked there from 1966 to 2010. The maintenance shop I worked in the 80’s did some work in the gold vault. We were in there for a week but clearances and everything to get us in there took almost 4 months. I seen people that came from different places in the country and thought they could just drop in and tour the vault because their importance in the government. I would just laugh at them and say good luck. After 9-11 things really got tight around the vault. As said in other post the vault has nothing to do with the post itself. It’s under the treasury department.
@kevinfreeman3098
11 ай бұрын
Doesn't have anything to do with the post? Lmfao, it absolutely does, the Cavalry and Armor are the primary reasons it was built there, you could have no locks and no "security" at the vault and you still wouldn't get off post when you have "guards" in battalion size in heavy armor and bloodthirsty, crazy assed horse soldiers just waiting for a reason to go fubar sh!t... Otherwise they'd have planted it in say Missouri or Nebraska. Don't care what anyone says, it very so much has to do with the military and their firepower being as far away as to where you can stand there see nothing, feel the ground rumble, turn around light a cigarette and turn back around and be staring eye to eye with 500 battle rattle troopers and over 5,000 backing them up in under 10 minutes... But by all means, assume what you'd like, it was brought there because of the Army, otherwise they'd have left it with the wingnuts and SAC in Colorado, but I guess they didn't like the Sally's to have anything but computer's and the keys to the big boomsticks and weren't real fond of the idea of possibly having to mine the gold a second time if the mountain took a hit, if you're tracking. Granted much of that came later(threats like nukes) however they were in the presence of some of the finest minds in the world and wanted to cover their 6. No way in hell the wingnuts or Treasury police would stop an invading force(that was the main concern, not just "vault busters", they were planning for a massive, coordinated attack, think of 'Diehard' type gold heist)
@UnlikelyToRemember
11 ай бұрын
My wife was born in the Fort Knox base hospital while her father was stationed there. Even as civilians we were able to go back and visit the base. It is only the depository itself that is off limits.
@kevinfreeman3098
11 ай бұрын
@@UnlikelyToRemember Ireland army hospital... That's the name of the hospital on Post
@ICE_IXI
10 ай бұрын
As someone who lives in Elizabethtown i can confirm the gold vault and fort knox are two separate bodies. i regulate fort Knox as a civilian.
@oldfarmer4700
10 ай бұрын
@@kevinfreeman3098 that was the name of it. I haven’t been on post since 2011 and believe the hospital isn’t there anymore. Only a clinic to take care of the people. My X worked at the hospital for years and son also. My dad also died from cancer on the 7th floor b-wing in 1983 there. Was treated there a few times as a kid when we lived on post and also when I worked on post as a civilian. Fort Knox isn’t what it was a few years ago that’s for sure.
The timing of the construction of the Fort Knox depository is shortly after the USA government ended the backing of money with gold and the turning in of all US Gold coins. One has to consider that all the turned in gold coins, the ending of issuing new ones, that the depository was needed to store them to make room for silver for then new coins.
@edwardloomis887
11 ай бұрын
There is a second, lesser known depository for silver, gold and platinum at the West Point (NY) Mint. The mint produces and sells commemorative coins with all three metals.
@stanleykijek6983
11 ай бұрын
Fort Knox did not keep gold coins--they all had to be melted into bars first before coming into the premises. People received paper money for their turned in gold coins.
When I was at fort Knox in the late 1990's we were told that the ball had very little gold in it but it was being used to store priceless treasures from around the world. Such as crown jewels from several different countries. Some rare artifacts and emergency supplies.
@mikejohn0088
10 ай бұрын
It makes excellent sense to store your valuables under the auspices of the cabal.
@RandyleeKingSr
8 ай бұрын
August 24 and June 1936
@anonymous-ew6gh
8 ай бұрын
@@RandyleeKingSrwhats that date for
As a veteran and former resident of Fort Knox. Any attempt to gain entry will be futile. Even if a group got in. There's enough fire power to make sure that either they left in hand cuffs, or body bags. The place would be surrounded within minutes by the Army.
there is an urban myth that the vault of Fort Knox in Goldfinger was deemed so realistic someone asked Ken Adams how he knew what it looked like
@paulbedichek5177
11 ай бұрын
They hire beefy high school kids to move the bars.
@bobbys4327
11 ай бұрын
@@paulbedichek5177 Yeah, like bond having a gold brick in his golf bag.....
