WHAT IF I TOLD YOU
THAT FORT KNOX IS EMPTY? THE LAST TIME ANYONE WAS ALLOWED
INSIDE WAS IN 1974 FOLLOWING A CONGRESSIONAL DEMAND
TO SEE THE GOLD. MANY EXPERTS TODAY BELIEVE THE SOLDIERS STATIONED HERE ARE
PROTECTING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. THEY POINT TO NUMEROUS THEORIES
TO EXPLAIN THEIR BELIEFS. SOME SAY THE GOLD WAS USED TO
MAKE OFF-THE-BOOKS PURCHASES. OTHERS SAY IT WAS USED TO MANIPULATE THE PRICE
OF THE DOLLAR. AND A FEW BELIEVE IT WAS PUT
TO EVEN DARKER USES. NO ONE REALLY KNOWS. BUT IF YOU TELL ME THAT NO ONE'S BEEN ALLOWED
TO SEE THIS GOLD SINCE 1974, I WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S THERE, AND I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT ELSE IS INSIDE. IT IS TIME TO DECODE FORT KNOX. I'M BRAD MELTZER. I'VE SPENT MY LIFE
COLLECTING STORIES -- SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND CODES
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT. SOME HAVE BECOME THE BASIS
FOR MY NOVELS, BUT I'VE ONLY SCRATCHED
THE SURFACE. AND NOW HISTORY
HAS GIVEN ME THE RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THE REST. THIS IS "DECODED." [ CELLPHONE RINGS ] HEY, BRAD. Okay, here's my question. What do you know
about Fort Knox? IT'S FULL OF GOLD. And if it's not? ISN'T IT AMONG THE MOST HEAVILY GUARDED PLACES
IN THE WORLD? Which is why there are only a
handful of people on the planet who know what's really in there. But there are plenty of people who think that Fort Knox
might be empty. IT JUST SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE THAT
FORT KNOX COULD BE EMPTY. AND THAT WE WOULDN'T KNOW
ABOUT IT ALREADY. YEAH. WHO CHECKS UP ON THE GOLD
THERE AT FORT KNOX? See, now you've got
the problem. The government does. But they haven't done
a public audit since 1974. I don't get scared when
some cashew in a tinfoil hat throws out a crazy idea. I get scared when reasonable people
start saying these things. And there are reasonable
economists who are saying
that Fort Knox is empty. But as always, we've got
an unbelievable lead. OKAY. WELL, LET'S DO IT. Meltzer: IN 1933, ONE OF OUR
GREATEST PRESIDENTS, FDR, OUTLAWED THE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
OF GOLD, FORCING AMERICANS TO SELL IT
TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE. ROOSEVELT CITED THE CRISIS
FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION AS HIS REASON. TO HOUSE ALL THIS GOLD, THE U.S. TREASURY BUILT
THE VAULT AT FORT KNOX. IT SOON HELD OVER HALF
THE WORLD'S KNOWN GOLD, WORTH SOME $200 BILLION. THE KENTUCKY LOCATION WAS CHOSEN
BECAUSE IT WAS LANDLOCKED, MAKING IT LESS SUSCEPTIBLE
TO ENEMY ATTACK. KNOX REMAINS THE MOST
IMPREGNABLE VAULT IN THE WORLD, WITH 1,000 MILES OF U.S.
TERRITORY IN EVERY DIRECTION AND AN ENORMOUS ARSENAL
TO PROTECT IT. TO TOP IT OFF, THE GRANITE
FOUNDATION IS 5 FEET THICK, AND THE VAULT DOOR WEIGHS
SOME 2 1/2 TONS. PART OF WHAT WE'RE
INVESTIGATING HERE IS THAT THERE MIGHT BE
NO GOLD IN FORT KNOX. WELL, IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE,
BECAUSE I WAS THERE IN 1974, BUT WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THEN,
NOBODY KNOWS. YOU WERE THERE. YES, I WAS. AND IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
EXCITING EVENTS THAT I'VE EVER BEEN TO. WHAT WAS IT LIKE? UTTERLY AMAZING. FIRST, YOU WERE BLINDED
BY THE LIGHT, BECAUSE THE ROOM IS LINED
ON THREE SIDES WITH GOLD, FLOOR TO CEILING. THE SECOND THING IS AN OVERWHELMING FEELING
OF CUSTROPHOBIA BECAUSE HOW SMALL THE ROOM WAS
THAT IT WAS CONTAINED IN. THAT'S SURPRISING. I ENVISIONED THIS MASSIVE
STOREHOUSE OF GOLD. THIS IS A VAULT THAT IS ABOUT
8 OR 9 FEET BY 10 FEET HIGH AND ABOUT 15 FEET DEEP. I JUST HAVE TO ASK YOU, IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT FORT KNOX IS EMPTY? IT'S ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE. THE GOVERNMENT
COULD HAVE DONE IT. THE ONLY WAY THAT ANYBODY IS
GONNA FIND OUT IS TO GO BACK TO FORT KNOX AND TO LOOK INSIDE
THE VAULTS. WHAT ARE OTHER AVENUES
THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO FIND OUT ABOUT
WHAT'S IN FORT KNOX? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT
MY FORENSIC ANALYSIS SHOWS. AND I'VE LOOKED AT THIS
PRETTY CLOSELY. THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
IS REQUIRED TO PUT OUT ON A MONTHLY BASIS AN ASSET BALANCE SHEET
OF THE UNITED STATES' GOLD. NOW, I LOOKED
AT THAT BALANCE SHEET. IT HASN'T CHANGED 15 CENTS. Meltzer: AMERICA'S ECONOMY USED TO BE BASED
ON THE GOLD STANDARD, WHICH MEANT THAT DOLLAR BILLS
WERE REALLY ONLY DEEDS FOR A TINY PORTION
OF THE NATION'S GOLD. THAT CHANGED IN 1971 WHEN THE GOVERNMENT MOVED
TO A CONFIDENCE-BASED ECONOMY. THAT MEANS THAT TODAY WE RELY ON THE PRINCIPLE
OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND, NOT THE DOLLAR'S
RELATIONSHIP TO GOLD, TO SET HOW MUCH
A DOLLAR'S WORTH. AND SINCE THE GOVERNMENT
CONTROLS THE SUPPLY OF GOLD, THEY HAVE FAR MORE POWER CONTROLLING THE VALUE
OF THE DOLLAR. SO WHEN DAVID POINTS OUT THAT THE PRICE OF GOLD
HAS FLUCTUATED WILDLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, YET THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THAT THE VALUE OF OUR GOLD
RESERVES HAS BEEN CONSISTENT, NOW YOU'VE GOT MY ATTENTION. YOU TOP THAT OFF WITH THE FACT THAT THEY DON'T ALLOW
PUBLIC AUDITS, THAT NO ONE CAN GO INTO
FORT KNOX AND CHECK, AND I HAVE TO START WONDERING,
WITH SO MUCH RIDING ON IT, WHY DON'T THEY JUST SHOW US
WHAT'S IN THERE? SO, THERE HAS BEEN
SOME MANIPULATION OF THE PRICE OF GOLD VIS-à-VIS THE PRICE
OF THE DOLLAR. ABSOLUTELY. DOES IT BOTHER YOU THAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING US
WHAT'S IN THERE? WELL, I THINK
THEY'RE TELLING US. WHAT BOTHERS ME IS
THAT WE CAN'T SEE IT. AND THERE'S NO PROOF. WE'RE AMERICANS.
WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW. OKAY. IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
FOUND OUT THAT FORT KNOX WAS ACTUALLY
EMPTY, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? YOU POTENTIALLY COULD
HAVE PANIC IN THE STREETS. YOU COULD HAVE RIOTS. YOU COULD HAVE
FINANCIAL MELTDOWN. AND YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE
TAKING DOLLAR BILLS... ...AND TEARING THEM UP AND
THROWING THEM UP IN THE AIR. DAVID'S MAKING A VITAL POINT
ABOUT HYPERINFLATION, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MONEY LITERALLY BECOMES NOT
WORTH THE PAPER IT'S PRINTED ON. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THE GERMANS SAW IT IN 1923, WHEN
FIREWOOD COST 850 BILLION MARKS. GREECE EXPERIENCED IT IN 1943, WHEN MILK WENT TO
2 MILLION DRACHMAS A LITER. AND IT HAPPENED IN BRAZIL
IN 1993, WHEN A BOTTLE OF SUNTAN LOTION
COST 800,000 CRUZEIRO NOVOS. BUT BEFORE WE START A BANK RUN,
I WANT TO KNOW, WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT
EVER LIE TO US ABOUT WHAT'S INSIDE FORT KNOX. [ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ] Rolle: WOULD THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
HIDE THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO GOLD
AT FORT KNOX? AND, ALSO, COULD THEY? WOULD THEY -- LIKE, DO THEY
HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO? EXACTLY.
WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I KNOW A PROFESSOR
AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY. HE'S AN EXPERT IN THE
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, AND I THINK HE CAN SHED
SOME LIGHT ON HOW EXACTLY WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO GET THESE DOCUMENTS. WELL, THE GENTLEMAN WE'RE
GONNA TALK TO AT GATA MIGHT HAVE SOME ANSWERS
AS TO THE REASONS THEY WOULD TAKE THE GOLD
FROM FORT KNOX. SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. GIVEN THE CURRENT PERFORMANCE
OF THE U.S. ECONOMY, THERE ARE GOLD EXPERTS
ON EVERY CORNER. AND TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF THE FORT KNOX MYSTERY, WE NEED TO TALK TO
AS MANY AS WE CAN. McKinley: HI, THERE. CHRIS. BUDDY. WE'VE HEARD THERE'S NO GOLD
IN FORT KNOX AT ALL. COULD YOU CLARIFY? I WISH I COULD, BUT BECAUSE THE GOLD
IS INVOLVED IN MARKET RIGGING, YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO OBTAIN
FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THE PLANS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAN YOU ARE ANY INFORMATION
ABOUT THE U.S. GOLD RESERVES. WAIT,
TO RIG THE GOLD MARKET? YES. THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN RIGGING
THE GOLD MARKET FOR AT LEAST
A HALF A CENTURY. BUT PRICES OF GOLD ARE AS HIGH AS THEY'VE EVER BEEN
IN HISTORY, CORRECT? YES, THEY HAVE BEEN,
AND THIS PRICE HAS RISEN DESPITE A VERY AGGRESSIVE
FEDERAL RESERVE, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, AND
WESTERN CENTRAL BANK EFFORT TO SUPPRESS THE PRICE THROUGH SURREPTITIOUS-MARKETS
INTERVENTION. SO SOMEONE'S TRYING TO RIG
THE PRICE OF GOLD, BUT THEY'RE DOING
A TERRIBLE JOB. WELL, ACTUALLY, THEY'RE DOING
A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF IT, BECAUSE IF THEY WERE NOT
RIGGING THE MARKET, THE GOLD PRICE
WOULD PROBABLY BE MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ABOVE
WHERE IT IS TODAY. AND THAT WOULD BE BAD
FOR US. SO ISN'T IT GOOD THAT
SOMEBODY'S CONTROLLING
THE PRICE OF GOLD? WELL, IT DEPENDS. IT'S CERTAINLY GOOD
FOR THE UNITED STATES IN THE SENSE OF MAINTAINING
THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, BECAUSE THE RIGGING
OF THE GOLD PRICE MAINTAINS THE VALUE
OF THE DOLLAR AND MAINTAINS THE VALUE
OF U.S. GOVERNMENT BONDS, AND IT KEEPS THE WORLD
USING THE DOLLAR. THE RIGGING
OF THE CURRENCY MARKETS HAS BEEN THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE
OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY FOR AT LEAST 50 YEARS. WHY IS IT THE CENTRAL
OBJECTIVE? BECAUSE THE CURRENCY MARKET IS THE MOST POWERFUL MECHANISM
OF IMPERIALISM. OCCUPYING A COUNTRY
MILITARILY IS NOTHING COMPARED TO CONTROLLING
ITS CURRENCY MARKET. IF YOU CONTROL
A CURRENCY MARKET, YOU CAN GET EVERYBODY TO WORK
FOR YOU AS YOUR SLAVE. THOSE ARE STRONG TERMS. IF WE CAN DETERMINE
THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR, WE CAN VALUE OUR CURRENCY
SO MUCH ABOVE WHAT WOULD BE A MARKET VALUE
OF THEIR CURRENCIES, WE CAN BUY THEIR PRODUCTS, THEIR PRODUCTION
MUCH LESS EXPENSIVELY. Meltzer: THIS GUY IS THROWING
OUT LOTS OF SCARY IDEAS. BUT HE DOES RAISE
ONE INARGUABLE FACT. THIS IS A GLOBAL ISSUE. BY CLAIMING WE HAVE MORE GOLD
THAN WE DO, WE INCREASE THE VALUE
OF OUR DOLLAR AND THE POWER OF OUR NATION. IT'S TERRIFYING, RIGHT? WHAT IF OUR SUPERPOWER STATUS
IS BASED ON AN EMPTY RUMOR? Levy:
A GOLD-PRICE-SUPPRESSION SCHEME SOUNDS WORSE
THAN A PONZI SCHEME. THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS DOING
SOMETHING VERY DISREPUTABLE WITH THE U.S. GOLD RESERVE. SO, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE LOSE
CONTROL OF THE CURRENCY MARKET? WHAT DOES AMERICA
LOOK LIKE THEN? I THINK THE VALUE
OF THE DOLLAR RELATIVE TO OTHER CURRENCIES
WOULD PROBABLY PLUNGE. Meltzer: FORT KNOX IS PROTECTED
ON ALL SIDES. APACHE HELICOPTERS
PATROL ITS PERIMETER. FOUR GUARD TOWERS
ARE MANNED BY SNIPERS. AND MULTIPLE GATES PROTECT
THE BUILDING HOLDING THE VAULT. EVEN THOSE MILITARY MEMBERS
SERVING AND LIVING AT THE POST AREN'T ALLOWED NEAR IT. SO WHAT'S REALLY INSIDE? NO CIVILIAN HAS BEEN ALLOWED IN
SINCE 1974, ALMOST 40 YEARS AGO. SO NO ONE REALLY KNOWS. BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT
ARE IN D.C., TRYING TO GATHER THE INTEL
TO FIGURE IT OUT. Rolle:
THANKS FOR MEETING ME OUT HERE IN FRONT
OF THE WHITE HOUSE. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
FORT KNOX AND WHETHER THE GOLD
IS STILL THERE, AND WE NEED
SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT. WELL, THE FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW
BY PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON. IT'S VERY SIMPLE IN THEORY. ANYBODY HAS ACCESS TO ANY RECORD OF ANY
EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCY. SIMPLE IN THEORY. NOT SO GREAT IN PRACTICE. THERE ARE A LOT OF ROADBLOCKS
YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING WHEN YOU FILE A FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST. IT CAN BE
AN EXPENSIVE PROCESS IF YOU ARE HIT WITH ONE
OF THE NINE EXEMPTIONS THAT ALLOW AN AGENCY
TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION. IT CAN TAKE A LOT OF TIME
TO FIGHT THOSE EXEMPTIONS. AND THERE'S REALLY NO MORE
TEETH, UNFORTUNATELY, TO THE LAW. SO IT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT TURNS OUT TO BE
SOMEWHAT CUMBERSOME AT TIMES. Meltzer: THE FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT SAYS THAT THE GOVERNMENT MUST ALLOW THE PUBLIC ACCESS
TO THEIR RECORDS UNLESS THE REQUEST FALLS UNDER
ONE OF NINE EXEMPTIONS. BUT SINCE ONE
OF THOSE EXEMPTIONS IS CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTATION, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT SAYS
SOMETHING'S CLASSIFIED, THERE'S THE LOOPHOLE. NOW WE DON'T GET TO SEE
ANYTHING. SEEMS TO ME LIKE THESE
EXEMPTIONS AND THINGS THAT THEY'RE HIDING BEHIND IS IN SOME WAYS
JUST BLATANT STONEWALLING. NEWS FLASH FOR YOU. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
DON'T ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. DO YOU THINK THERE'S
ANY POSSIBILITY, KEVIN, THAT THE VAULTS AT FORT KNOX ARE
EMPTY, THERE'S NO GOLD THERE? OH, I'M SAYING
THERE'S A CHANCE. AND, FRANKLY, IT'S MY GOLD,
ISN'T IT? I MEAN, IF IT'S THE GOVERNMENT'S
GOLD, IT'S MY GOLD. THE RECORDS THAT THEY HAVE
ON IT ARE MY RECORDS. I PAY TAXES.
