roguedolphin - interesting story,...but here is where it falls apart to me,...
i will start off by stating that this is a Chinese created and baited scam. similar to the wallboard fiasco and lead in toys and garbage in pet food.
Mr Kirby works both sides of the street and his interest is in sowing inuendo and half truths and in selling his "newsletter".
note in the article in referencing the Clinton administration and the sale of tungsten blanks---he uses the term "allegedly". no proof no direct mention of sources. "I know some people" Who ? tungsten is refined and manufactured into bars for industrial use on a daily basis. it's no big deal to make a claim that bars were manufactured.
i believe there is something funny going on, but think about this. if you were taking delivery of a large amount of 400 oz. gold bars wouldn't you have them assayed? are the Chinese the first to actually assay what they bought? i think not.
here's where his story falls apart. "Within mere hours of this scam being identified-Chinese officals had many of the perpetrators in custody." exactly who could Chinese officals arrest "within mere hours"? bingo,...chinese of course.
but wait a minute i thought there was direct mention the Clinton Administration of Rubin, Summers and Greenspan.. so wouldn't they be the "perpetrators'? have you heard any news of Chinese officals arresting anyone in England or the United States? where's the International conspiracy and arrests ? hm-m-m-m-m
Gold and Tungsten do not have the same density. Au 19.30/cm -3. W 19.25/cm-3. small difference, but still a difference. if dimensions were carefully monitored the differences in a 400 oz. bar would be detectable. if you had a Tungsten coin made to the same dimensions as a Gold American Eagle and plated it in Gold and checked it on a Fisch scale the Tungsten coin would not pass. Fisch is not wrong--Mr. Kirby is.
he goes on to bring up the investigation of Stuart Smith a NYMEX executive. again nothing substantial only inuendo.
mr. Kirby weaves a web of conspiracy but offers nothing substantial that a reasonable person could make an informed decision on.
i've seen this over and over again--throw out a few pieces of information, attempt to build a connection.
again look how many times he uses the terms "apparently" and "allegedly". not a news article, this is an opinion page attempting to drive his conspiracy theory. BTW the disclaimer that he quotes regarding the finess of Gold Bars in a Basket is a standard disclaimer. it in effect states buyer beware--have this material assayed. any Central Bank or Nation that buys Gold, Oil, Wheat or any other commodity will have the commodity assayed upon receipt. if there is a variation in quality the material will be rejected and the transaction canceled.
it's a real shame that people like Rob Kirby publish this crap. there are definitely problems in the marketplace. fake coins, fake gold bars etc. this type of reportage only serves to muddy the waters rather than clear up the issue. Rob Kirby and his ilk add nothing, they're just trying to sell their newsletters.
i am concerned about the amount of Gold in Ft. Knox. as i mentioned earlier--no independent audit since 1953. there could in fact be some monkey business going on. but Rob Kirby doesn't shine any light on the truth.
i will bet that this is a domestic Chinese issue where certain Chinese criminal elements tried to pull a scam.
JMHO
invest at your own risk, based on your own due diligence, at your own risk tolerance