@larryk1865
11 ай бұрын
There's not just one vault. There are multiple vaults. And they look more like walk-in closets. Many years ago the press was allowed in and they opened vault doors so that photographers good take pictures and prove that the gold was there. This was like back in the 60s or something. The gold was there, but the inside of the place was hardly impressive along the lines of a James Bond movie. Think about when it was constructed and what other office interiors looked like at the time.
@blainebunton
10 ай бұрын
@@larryk1865they only showed one small room when there is supposed to be 150 times that. They also speculate that the little bit of gold shown was fake
@johnholliday6223
26 күн бұрын
@@blainebunton -- As I've said, it's not in the depository. It's under the Federal Reserve Bank in NYC.
Fort Knox was originally the first gold store for the Federal Reserve Bank. Now there are 12 Branches of the Reserve in different cities. Now Fort Knox holds historical records of the US Military.
@ausguy4385
11 ай бұрын
Heap of IOUs 😂
@inconnu4961
10 ай бұрын
@@ausguy4385 My great-grand kids will be paying those off for life!
@mikejohn0088
10 ай бұрын
@@inconnu4961 ---no, we should all be gone by then.
@blackhornetf
8 ай бұрын
Makes sense
@njasicko
8 ай бұрын
Only 1 out the of the 12 holds any gold. The 2nd District FRB. All 12 process cash to make sure it is fit for circulation however.
I lived at Ft. Knox in the early 80's. I got into so much trouble for riding my bike through the golf course that surrounds the depository.
Great history lesson. Much I didn’t know. I have to say, your last name is Socash and you’re doing a bit about money? Priceless!❤️
Other countries also have their gold at fort Knox. If there is a exchange of gold between two countries that have gold stored there, the gold is just moved from one country's deposit to the other country's deposit.
@thecataclysmitician4661
11 ай бұрын
Uh, no... That's BS. It's ALL stored in the Federal Reserve in New York, Fort Knox has been EMPTY for quite a long time. All it houses are "props"... Not gold, or any other valuables.
@recoilrob324
11 ай бұрын
A while back Germany (now unified) wanted their gold back. The request was refused. They then asked to just inspect it. Again...refused. They had to get the courts involved and finally were given a time table to be given back their gold in many small shipments over many years. Every bar of German gold was clearly marked but the few that they got in the first (late) shipment was unmarked and when asked where THEIR gold was...were told that it had to be remelted to be shipped. BS. The truth was their gold was LONG GONE and the Fed had to scramble to get a hold of some to send them. What gold is actually there has been leveraged, sold and traded since we were taken off the Gold Standard.
@lookoutforchris
11 ай бұрын
You are confusing Fort Knox with the NY Federal Reserve in Manhattan. There is more gold stored at the NY Fed than at Fort Knox but most of it is not the property of the United States Government.
@paulbedichek5177
11 ай бұрын
That is not Ft Knox,but NYC,which has far more gold.
@littlearsehole75
11 ай бұрын
@@recoilrob324 got a source? Didn't think so.
In the video, it's said that 4 million dollars was the total for the initial transfer of gold. In the graphic at 4:35 it's clearly 4 BILLION dollars. Even in the 1930's 4 Million wasn't a lot of money for the net value of the US treasury.
@stanleykijek6983
11 ай бұрын
I think they meant that it cost $4,000,000 for all of the labor, probably including the cost to build the building and transferring the gold. The ENTIRE VALUE OF ALL THE GOLD transferred was $4 billion. Remember until 1934, gold was valued at $20.67 then got raised to $35 until technically 1971, when it got raised again to $38. In 1973 it was raised to $42.22 although no place on earth (including the US government) was buying or sell it at that price. It's still mind boggling to read that it cost roughly $1,000,000 (probably $20,000,000 in 2023 dollars) for that secured building when today it would cost $20,000,000 just to get anything done. Government spends like there's no tomorrow.
@rikk319
10 ай бұрын
@@stanleykijek6983 You need to take a course on economics. There are terms like inflation, value-added, and appreciation you have no concept of
Fascinating Great video
@2:54 you should have been more specific. Visitors are allowed at Ft.Knox but are not allowed into the bullion area. The vault is secured separately on the grounds of Ft.Knox. The actual main entrance to the base is just yards from the vault. As a civilian visitor that lives just 5 miles as the crow flies, I often take my family to go bowling on base. We feel much safer than traveling to Louisville because we know Ft.Knox don’t play. It is impressive how guarded that place is. I’ve seen an impressive level of security from the outside. I can only imagine what we can’t see. I’d be surprised if someone stayed alive long enough to get within 250 yards of the vault. Home of FAFO
US currency hasn't been backed by gold since it went off the gold standard.