I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT
MY GOVERNMENT'S DOING FOR ME. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IT.
IT'S MY MONEY. HEY, BRAD. How is everybody doing? GOOD. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF DIGGING
HERE IN D.C. AND THE MOST TELLING THING
I HEARD FROM CHRIS POWELL WAS THAT
WE'D HAVE BETTER LUCK FINDING DIRECTIONS TO HOW
TO MAKE A NUCLEAR WEAPON THAN TO GET INFORMATION
FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE. I know how to make
a nuclear weapon. That's easy to find. I've never in my life seen more
people be quiet about a secret than this one. YEESH. It's unbelievable to me. The only people who are helpful were, "My father used to drive
a truck there," "My wife used to work there," like, that one removed person who was therefore
a little bit more loose-lipped. WHAT WE'RE LEARNING IS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND FORT KNOX HAVE A LOT OF MOTIVES FOR NOT
LETTING US KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE, AND NONE OF THEM ARE GOOD. I think, after talking
to all these people, there is only one place
we're gonna get the answer, and you know where it is. It's time to go to Fort Knox. WE'RE HEADING TO KENTUCKY. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE
IS INSIDE FORT KNOX? I WAS STATIONED AT FORT KNOX
AFTER I RETURNED FROM VIETNAM. I WAS A SENIOR ARMORER. AND I ISSUED WEAPONS TO THOSE
PEOPLE THAT GUARDED FORT KNOX, A PLATOON-SIZED GROUP
THAT GUARDED FORT KNOX. WE WERE TOLD TO ISSUE
NO AMMUNITION. AND BECAUSE I WAS A RETURNING
VET, I QUESTIONED IT. AND THE OFFICER IN CHARGE
WAS A FRIEND OF MINE. HE PULLED ME ASIDE AND SAID, "WE DON'T ISSUE
WEAPONS WITH AMMUNITION SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE
IS NO GOLD IN FORT KNOX." SO, THIS WAS YOUR O.I.C.,
YOUR OFFICER IN CHARGE. YES. HE TELLS YOU THERE'S
NO GOLD IN THERE. BUT DID YOU SEE IT EMPTY
FOR YOURSELF? NOBODY EVER SEES FORT KNOX. WELL, HOW WOULD THE CAPTAIN
KNOW THAT, THEN? BECAUSE HE WOULD BE
PRIVILEGED TO THAT INFORMATION, GIVEN HIS POSITION. DO YOU KNOW IF HE EVER GOT
INSIDE HIMSELF AND SAW WITH HIS OWN EYES, OR WAS THIS INFORMATION
HE HAD HEARD? HE SAID THAT HE UNDERSTOOD
THAT THERE WAS NO GOLD. AND HE DID GIVE ME
A REASON WHY. BECAUSE I THOUGHT, "WELL,
THEN, THIS IS FOOLISH. "WHAT ARE WE DOING? "THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA
COME TO FORT KNOX. "LET'S ASSUME THEY BELIEVE
THERE'S GOLD. "THEY'RE GONNA COME ARMED. "SO EITHER WAY, WE'RE STUCK
WITH NO AMMUNITION, AND THESE PEOPLE
BELIEVE THERE'S GOLD." HE SAID, "IT'S SIMPLE. WE LET THEM IN,
AND WE ZIP IT UP." "WE LET THEM IN, WE ZIP IT UP." BUT, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE. IN OTHER WORDS,
THEY DISAPPEAR. OH.
SO IF I BROKE INTO FORT KNOX, YOU DIDN'T HAVE AMMO
TO PROTECT IT, AND I GOT IN... WE JUST ZIP IT UP. ...YOU JUST MAKE ME DISAPPEAR
SO THAT I DON'T COME OUT AND ANNOUNCE TO EVERYBODY,
"HEY, GUESS WHAT. IT'S EMPTY." THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. WILL THE GOVERNMENT
EVER REALLY COME CLEAN ON WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GOLD
IN FORT KNOX? NO. YOU KNOW,
THEY DON'T TELL US ANYTHING UNLESS THEY'RE
ABSOLUTELY FORCED TO. THIS ISN'T A CRIME. THAT'S WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT
TO ME TO UNDERSTAND IT. WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT THIS IS
A POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT, THIS IS NOT THEFT,
THIS IS NOT -- YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT
CROOKS AND LIARS. YOU AREN'T GONNA CATCH ANYBODY
AND PUT ANYBODY IN JAIL. WHAT WE'RE GONNA FIND IS THAT
WE'VE GOT A POLICY IN PLACE, STILL, TO THIS DAY,
THAT SAYS, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE
ON A GOLD STANDARD, AND NOW WE CAN NEVER BE
ON A GOLD STANDARD. THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT GOLD
BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY SOLD IT. LET'S ASSUME FOR A MINUTE
THAT YOU'RE RIGHT AND THERE'S NO GOLD
IN FORT KNOX. WHAT IS IN THERE?
WHAT ARE THEY GUARDING
IN FORT KNOX IF THERE'S NO GOLD THERE? THE MYTH THAT THERE'S GOLD,
THE PERCEPTION OF GOLD. THE PERCEPTION THAT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE STILL HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS PROTECTING
THEIR INTERESTS, AND THE FIRST INTEREST IS THE ECONOMY AND JOBS
AND YOUR FUTURE. IF THERE'S A TRUE INVENTORY
OF FORT KNOX AND WE FIND THAT IT'S EMPTY,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR US? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR ME? THAT YOUR CHILDREN,
GRANDCHILDREN, YOUR FUTURE -- YOU'VE BEEN ROBBED. SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO GET
THE ANSWERS YOU NEED IS TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE SOURCE. BUT WITH THE FORT LOCKED UP
TIGHTER THAN AL CAPONE'S VAULT, THIS IS GONNA BE A TOUGH ONE. STILL, STEP ONE -- RECON. IT FEELS LIKE D-DAY, MAN. WELL, IT IS KIND OF. THEY CLEARLY DON'T WANT PEOPLE
DOING WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO, ALL RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE
THE LINCOLN. WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS SORT OF
STEALTH UNDERCOVER VAN. WOULD YOU MIND DRIVING? I'LL DO IT, BEGRUDGINGLY. ALL RIGHT. IF WE GET PULLED OVER,
DON'T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. JUST SAY, "I REALLY DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING TO SAY." THAT'S IT. OKAY. SO BUDDY'S SUPPOSED TO
NOT TALK? YEAH, I KNOW THAT'S THE HARD
PART OF THE WHOLE MISSION, BUT I THINK WE CAN DO IT. WE ARE BADASS,
AND WE ARE IN A MINIVAN. DO YOU KNOW WHERE
WE'RE GOING? I DO KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING.
WE'RE GOING TO FORT KNOX. WE'RE FACING DOWN OUR DEMONS,
OKAY? I THINK WE WERE ALL
A LITTLE NERVOUS AS WE WERE HEADING TO FORT KNOX, BECAUSE WE HAD REALLY GOTTEN
A SENSE OF HOW BADLY THEY WANT TO KEEP EVERYBODY OUT. Levy: BULLION DRIVE. McKinley: REALLY? YEAH, THAT'S KIND OF A HINT
THAT YOU'RE GETTING CLOSE, ISN'T IT? BULLION DRIVE. CAN WE TURN OFF THE HIGHWAY
AND ACTUALLY INTO FORT KNOX? WELL, LOOK FOR A ROAD. HEY, LOOK.
