<P> The first gold shipments were made from January to July 1937 . The majority of the United States' gold reserves were gradually shipped to the site, including old bullion and newly made bars made from melted gold coins . Some intact coins were stored . The transfer used 500 rail cars and was sent by registered mail, protected by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Treasury Department agents . In 1974, a Washington attorney named Peter David Beter circulated a theory that the gold in the Depository had been secretly removed by elites, and that the vaults were empty . A group of reporters was allowed inside in order to refute the theory, which had gained traction thanks to coverage in tabloid newspapers and on the radio . Other than this 1974 event, no member of the public has been allowed inside . </P> <P> During World War II, the depository held the original U.S. Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution . It held the reserves of European countries and key documents from Western history . For example, it held the Crown of St. Stephen, part of the Hungarian crown jewels, given to American soldiers to prevent them from falling into Soviet hands . The repository held one of four copies (exemplifications) of Magna Carta, which had been sent for display at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and when war broke out, was kept in the US for the duration . </P> <P> During World War II and into the Cold War, until the invention of different types of synthetic painkillers, a supply of processed morphine and opium was kept in the Depository as a hedge against the US being isolated from the sources of raw opium . </P> <P> Below the fortress - like structure lies the gold vault lined with granite walls and protected by a blast - proof door weighing 20 tons . Members of the Depository staff must dial separate combinations known only to them . Beyond the main vault door, smaller compartments provide further protection . According to a Mosler Safe Company brochure: </P>

Where is the us stock of gold and silver bullion stored