@paulbedichek5177
11 ай бұрын
Yes,and a great decision,it made the US so much more wealthy.
@TamagoHead
11 ай бұрын
Hmm, I have bills redeemable for silver. Pls lmk if you remember when it happened.
@ojnavarro
11 ай бұрын
@@TamagoHead August 1971
@TamagoHead
11 ай бұрын
@@ojnavarro Ty!
@veramae4098
11 ай бұрын
Happened during John Kennedy's Presidency. Our good friends the French, whose rears we've saved twice, started requiring all other countries or businesses who owed the French gov't to pay in U.S. dollars. Then the French exchanged the dollars for U.S. gold. Kennedy got tired of it, and the law was changed.
We even say "as safe as Fort Knox" here in the UK. That is how far and wide the term has become.
@wdd3141
11 ай бұрын
It's interesting that a former enemy (U.S. Revolution, War of 1812) held one of your sacred documents for protection during World War II and returned it to you after the war. The Magna Carta is precious to us, too, as an ancestor to our Constitution. [insert KZread emoji for "Respect" here]
@waynewisecarver
10 ай бұрын
During the war when the Germans were sending V1 rockets into London at night, the MAGNA CARTA was loaded into a bread truck and driven norh to Scotkand where a lone American submarine was waiting in a cove. The MAGNA CARTA was put aboard and the sub crossed the Atlantic, swarming with U-boats. It reached the US and the MAGNA CARTA was delivered to Fort Knox where it was kept safe until the end of the war.
When the Louisville, Ky media was allowed to see the inside of the vault a few years ago, several commented how surprised they were how dusty and dirty the gold is.
@rikk319
10 ай бұрын
Where did the dust come from? 70% of dust in building interiors is from shed human skin cells. Nice bullshit story though.
Additional while there is a 130 billion $ of gold in fort Knox, there is over $320 billion of gold in New York depository, but this is mainly own by foreign governments. Only 5% of US reserves stored here. Over half of US gold reserves are held in fort Knox.
@underthehall
11 ай бұрын
I learned this fact from Die Hard with a Vengeance.
@ronblack7870
11 ай бұрын
it's theoretically there but if a govt requests it to be sent back they won't do it. they have lent it out for a rental fee.
@joeg5414
11 ай бұрын
That's what we're told. It's been pilfered and far less than we're told.
I went to basic training at Ft Knox in 2001. I remember seeing the depository.
@leogenius812
11 ай бұрын
Misery, Agony and Heartbreak....
@joeg5414
11 ай бұрын
Before or after 9/11? I went to basic in july 2001. Got weird after that. Went from being in a peacetime military to wartime in the blink of an eye.
What’s scary is that DLA was in charge of moving gold to Fort Knox. I am an Air Force civilian and DLA once lost a part I had ordered that was only traveling across my base.
One very important factor hasn’t been mentioned. The outlawing of private ownership of gold in 1934, just one year before Ft Knox was built….. hmmm 🧐
It should also be noted that large bricks of gold have their own natural built in security feature, which is they are very heavy, the big ones are like 27 pounds each, so good luck stealing a large number of those things, and also if every last security feature of the depository failed, there is an army base just down the road.
@ceedavis5178
11 ай бұрын
I work in concrete and for small jobs we load trucks of 90lb bags in minutes. 27lbs is nothing.
@lander77477
11 ай бұрын
@@ceedavis5178 How many people work on that kind of job?
@baggychips3153
11 ай бұрын
also its placement is stupid i live in the county and its like just right next to the highway its so dumb but i guess they have thier reasons
@1967davethewave
11 ай бұрын
All they need are Piper Cherokee's with Delta 9 nerve gas and Goldfinger and disable an entire regiment. I know, it happened in the 1960's. Fortunately James Bond was there to rescue us inept Americans!!!!
@loganarruda5184
11 ай бұрын
Ft Knox is on the base I fact it's almost int he middle of it. Plus that base is a tank base your aren't surviving if you try to steal it. They are always on patrol and even as a soldier if you went close they would threaten you. This is in 08 idk about now. But was also told there was no gold it was moved out to NY in the early 2000s
I've been there. Had to pick up my friend who was AWOL from the army. The military just showed up early one morning and took him from the house in an unmarked van and we didn't hear from him for days until we had to drive to Fort Knox and pick him up. We went right by the gold vault building.