THERE'S AN AIRFIELD. OH, YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT LOOKS LIKE A SNIPER TOWER,
TOO, DOESN'T IT? AND IT'S WITHIN THE BASE. OKAY, SO THEY HAVE
AN AIRFIELD, THEY HAVE MANY, MANY FENCES,
THEY'VE GOT SNIPER TOWERS. I DON'T SEE ANY SOLDIERS. YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE SOLDIERS
RUNNING AROUND, BUT YOU MAKE A MOVE
TOWARDS THE FENCE, AND YOU'LL SUDDENLY SEE
HELICOPTER GUN SHIPS COMING OUT OF THERE, YOU'LL SEE ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES
COMING IN, AND YOU WILL SEE
ARMED SOLDIERS, OR AT LEAST SECURITY OFFICERS,
COMING OUT OF THAT THING. THERE IT IS. YEP. LOOK AT THE -- McKINLEY,
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I'M GONNA TAKE
A LITTLE VIDEO. DON'T -- THAT'S A BAD IDEA. OH, MAN. DON'T BE TAKING
ANY EXTRA FOOTAGE. THEY'RE NOT GONNA SEE
MY TINY LITTLE iPHONE. WE'RE NOT ON
A TOURIST VACATION. THEY HAVE CAMERAS. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE SNIPER
RIFLES TRAINED ON YOU. LOOK AT THE SNIPER TOWERS.
YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE IN THERE. WOW! YOU SEE THEM? YEAH.
BUT THEY'RE SO SUBTLE. NO, IT'S VERY SUBTLE.
ABSOLUTELY. UH-OH.
WHAT'S BEHIND ME? LOOK AT THE CAR BEHIND US. YOU GUYS... WHAT IS IT? COP? IT HAS A HUGE ANTENNA
ON THE ROOF, AND IT SAYS "FALCON"
ON THE LICENSE PLATE. OH, MY GOD. ALL RIGHT, JUST KEEP GOING
THE SAME SPEED. OH. HE JUST FLASHED US. McKinley: BUDDY'S GETTING
SKETCHED OUT. I'M SKETCHED OUT.
LOOK AT THAT CAR. YEAH, HE'S GOT SOME WEIRD
TAGS ON HIS CAR BACK THERE. [ SIGHS ] WE WEREN'T AT KNOX
FOR 60 SECONDS BEFORE AN S.U.V. WITH
TINTED WINDOWS SHOWED UP ON OUR BUMPER. IF THEY REACT THIS QUICKLY
TO SOMEONE DRIVING BY, IMAGINE WHAT THEY'D DO IF WE
TOOK McKINLEY'S ADVICE AND ROLLED UP TO THE FRONT DOOR. Rolle: ALL RIGHT, SLOW DOWN.
SEE IF HE'LL GO AROUND YOU. Levy:
OKAY, I'M GONNA JUST GO. ALL RIGHT, BUDDY,
IF THEY PULL YOU OVER, REMEMBER WHAT I SAID. OKAY. FALCON, GO. McKinley:
DRIVE 100 MILES AN HOUR. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
IT'S FREAKIN' TRIPPY, THOUGH. I KNEW WE HADN'T DONE
ANYTHING LEGALLY WRONG, BUT IT WAS ALSO CLEAR THESE GUYS
WERE PLAYING FOR KEEPS. OKAY. GOOD. THAT FREAKED ME OUT
A LITTLE, THOUGH. Meltzer: THE U.S. MINT SAYS THAT FORT KNOX CONTAINS
147.3 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD. THAT'S MORE THAN 9 MILLION
POUNDS OR 4,500 TONS. TO MOVE IT WOULD TAKE
150 JAM-PACKED 747s. BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT WERE
A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY FROM IT WHEN THEY DROVE BY. BUT THEY'RE NOT GETTING ANY
CLOSER WITHOUT AN INVITATION. SO ON TO GATHER INTEL. Levy:
WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT AS MUCH
AS WE CAN ABOUT FORT KNOX. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE? YES. HAVE YOU SEEN THE GOLD? NO. VERY FEW PEOPLE
HAVE SEEN THE GOLD. JUST YOUR OWN HUNCH, DO YOU THINK THAT THE GOLD IS
STILL IN THE VAULT AT FORT KNOX? IN MY HEART, I WANT TO
BELIEVE IT'S STILL THERE. I WOULD HATE TO THINK
THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS TELLING US ONE THING AND SOMETHING ELSE
IS ACTUALLY THE TRUTH. MAYOR,
YOU'RE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, SO YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE BUDGET OF THIS TOWN. YES. IF THERE WAS A STASH
OF GOLD OR CASH THAT THIS TOWN HAD
SOMEWHERE LOCKED AWAY, DON'T YOU THINK THE PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHETHER IT'S THERE OR NOT? WELL, SURE. AND I UNDERSTAND
THE SECURITY PART OF IT, BUT I THINK PERIODICALLY,
THERE OUGHT TO BE AN AUDIT. YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN
AN ONGOING DOUBT OF WHETHER OR NOT
THE GOLD WAS EVER THERE. AND IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO PUT
THE DOUBTERS TO BED. IF THERE'S GOLD THERE. IF THERE'S GOLD THERE. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE LAST PRESIDENT
TO ACTUALLY SEE THE GOLD WAS PRESIDENT REAGAN. THAT MAKES ME
A LITTLE NERVOUS. I DON'T KNOW HOW HIGH ON
THE PRIORITY LIST IT'S BEEN WITH THE CURRENT PRESIDENTS OR THE PRESIDENTS
SINCE PRESIDENT REAGAN, YOU KNOW, IF THEY EVER
EVEN MENTIONED OR WOULD LIKE TO GO
SEE THE GOLD. I KNOW PRESIDENT REAGAN WANTED
TO PHYSICALLY SEE IT AND MAKE SURE
IT WAS STILL THERE. SOMEONE TOLD US THAT SECURITY
IS SO TIGHT THAT THEY'RE NOT SURE
WHETHER PRESIDENT OBAMA COULD EVEN GO SEE THE GOLD
IF HE WANTED TO. I THINK HE WOULD HAVE TO PUT
IN A REQUEST JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE. IT'S THAT SECURE. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO JUST
THIS TOWN IF THERE WERE NO GOLD? [ CHUCKLES ] I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT
ABOUT IT THAT WAY. I WOULD BE
VERY DISAPPOINTED. Rolle: SO, WHAT DO YOU GUYS
THINK OF THIS SO FAR? I'M NOT FEELING
TERRIBLY COMFORTED BY WHAT WE FOU OUT
SO FAR. YEAH, I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
THE MORE PEOPLE WE TALK TO, THE SCARIER THIS GETS TO ME. WHAT WE'RE LEARNING HERE IS
THAT THE FED, THE TREASURY, THE AMERICAN CONFIDENCE
AT FORT KNOX ARE ALL TIED UP IN THIS VERY,
VERY COMPLICATED LITTLE WEB. Meltzer:
MOST OF YOU KNOW RON PAUL AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
FROM TEXAS. BUT THE CONGRESSMAN
HAS LONG BEEN A LOUD ADVOCATE FOR A NEW AUDIT OF FORT KNOX. WHEN WE TRACKED HIM DOWN, WE REACHED OUT TO HIM
WITH SOME QUESTIONS. AND THE 21-YEAR VETERAN
OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES GOT RIGHT BACK TO US. "DO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW
WHAT'S IN FORT KNOX?" AND THIS IS HIS ANSWER.
