<P> At the time, the U.S. also had an unemployment rate of 6.1% (August 1971) and an inflation rate of 5.84% (1971). </P> <P> To combat these problems, President Nixon consulted Federal Reserve chairman Arthur Burns, incoming Treasury Secretary John Connally, and then Undersecretary for International Monetary Affairs and future Fed Chairman Paul Volcker . </P> <P> On the afternoon of Friday, August 13, 1971, these officials along with twelve other high - ranking White House and Treasury advisors met secretly with Nixon at Camp David . There was great debate about what Nixon should do, but ultimately Nixon, relying heavily on the advice of the self - confident Connally, decided to break up Bretton Woods by suspending the convertibility of the dollar into gold; freezing wages and prices for 90 days to combat potential inflationary effects; and impose an import surcharge of 10 percent, to prevent a run on the dollar, stabilize the US economy, and decrease US unemployment and inflation rates, on August 15, 1971: </P> <Ol> <Li> Nixon directed Treasury Secretary Connally to suspend, with certain exceptions, the convertibility of the dollar into gold or other reserve assets, ordering the gold window to be closed such that foreign governments could no longer exchange their dollars for gold . </Li> <Li> Nixon issued Executive Order 11615 (pursuant to the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970), imposing a 90 - day freeze on wages and prices in order to counter inflation . This was the first time the U.S. government had enacted wage and price controls since World War II . </Li> <Li> An import surcharge of 10 percent was set to ensure that American products would not be at a disadvantage because of the expected fluctuation in exchange rates . </Li> </Ol>

When did the usd stop being backed by gold