The way this built this is amazing, I’ve driven by the vault it’s breathtaking in real life Pictures do not do it justice.
@4:00 No. The Appalachian mountains do not extend that far west. Ft. Knox is in the Bluegrass Knobs region, a terminal moraine. The Appalachian Mountains proper are some 160 miles east of Ft. Knox.
Ft. Knox is much larger than the footprint of the Depository.
The reason it's so guarded is to protect the fact that its empty.
@trollon-u2124
11 ай бұрын
I live 10 min away. If your car breaks down on dixie hwy outside the gates, they'll send mp quick af.
@trollon-u2124
11 ай бұрын
Happen to me twice in 6 years. Blown tire and oil leak
We rode past that building on the bus so many times at Advanced Camp and I never knew that was the vault. It looks like a castle.
Back in the late 90's, my dad was stationed at Fort Knox... so for about 2.5 years, I got to live 2 miles from the Vault. It was so cool to drive by that thing every day.
@AdrianSmith-ds6yv
7 ай бұрын
How old are you,I lived there in the late 90s and went to MacDonald middle School and Scott middle school
@brandonevans1043
7 ай бұрын
@@AdrianSmith-ds6yv almost 40. lol I went to 8th and 9th grades there; Scott Middle and FKHS.
@AdrianSmith-ds6yv
7 ай бұрын
@@brandonevans1043 do you remember a Sgt Garcia from the high school
@AdrianSmith-ds6yv
7 ай бұрын
Partial 9th grade
@AdrianSmith-ds6yv
7 ай бұрын
I'm 36
A friend of mine was one of the reporters who entered the vault during the press tour. Bruce was reporting for United Press International. He said the vault's officials invited journalists to attempt pick up a gold brick, just to further reassure the public the gold was not Styrofoam spray painted gold. Public clinging to rumors knows no bounds.
@glasslinger
11 ай бұрын
The outer layer of the stack is real gold bars. The inner layers are shaped 2x4 wood blocks painted gold!
@glenchapman3899
11 ай бұрын
The other interesting fact about gold. It wont slide against itself. One of the reason gold bars have tapered sides is to be able to get your fingers under the bar to lift it off a stack
@brianarbenz1329
11 ай бұрын
@@glenchapman3899 Gee, that ruins my impression of gold bars as having gracefully smooth surfaces that slide just like ice!
@glenchapman3899
11 ай бұрын
@@brianarbenz1329 Yeah sorry my Dad used to work for the Australian version of Fort Knox. Used to laugh at all the bank robber movies were they are stealing gold bars. As he said absolutely nothing happens in a hurry when handling gold bars
@inconnu4961
10 ай бұрын
Obviously, we dont trust our government as far as we can throw them; and entirely with GOOD reasons!
The Ark of the Covenant is stored there. The story got out in the late 1970's so they made a movie called "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where at the end when the USA recovers it they place it in a huge warehouse. (OK just made that up but hey you never know)
@floridaboz1
11 ай бұрын
However, i am sure there is stuff stored there that they do not want us to know about. What that stuff is, well we wont ever know.
Your viewers might also appreciate these two facts about the US Gold Bullion Repository at Ft Knox. Having trained there in 1974. My recollection is, that the Repository is just down the road, less than a 1/2 mile or so, from the Main Gate, which is always manned by armed Military Police. Also, I learned how to drive an M60 Tank, along with 15-20 other guys in M60 Tanks, on a parade ground directly across the road from the Repository, All 20+ tanks staying in the lane, marked by tape or chalk, or both. I remember this very well as it was 1974 & the only time I ever got a glimpse of the US Gold Bullion Repository for the 2 months of Armor Training (AIT), before being transferred to Europe & the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment,. bp
We lived at fort knox late 60s to 1970 . Me father was a E8 Sargent in charge of loading trucks . We had a friend that was in charge the guns and his men .
They don't even want you stopping to take pictures on the highway that runs next to it. Several people did it, and were tailed by security vehicles. They are serious.
@stanleykijek6983
11 ай бұрын
Same applies if you visit the US mints or the BEP building in D.C. or Dallas/Ft. Worth
I say the vault is empty. Thanks for the video.
@bobbys4327
11 ай бұрын
so does Geraldo...
I love these!
I can understand the security issue about this but I think it would be cool to see its contents
I am a former US Army officer, a paratrooper and combat infantry. I would like to know how the Appalachian mountains provide a barrier against airborne assault. By the very nature of airborne assaults mountains, pose zero impediment. I have also been stationed at Fort Knox. The bullion depository sits in the middle of the golf course. There are signs at great distances around the depository that says if your ball goes over this fence, take a stroke and play on.