"OF COURSE THEY DO. "THE GOLD WAS ORIGINALLY STOLEN
FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE "BY THE GOVERNMENT
IN THE 1930s. "SO THEY HAVE
THE RIGHT TO KNOW IF THE GOVERNMENT
STILL HOLDS IT." WELL, AND I AGREE WITH HIM. HE USES THE TERM "STOLEN," BUT AT ANY RATE, IT'S STILL
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S GOLD. WE DESERVE TO KNOW WHERE IT IS
AND HOW MUCH IS IT. I AGREE WITH THAT. BUT I ASKED POINT-BLANK
IN MY E-MAIL, "DO YOU THINK FORT KNOX
COULD BE EMPTY?" AND HERE'S WHAT HE SAID. HE SAID,
"IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE." BUT WHAT HE THINKS PEOPLE
ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IS WHETHER ANY OF THIS GOLD IS INVOLVED IN GOLD LENDING OR
GOLD SWAPS WITH BULLION BANKS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS,
AND CENTRAL BANKS. WHICH IS JUST AS BAD. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, THERE'S ONE LAST QUESTION
I ASKED HIM. I SAID,
"WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON "THE GOVERNMENT OPERATES
IN SUCH SECRECY WITH REGARD
TO THE FORT KNOX HOLDINGS?" AND HE SAID, "THE GOVERNMENT "ALWAYS OPERATES IN SECRECY
ON EVERYTHING. "THE GOVERNMENT FEELS LIKE
IT IS OUR PARENT AND TREATS PEOPLE THE SAME WAY
A PARENT WOULD TREAT A CHILD." HEY, SCOTT? YEAH? CAN I HAVE RON PAUL'S E-MAIL? THOSE ARE POWERFUL WORDS
COMING FROM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, THAT THE PUBLIC'S BEING DUPED
ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF FORT KNOX. NO QUESTION
IT IS TIME TO DIG DEEPER. SO, WHAT HAPPENS
IF IT REALLY IS EMPTY? TO FIND OUT, WE TURNED TO A MAN
WE'RE GONNA CALL "RICHARD." AN IVY LEAGUE-EDUCATED FORMER
WALL STREET HIGH ROLLER, HE SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE
PREDICTING ECONOMIC FUTURES. AND WHEN HE LOOKED
AT THE IMPLICATIONS OF AN EMPTY FORT KNOX, IT FREAKED HIM OUT ENOUGH
THAT HE NOW LIVES -- YOU'LL SEE. THE ONLY WAY HE'D FILL US IN
ON THE CONSEQUENCES IS IF WE PROMISED
TO CONCEAL HIS IDENTITY. KIND OF CURIOUS WHY YOU
WANTED TO MEET ANONYMOUSLY. IF YOU'RE REALLY PREPPING
FOR THE FUTURE AND YOU THINK A LOT OF OTHER
PEOPLE AROUND YOU AREN'T, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO HAVE A BIG
SIGN OVER YOUR HEAD THAT SAYS, "I HAVE STUFF." HAVE YOU GOTTEN A BUNCH
OF AMMO AND ARMED YOURSELF? LIKE, IF YOU'RE THE GUY
THAT HAS THE FOOD, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY
ALSO HAVE A HIGH-POWERED RIFLE. SURE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. Levy: WHAT DID YOU STUDY
AT PRINCETON? FINANCIAL ENGINEERING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. IT'S USING MATH TO CREATE
COMPLEX FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS THAT MOSTLY MAKE THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE SELLING THEM RICH. A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT STUDY THAT, I FEEL LIKE IT'S ALMOST LIKE
A MANHATTAN PROJECT. LIKE, THEY WERE LOOKING
AT THE THEORETICAL WAY YOU COULD USE THIS STUFF, AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY WENT OUT
AND USED IT, AND THEY SAID, "OH, MY GOSH.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?" RICHARD JUST COMPARED WORKING
ON WALL STREET TO WORKING
ON THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB. AND, YEAH, A FEW YEARS AGO, I
WOULD HAVE ROLLED MY EYES, TOO. BUT TODAY, LOOK AROUND
AT WALL STREET. YOU TELL ME IF YOU THINK SOMEONE
COULD TURN OUR ENTIRE ECONOMY INTO A DEVASTATING WEAPON. DID ANYTHING THAT YOU SEE
IN YOUR CAREER ON WALL STREET MAKE YOU BELIEVE THAT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD BE HIDING THE FACT
THAT FORT KNOX IS EMPTY? ABSOLUTELY. THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, STARTED NOTICING THE DIRECTION
GOLD HAS BEEN GOING AND THE DOLLAR. WHAT WAS THAT TELLING YOU
THAT WE NEED TO KNOW? THAT WE MIGHT BE FACING
A VERY DIFFERENT FUTURE THAN THE ONE MOST PEOPLE EXPECT, AND THE FUTURE MIGHT LOOK
A LOT MORE LIKE THE PAST. WHICH PAST? THE PAST BEFORE AUTOMOBILES
WERE EVERYWHERE, BEFORE THE SUPERMARKET. IT MIGHT LOOK MORE LIKE SMALL
COMMUNITY FROM THE EARLY 1900s. WAIT. SO, WHAT HE'S SAYING
IS THAT OVERNIGHT, WE'RE ALL LIVING LIKE
THE AMISH? I'M STARTING TO THINK WE MIGHT BE FACING A VERY
DIFFERENT FUTURE THAN THE ONE I EXPECTED. SO, LET'S SAY WE OPEN FORT KNOX,
AND THERE'S NO GOLD THERE. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT MIGHT
HAPPEN IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE? WELL, I MEAN, WE HAVE ABOUT
THREE DAYS' WORTH OF FOOD ON THE SHELVES
OF OUR AVERAGE GROCERY STORE. SO ONCE THAT'S EXHAUSTED, AND MOST PEOPLE AREN'T PREPPED
PROPERLY THESE DAYS, THEN YOU COULD HAVE FOOD RIOTS. YOU COULD HAVE LOOTING. YOU COULD HAVE SORT OF JUST
A GREAT INCREASE IN CRIME ACROSS THE BOARD. QUITE A DOOMSDAY SCENARIO. YEAH. YEAH, ALL BASED ON THE IDEA
OF FORT KNOX'S WEALTH AND THE IDEA OF GOLD AND AMERICA
HAVING THIS WEALTH. RIGHT.
THAT WE CAN'T BE TRUSTED AND THERE'S NO MAN, YOU KNOW,
NO MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN. CAN WE BACK UP A LITTLE BIT, AND COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO US
HOW WE MIGHT GET THERE? WELL, YOU'VE SEEN
A GREAT INTEREST IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS
IN NOT JUST GOLD BUT ALSO OIL
AND OTHER COMMODITIES. AND IT'S A DISTRUST IN PAPER
MONEY, A DISTRUST IN GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH IN THOSE
ACTIONS IN THE MARKET. OUR MONEY'S JUST PAPER. SO WHO'S TO SAY WHAT IT'S WORTH? SO MUCH OF OUR SYSTEMS
ARE BASED ON FAITH AND FAITH THAT PEOPLE
ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING. DO YOU THINK THAT FAITH
IS MISPLACED, WHETHER FORT KNOX IS
EMPTY OR NOT? YES. ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S MAYBE A LACK
OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE IN TERMS OF EVERY
PAPER-CURRENCY SYSTEM EVER IN EXISTENCE HAVE FAILED. AND EVERY EMPIRE HAS FALLEN. SURE, THIS GIVES US
SOME PERSPECTIVE, BUT LET'S GET TO
WHAT REALLY MATTERS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US? WHAT'S WORRYING ME IS THAT
WE'VE GOT A GENTLEMAN HERE WHO IS A PRINCETON GRADUATE, AND HE SORT OF ASPIRED
TO THE AMERICAN DREAM AND WAS LIVING IT, AND NOW YOU ARE CASHING IN AND CHECKING OUT OF THAT LIFE,
RIGHT? WE'D PREFER YOU
TO BE A NUT JOB. WELL, THAT -- EXACTLY. I CONSIDER MYSELF
MOSTLY ECONOMICS-BASED. I DON'T JUST THINK OF THINGS
OUT OF MY HEAD. I DON'T, YOU KNOW --
THIS ISN'T ON EMOTION. WHAT YOU DESCRIBE,
OUR GOING BACK, YOU KNOW, PRE-20th CENTURY, SOUNDS LIKE
CHAOS AND CALAMITY. OH, IT ALL DEPENDS
ON THE RATE OF COLLAPSE. IF I TOLD YOU IN 10 YEARS
YOUR JOB WOULD BE GONE AND YOU'D HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING DIFFERENT, YOU COULD PLAN FOR THAT. YOU COULD ADJUST TO IT.
