There were far more dollars in the world than there was gold in Fort Knox, and the possibility of a run on the U.S. gold stock, leading to a collapse of the world financial system, seemed all too real.

• 世界各国的美元数量大大超过了美国国库的黄金储备，因此黄金挤兑并导致国际金融体制的崩溃似乎成为可能。