@bingusmctingus4395
10 ай бұрын
It's the Appalachians that are the danger, you go into them hills, you don't come back out.
They should have a gift shop at Fort Knox. It doesn't have to be on the grounds but should be nearby. I would buy a gold coffee mug. There could be so many cool ideas for stuff to sell...
@davidpalmer9780
10 ай бұрын
...and profits could go towards paying down the national debt.
Named after Henry Knox, Continental Army General and first Sec of War. Most famous perhaps for his attack on Fort Ticonderoga where he seized cannons that were used to force the British out of Boston.
So being raised down the street from ft Knox one theory that always made sense is that there is NO GOLD BUT A OUTRAGEOUSLY AMOUNT OF MORPHINE. Because gold doesn’t do anything for a soldier injured however MORPHINE DOES ALOT
I’d bet that there isn’t even a roll of quarters in that place. It’s so well protected because they don’t want anyone else to find that out.
The man that was shot in 2022 was not trying to get to the vault he crashed the main gate of the military base which is not even close to the vault I live close to it
Damn GOOD STORY.. Thank You as an American.. We keep our shit in good... I was amazed on how the Hungarians and UK asked us to hold their stuff as well. That is trust. Awesome as an Ally. I Subbed as well..
I live in Kentucky and that gold was removed years ago to an under ground bunker out west.
Hey Ryan, what has happen to all the "World's Fairs"? they use to be held every four years like the Olympics. I do remember the last one being in Canada in 1968, I think.
@fmattiasc
8 ай бұрын
Next is in Osaka 2025. Previous was 2020 in Dubai
You want to know what's inside the Fort Knox Depository? Nothing. It's empty. The gold has been gone for a very long time.
@brianarbenz1329
11 ай бұрын
And Paul is dead.
@russellhueners8499
11 ай бұрын
Yep, hence all of the security, you would need a fleet of freight trucks to rob, where you gonna take it?, on the other hand , if word gets out its empty, what do you think would happen, yeh it's national security at stake, dog and pony shows prove nothing.
@bobbys4327
11 ай бұрын
@@brianarbenz1329 caught him stealing the gold?
I live here currently as an army recruiter 😅 I drive by it everyday from Louisville to Fort Knox. Pretty cool building.
It is an army base. I Trained there. Simular to the bond film. I was in the mint in Philadelphia in the early 70s, there were tours.
Fort Knox is not the biggest gold repository on US soil. The biggest one is the NY federal reserve.
@curmudgeonextraordinaire1884
11 ай бұрын
Die Hard 3
You left out the fact that you can actually see 24k gold on the front of the building. The seal above the door's is 24k gold. I find it funny that not a lot of people doesn't know about that mn
One of the visitors to Fort Knox was Auric Goldfinger.
Good job 😊
Many believe that Ft Knox is nothing more than a wizard of Oz type of installations with no actual gold there but all the adornments to indicate there is. Years ago, the US went of the gold standard so it was then irrelevant to have a gold deposit. However, the question arose about what the reason for still having one. Where was all the gold that had been used to back the monetary system? If there is no gold there any longer, questions would persist about where it was and what had it been used for. This putting Ft Knox into the "government secrets" category conspiracy theorists love to examine.
When I was stationed there in 87-89 we lived next door to it. The housing we lived in is now gone. It looks like it is unsecure from the road, but that is very far from the truth. The vending machines supplies are unloaded at the gate and the vault workers load them not the drivers. Neat place to see, would have loved to gotten a tour but that's not going to happen.
Not sure how I got here but I subscribed 😉
I find it odd that the federal reserve bank in New York gives tours of they gold vault but Fort Knox doesn't, I believe they are protecting the perception that gold is still stored there at Fort Knox
The secret of no gold… must be kept secret.
If there are aliens, they’re not at Area 51. If there’s still gold, it’s not at Fort Knox.
I took my basic training there. We did gaurd duty for the Vault
This video is the best argument against the imperial system
Blows my mind that 10 minutes away is one of the largest machine gun ranges in the country 😂
@dougs4944
4 ай бұрын
Knob Creek?
@TheRandompaint
4 ай бұрын
@@dougs4944 you know it!
It's also forbidden in case anyone wants to verify how much gold isn't there anymore.