YOUR BRAIN COULD PROCESS IT. IF I TOLD YOU TOMORROW YOUR JOB
WOULD DISAPPEAR AND YOU'D LOSE ALL YOUR SAVINGS
AND EVERYTHING WOULD CHANGE, IT WOULD BE MUCH TOUGHER FOR YOU
TO DEAL WITH. SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO CONTROL
THE DESCENT, THEN I THINK WE COULD BE FINE. BUT IF IT GOES DOWN FAST AND
HARD, THINGS CAN GET UGLY. SO YOU'RE SAYING IT'S GOING
DOWN EITHER WAY. I BELIEVE SO. YEAH. AS A SCIENTIST, I'M ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR FACTS, AND RICHARD HAS THEM. IT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR US
IF FORT KNOX IS EMPTY. Rolle: THIS IS PRETTY GOOD. McKinley: WHAT'D YOU ORDER? FRIED PICKLES, OF COURSE. OF COURSE. OF COURSE. SWEET POTATO FRIES
WITH HONEY. HONEY. KENTUCKY BARBECUE CHICKEN. OKAY. AND FRIED DILL PICKLES. NATURALLY. EVERYTHING LOOK OKAY? IT LOOKS GREAT. THANKS. CAN WE ASK YOU JUST A COUPLE
OF SORT OF ODD QUESTIONS? WE'VE BEEN POKING AROUND, TRYING TO FIND OUT
ABOUT FORT KNOX. SURE. HOW LONG YOU BEEN
AROUND HERE? MY MOTHER WAS
IN THE MILITARY, SO... THANK HER FOR HER SERVICE
FOR US. I WILL. WHAT DID SHE DO
AT THE POST? SHE GUARDED THE GOLD VAULT. YOUR MOM GUARDED
THE GOLD VAULT? YES, SIR. OKAY. DID SHE EVER TELL YOU
ANYTHING ABOUT THE GOLD? SHE SAID, "NO, THERE'S NO GOLD
IN THE GOLD VAULT." IF THERE IS ONE THING
I'VE LEARNED ALL THE YEARS I SPENT
RESEARCHING MY NOVELS, IT'S THAT SOMETIMES
THE BEST INFORMATION COMES FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY
SOURCES. YOUR MOM TOLD YOU THERE'S
NO GOLD IN THE GOLD VAULT. DID SHE SAY THAT
SHE HAD SEEN THIS FIRSTHAND WITH HER OWN EYES? HER COMMENT TO ME WAS, "THERE USED TO BE GOLD
IN THE GOLD VAULT. THERE'S NOTHING LEFT BUT DUST." OKAY. REALLY? AND EVERYBODY AROUND HERE
PRETTY MUCH KNOWS THAT THERE'S NO GOLD
IN THE GOLD VAULT. EVEN PLACES WITH THE GREATEST
SECRETS HAVE TO HAVE STAFF, AND ONCE YOU HAVE STAFF,
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT ONE DAY
SPILL THE PROVERBIAL BEANS, ESPECIALLY TO A FAMILY MEMBER. SO THE QUESTION REMAINS --
WHAT ELSE IS IN THERE? Meltzer: FORT KNOX IS FAMOUS
FOR ITS GOLD VAULT. BUT IT'S ALSO HELD OUR NATION'S
MOST VITAL DOCUMENTS -- THE MAGNA CARTA,
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, THE CONSTITUTION,
THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS, AND THREE VOLUMES
OF THE GUTENBERG BIBLE. THE QUESTION IS,
DOES IT STILL HOLD ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST
STASHES OF GOLD? AND IF NOT,
WHAT ELSE IS IN THERE? SO FAR, THOSE QUESTIONS HAVE
PROVED AS IMPREGNABLE AS KNOX ITSELF. BUT BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT
ARE SCOURING THE SMALL TOWN FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A LEAD
THEY CAN FOLLOW. HAVE YOU BY CHANCE BEEN OUT
TO FORT KNOX? OH, SEVERAL TIMES. HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE VAULT? WELL, OF COURSE NOT. I HAD A FRIEND WHOSE DAD ACTUALLY WORKED
IN THE GOLD VAULT. REALLY? AND HE WOULD TELL
HIS STORIES. ONE WAS THAT HIS DAD HAD
TO WEAR A SPECIAL SUIT BECAUSE OF THE DUST THAT
WOULD COLLECT ON HIS SUIT. GOLD DUST? SO THERE WAS SO MUCH GOLD
THAT YOU COULD GET COVERED IN -- WELL, THAT'S THE STORY
HE ALWAYS TOLD. [ CHUCKLES ] SO, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND HERE
YOUR WHOLE LIFE. DO YOU HEAR PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT THIS RUMOR THAT THERE'S NO GOLD? I'VE HEARD THAT, BUT ACTUALLY
I BELIEVE IT IS THERE. HOW COME? WITH ALL THE SECURITY
THEY HAVE AND SO ON, I DON'T KNOW WHY
IT WOULDN'T BE THERE. I COULDN'T THINK OF A SAFER
PLACE FOR IT TO BE. DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY LOCALLY THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN
INSIDE THE VAULT THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO TALK TO? SENATOR DEE HUDDLESTON
FROM ELIZABETHTOWN. SOUNDS LIKE A VERY RARE FEW
HAVE BEEN INSIDE THE VAULT. NOW THE GUYS ARE SPLITTING UP. McKINLEY IS MEETING WITH FORMER
KENTUCKY SENATOR DEE HUDDLESTON. I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE ONE
OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT THEY ALLOWED
IN FORT KNOX. WELL, I WAS. I WAS WITH THE GROUP
THAT WENT IN AFTER THERE WAS AN UPROAR AND THE CONGRESS
WERE WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS
ANY GOLD THERE OR NOT. SOME OF THE SCENARIOS
I'VE HEARD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE BEING MAYBE LESS GOLD
THAN WE THINK, IS THAT THE GOLD HAS BEEN
USED TO BUY WEAPONS, THAT IT'S USED FOR RANSOM MONEY
FOR AMERICANS HELD HOSTAGE. CAN YOU THINK OF ANY CAUSES
THAT MIGHT MERIT SECRECY? WELL, PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THAT THEY HAD SEEN SHIPMENTS
OF GOLD GOING OUT OF THERE AND PERHAPS GOING TO
A FOREIGN COUNTRY OR SOMETHING. I GUESS WE ARE ENGAGED
IN ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SECRET AND ACTIVITIES
THAT ARE BELIEVED TO BE IN OUR BEST INTEREST
IN PROTECTING US SOME. AND FOR THOSE KINDS
OF SITUATIONS, YEAH, I THINK IT SHOULD BE USED
WITHOUT -- IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE IT
WITHOUT PUBLICATION. "AND WE'RE KEEPING YOU SAFE." AND WE HAVE TO KEEP IT
A SECRET BECAUSE OUR ENEMIES
WOULD MAKE HAY OUT OF IT. SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME GOLD IN FORT KNOX
HAS BEEN USED FOR -- I WOULD SAY IT'S POSSIBLE.
YES. BUDDY AND SCOTT HAVE ALSO
TRACKED DOWN THEIR OWN EYEWITNESS -- SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED
INSIDE THE VAULT. Rolle: YOU ACTUALLY WORKED
THERE, WE UNDERSTAND. YES, SIR,
BETWEEN 1975 AND 1986. WHAT WAS YOUR JOB THERE? I WAS A STACK FOREMAN. I WAS A GUY
WHO STACKED GOLD. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, THE LAYOUT IN THERE? I CAN'T BE SPECIFIC
WITH YOU. I HAVE SIGNED THE ESPIONAGE ACT,
SO I CANNOT -- THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS
I CAN'T DIVULGE. BUT IT'S A STANDARD
GOVERNMENT FACILITY. IT'S NOT FANCY.
IT'S NOT HOLLYWOOD. IS IT LIKE A POST OFFICE
OR SOMETHING? YEAH. THERE'S IMPRESSIVE THINGS
IN THERE. THERE'S
A 2 1/2-TON VAULT DOOR. OH. IT WAS BUILT BY
THE MOSLER SAFE COMPANY, HAS MULTIPLE COMBINATIONS. NO ONE MAN KNOWS
THE COMBINATION. AND IT'S SO PRECISION-BALANCED,
LITERALLY, YOU CAN SWING THAT DOOR WITH,
YOU KNOW, WITH ONE HAND. INSIDE IS
AN ARRAY OF COMPARTMENTS, SOME HOLDING GOLD, SOME OF THEM
HOLDING OTHER THINGS. SO IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE
WANTING TO KEEP SECURE INSIDE THAT FACILITY
AT THE TIME. WHAT OTHER THINGS? WELL, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN
SOMETHING THERE BESIDE
WHAT THE PUBLIC BELIEVE. THE GOLD VAULT SHOWS YOU THIS KIND OF CHANGING FACE
OF AMERICA. IN THE '30s,
IT HOUSED OUR GOLD. IN THE 1940s, IT VIRTUALLY
SAFEGUARDED THE THINGS THAT CREATED OUR COUNTRY. FOR INSTANCE, THE CONSTITUTION
WAS THERE. THE BILL OF RIGHTS
WAS THERE. THE BRITISH MAGNA CARTA
WAS THERE, WHICH WE KEPT
FOR THE BRITS TO KEEP IT OUT OF THE HANDS
OF THE NAZIS. IN THE 1950s, IT VERY MUCH BECAME A PART
OF THAT COLD-WAR ERA. AND THERE WAS A VAST
AMOUNT OF DRUGS KEPT INSIDE
THE BULLION DEPOSITORY. AND I REMEMBER -- ILLEGAL DRUGS? NO. INITIALLY
WHEN WE SAW THIS, WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW,
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYSOLDING?" VACCINES. EXACTLY. THIS WAS
TO MAKE MORPHINE DRUGS IN CASE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF CASUALTIES. THANK YOU. THERE.
THAT'S AN ANSWER. AN ODD ANSWER,
ESPECIALLY TO HEAR THAT THE VAULT THAT HELD THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
OF MODERN CIVILIZATION ALSO HELD MORE DRUGS THAN THE AEPi FRATERNITY HOUSE
AT MY OLD COLLEGE. BUT IT IS AN ANSWER. NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE GOLD? PART OF WHAT YOU'RE
TELLING ME IS REASSURING ME, AND PART OF WHAT YOU'RE
TELLING ME WORRIES ME, BECAUSE LET'S FAST-FORWARD. WHAT COULD BE IN THERE NOW
BEYOND GOLD? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE
SINCE 1986, BUT AS YOU LOOK AT THE GROWING
ARRAY OF SECURITY THAT CONTINUES TO GO AROUND
THAT VAULT YEAR AFTER YEAR -- ALL THE LOCALS KNOW --
MORE FENCING, MORE CAMERAS, MORE PRESENCE OF GUARDS, HUMVEES GOING AROUND THE
BUILDING ON A REGULAR BASIS, PEOPLE UP ON THE ROOFTOPS
AND STUFF -- THINGS YOU DIDN'T SEE
SO MUCH BACK -- YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE '70s, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE WAS ONE WROUGHT-IRON
FENCE AROUND THE BUILDING. THIS HAS VASTLY CHANGED
SINCE 9/11. YOU GO ONTO THAT PROPERTY,
AND YOU DON'T STOP, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU. DO YOU THINK THAT IN THE CASE
OF FORT KNOX NOW THAT MAYBE THERE'S SOME THINGS
WE SHOULDN'T KNOW? THE ONLY THING,
IN MY JUDGMENT, THAT WE SHOULDN'T KNOW
ABOUT FORT KNOX IS HOW IT'S PROTECTED. BUT AS FAR AS THE MONEY
OR THE GOLD, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
SHOULDN'T KNOW WHAT WE'VE GOT UP THERE. IT'S OURS. WHAT IF WE FIND OUT
IT'S HALF-EMPTY? WELL, WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE
AN EXPLANATION OF THAT. AND WE'RE ENTITLED TO GET
AN EXPLANATION OF IT. BUT TO JUST WAKE UP
SOME MORNING AND FIND OUT THAT THE GOLD IS ALL GONE, I THINK, WOULD BE
A TERRIBLE SHOCK... YEAH. ...TO MANY PEOPLE
IN THE COUNTRY. RIGHT. AND THE WHOLE ECONOMY
MIGHT GO UNDER. THE WHOLE ECONOMY
MIGHT GO UNDER? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? PANIC. [ CHUCKLES ] WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I DON'T KNOW.
RUN FOR THE BORDER. WOW. HERE'S WHAT SCARES ME -- THAT EVEN A FORMER KENTUCKY
SENATOR DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S HIDING IN HIS OWN STATE AND THAT DESPITE
ALTHESE POWERFUL PEOPLE ASKING TO OPEN THE VAULT,
NO ONE'S GETTING AN ANSWER. SEE THIS COIN? I WAS INVITED TO SPEAK
AT FORT KNOX, AND A COLONEL THERE
REWARDED ME WITH THIS U.S. ARMY
CHALLENGE COIN FOR EXCELLENCE. AS A RESULT OF THE FRIENDSHIP
WE STRUCK AND THAT I VERY MUCH RESPECT, HE TRIED TO MAKE US
THE FIRST CIVILIANS TO GET ACCESS TO THE VAULT
SINCE 1974. BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT PULL, THE REAL BOSS,
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, STILL WOULDN'T LET US NEAR IT. YES, WE FOUND THE ANSWER, WHAT
ELSE WAS IN THERE BESIDES GOLD, BUT IS THE GOLD ITSELF GONE? BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT
HAVE THEIR OWN IDEAS. Levy: WELL, YOU GUYS, WE HAVE LOGGED
A LOT OF MILES ON THIS ONE. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WHAT DO WE KNOW?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? THERE'S SO MANY THINGS
I'M THINKING ABOUT FORT KNOX. YOU KNOW, IF IT'S EMPTY,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO US? AND WE'VE GOT PEOPLE
GOING OFF THE GRID BECAUSE THEY'RE EXPECTING SOME
KIND OF FINANCIAL COLLAPSE. SO I THINK IT'S A REAL
INTERESTING QUESTION. THE BOTTOM LINE IS I THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE
LOOKING INTO THIS AUDIT, BECAUSE THE FACT THAT
WE'RE EVEN ASKING THIS QUESTION IS REALLY DISTURBING ME. I DON'T THINK AN AUDIT
SHOULD BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. REALLY? I REALLY DON'T. I DON'T THINK
WE'RE POLITICALLY READY. I DON'T THINK WE'RE
PSYCHOLOGICALLY READY TO OPEN THAT THING
AND FACE THE CONSEQUENCES. I KNOW WE'D LIKE TO THINK
THAT WE'RE ABOVE THIS, BUT IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE
TO ME THAT WE COULD
OPEN THE DOORS OF FORT KNOX, AND IF WE FIND IT HALF-EMPTY
OR EMPTY, THAT THERE WILL BE RIOTS
IN THE STREETS, AND WE ACT LIKE IT'S NOT
POSSIBLE, BUT LOOK AT GREECE. LOOK AT LONDON. THESE ARE NOT
THIRD-WORLD NATIONS. THESE ARE CIVILIZED.