I am amazed how they replicated Ft Knox in "Goldfinger." A documentary some years ago one of the people interviewed said it would take quite an operation to steal the gold if thieves were to gain access. Gold is heavy. So that 1964 movie used plot of irradiating the gold rendering it useless rather than steal it thus causing economic disruption. Then Goldfinger can move in with his finances and take over. Which in ways seems like that is what is happening now.
Great video
A quick clarification: mentioned at about 10:00, Mitch McConnell is not a state senator - he's a U.S. senator from the state of Kentucky.
@brianarbenz1329
11 ай бұрын
We _wish_ that arrogant sleazebag had never risen higher than state senator.
@Dr.Pepper001
11 ай бұрын
We Kentuckians don't acknowledge McConnell. He has betrayed the Republicans in America.
The only secret they’re hiding is that there is no more gold
I went to Fort Knox years back not for Gold but for..Coffee! Fort Knox had the closest Tim Hortons to Atlanta. When a friend and I pulled up to the gates I explained to the guard why I was there, he could not have been nicer! They let me in and I proceeded to get my fill of Timmy's. I think that location has since closed.
During WW2 the Royal Family stashed the Crown Jewels in Montreal in the basement of the Sunlife Building. Cheers from Montreal. Good video btw
The hardest gold to keep under wraps is the gold that isn't there.
The gold was last audited decades ago, by a group of local teenaged boys, with no sampling done. I'm guessing that the building is empty.
I took my basic training at Ft Knox in 1983 and on many occasions was able to see the building call Ft Knox when in fact its a US Army military installation
The gold vault in the New York Federal Reserve has more gold than Fort Knox, however it's mostly foreign gold, not US government property. And you can take a tour of it.
Going off the gold standard was the absolute worst thing that the government has ever done.
@seanbrown9048
11 ай бұрын
Lol; it makes absolute sense to carry around heavy, easily counterfeited gold coinage whose spot value is volatile to say the least!
@RobertQuattlebaum
11 ай бұрын
Yeah, that trail of tears doesn't hold a candle to taking us off the gold standard, amirite?
I thought it was because Goldfinger and Pussy Galore stole it in 1964?
I did my basic training at Ft Knox in 1977. I drove by it and took a picture
I did my basic training at Fort Knox the US Armor School, I did my training at D-2-1, and that was a hot summer, I was there from July to October of 1980 then I would shipped off to Germany Bamberg Germany, where I did border patrol
There is no gold at Fort Knox ,it is merely a decoy.
there are rumors that the vault holds little to no gold. back from the Carter times, it was emptied and may be one of the most closely guarded secrets. in reality, you don't have to have any gold. you just have to make people believe you have gold.
I took basic training at Fort Knox and when I was there I almost forgot the depository was there because I never saw it. So I don't know if there was any gold there. I'm sure the super rich have probably divided it up amongst themselves.
You completely overlooked the most interesting part of Fort Knox history. When the government allowed a handful of totally ordinary citizens into the vault to help "move" all the gold. That was in the 70's or 80's I think
IT IS NOT a Depository, ALL of the Gold was SOLD off years ago
@rikkivet3407
10 ай бұрын
Does it matter
There's a story on my Mother's side of the family about how one of my uncles got past security. If I remember correctly this was the 60s or 70s and it involved slipping through the grates in the drainage system under the building and roads. Honestly I hope it's true because the uncle in question was very thin and tall along with being the most easy going guy that you could meet.
@clearviewtechnical
11 ай бұрын
Never happened. Just silly family legend.
@MrFIZZYMann
11 ай бұрын
The Very Same Urban Myth Has Been Said about the Bank of England Gold Depository for Over 300 Years Now.
@LiterallyCensoredDaily
10 ай бұрын
My mom lies more than your mom.
@JackCity08401
9 ай бұрын
Unc would still be in prison if that were true 😅
@tiredofthetyranny9874
8 ай бұрын
You never know could be possible. My Grandfather was a badass moonshiner and bootlegger in of all places NY state and NEVER got caught! As a child I was brought to where his old still was and I remember seeing what was left there and for sure they definitely made alcohol there! So just because everyone is like o no way its not possible blah blah blah, remember 1 out of 10 people get caught committing a crime in today’s society!! Back when CCTV and motion detectors etc. wasn’t everywhere I could see someone sneaking into the compound definitely not into the vault or buildings but definitely on premises…….
I used to live in Irvington Kentucky which is close to fort Knox and I was told by locals that there isn't any gold stored at Knox any more
How you go from security fences straight to the vault ??