THEY'RE JUST LIKE US. AND THEY'RE TERRIFIED. FOR ME, THIS IS REALLY,
REALLY DIFFICULT AND PROBLEMATIC. I MEAN, WE STARTED THIS
INVESTIGATION WITH THE QUESTION, WHAT IF WE LEARNED THAT
FORT KNOX WAS EMPTY? AND WE'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE. AND FOR ME, I'M LESS SURE THAT THERE'S ANYTHING
IN FORT KNOX NOW THAN I WAS WHEN I BEGAN. RIGHT. AND THAT SCARES THE HELL OUT
OF ME. I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT IS INSIDE FORT KNOX. IF IT'S TAKEN SINCE 1974,
WHAT ARE THEY HIDING? THE ENTIRE ECONOMY RESTS
ON CONFIDENCE. AMERICAN CONSUMERS BEHAVE BASED
ON CONFIDENCE. BUT HERE'S
WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO. BEFORE WE OPEN THOSE DOORS, I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE
OUR CONFIDENCE IS NOT MISPLACED IN GOLD, BUT OUR CONFIDENCE IS
IN EACH OTHER AS CITIZENS AND IN OUR GOVERNMENT
THAT WE ELECTED. WE ALL LOOK EACH OTHER
IN THE EYE AND SAY, "WE ALL SCREWED
THIS UP TOGETHER. "WE ALL DID IT TOGETHER. "AND EVEN IF IT WASN'T ME
PERSONALLY, THEN I'LL SHOULDER
SOME OF THE BLAME." HERE'S WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING, THAT OUR ECONOMY
BASICALLY IS A HOUSE OF CARDS. THAT HOUSE OF CARDS,
IT'S ALREADY FAL-- YOU DON'T THINK
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE READY. IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED,
RIGHT? THE HOUSING CRISIS, WE'RE
IN A DOUBLE-DIP RECESSION -- IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED. WHAT BETTER TIME TO SORT OF
CLEAN THE SLATE AND SAY, "WE JUST HAD TO RAISE
THE DEBT CEILING. "UM, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE MONEY.
WE'RE MANUFACTURING IT. "NO ONE WILL LEND US MONEY. AND BY THE WAY, THERE'S
NO GOLD IN FORT KNOX." WE'RE READY. WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION. I MEAN, THIS HAS BEEN
AN INTERESTING DEBATE, BUT THE QUESTION REALLY IS,
IS FORT KNOX EMPTY? IS THERE ANY GOLD THERE OR NOT? I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THERE IS? I THINK THERE IS SOME GOLD
IN FORT KNOX. I THINK IF WE WENT AND DID
A TRUE INVENTORY AS OPPOSED TO AN AUDIT,
IF WE WEIGHED IT ALL, IF WE INVENTORIED IT ALL, AND THEN IF WE LOOKED AT MAYBE WHO MIGHT HAVE SOME
OWNERSHIP OVER IT, IF WE REALLY LOOKED DEEPLY
INTO IT, I THINK WE'RE GONNA FIND
THAT IT MAY AS WELL BE EMPTY. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE REAL
STORY OF THE GOLD, IT MIGHT BE
A LOT MORE COMPLEX THAN, "WE OWN IT,
AND IT'S THERE." IT MIGHT BE
THAT WE OWN HALFF IT. AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE
AN UGLY TRUTH FOR US TO HANDLE RIGHT NOW. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? I THINK BASED ON EVERYONE
WE'VE TALKED TO, EVERY PLACE WE'VE BEEN,
EVERYTHING WE'VE READ, ALL THE RESEARCH TO ME POINTS TO THE FACT
THAT FORT KNOX IS EMPTY. THERE ARE ENOUGH REASONS
TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN
TOLD THE TRUTH. WE ARE PRESUMABLY THE GREATEST
COUNTRY ON EARTH. YOU TELL ME THAT SOMEBODY CAN'T
GO DOWN THERE AND LOOK IN THERE AND SAY THAT THERE'S GOLD? HOW HARD CAN IT POSSIBLY BE? THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN
TOLD IS A HUGE RED FLAG, AND IT TELLS ME THAT THERE IS
SOMETHING TO HIDE. I MEAN, THAT MAKES NO SENSE
TO ME. WHY CAN WE NOT GO INTO THE GOLD
VAULT, SOMEBODY, AND CHECK AND MAKE SURE
THE GOLD IS THERE? THERE IS A REASON WE'RE BEING
KEPT FROM THAT. I'M CONCERNED
IT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. AND I'M REALLY CONCERNED
IT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THAT IT'S BECAUSE IT'S EMPTY. I DON'T THINK IT'S EMPTY. I THINK IT'S FULL, BUT I NEED TO
FIGURE OUT WHY THEY'RE HIDING IT AND WHY WE CAN'T GET IN THERE
TO CHECK. YOU THINK FORT KNOX
IS FULL. SO, WHO OWNS THE GOLD? I THINK WE OWN IT, BUT I GOT
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. I'M DOING THAT AND SAYING THAT
ON A LEAP OF FAITH. BECAUSE YOU STILL POSSESS
THAT AMERICAN CONFIDENCE. I DON'T EXPRESS THE CONFIDENCE
IN OUR ECONOMY, AS MOST AMERICANS DON'T
RIGHT NOW, BUT THE AMERICAN CONFIDENCE,
YES, I DO. SEE?
AND I LIKE HEARING THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT
WE WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON. IF WE WERE GONNA DO AN AUDIT,
WE'D HAVE TO RELY ON THE FACT THAT WE STILL BELIEVE
IN OUR GOVERNMENT, WE STILL BELIEVE
IN EACH OTHER, AND IF THE GOLD ISN'T THERE,
WELL, WE'LL MOVE ON. Meltzer: PEOPLE READ
"THE WIZARD OF OZ," WRITTEN IN 1900,
AS A CHILDREN'S FANTASY. BUT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
IT'S A STORY ABOUT GOLD. A COUNTRY KID FROM THE MIDWEST
LOSES HER HOUSE, TEAMS UP WITH A FARMER
AND AN INDUSTRIAL WORKER, AND BATTLES WICKED FORCES
FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST. THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE HERSELF IS
TO FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, WHICH SURE LOOKS LIKE GOLD
TO ME. AND BY THE WAY,
WHAT'S GOLD MEASURED IN? OUNCES, OR "OZ." WHEN SHE GETS TO OZ, WHAT DOES
DOROTHY FIND BEHIND IT ALL? A CORRUPT POLITICIAN BEHIND
THE CURTAINS PULLING STRINGS AND CONTROLLING
THE LITTLE PEOPLE. OUR ENTIRE MONETARY SYSTEM
IS BASED ON TRUST. BUT FOR THE LAST 37 YEARS,
IT'S HAD TO BE BLIND TRUST. THE GOLD BELONGS TO AMERICANS,
AND AMERICANS PAY TO PROTECT IT. HOWEVER, WE'LL NEVER TRULY KNOW
WHAT WE HAVE UNTIL FORT KNOX FINALLY OPENS
ITS DOORS ONCE MORE. AND THAT'S THE REASON WE DID
THIS SHOW. THERE'S NOTHING I BELIEVE IN MORE THAN THE POWER
OF AN ORDINARY PERSON. IF YOU WANT TO SEE FORT KNOX
OPEN, ASK FOR IT AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS.
we went over the fiscal cliff and well away from safety with government spending decades ago.
All the gold, silver, and such in the world.. do not equal the US Federal Defecit.
Governments fucked itself and us over. Supreme Court is a failure, public voting for big government is a failure.... Government should have stayed its proper size and in its proper lanes...
way too late now...
We are already heading down to the bottom of the canyon of the fiscal cliff....
Democrats have no concept of fiscal responsibility and republicans manipulate and safe harbor the connected, rich, and so forth.... The party system is now entrenched and works for the party system. Not the people.
All government can do now is overspend more which is digging the hole we are falling into deeper into the canyon to save us from impact for a few seconds longer.
“It just seems impossible that it would be empty”… stopped watched after that comment..
Yep, government's answer is always more government.