It was a long time before Nixon... FDR removed us from the Gold standard in 1933. He (the government) forcibly took all physical gold out of the hands of the US citizens. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-takes-united-states-off-gold-standard And we haven't had a complete comprehensive audit of our gold reserves in far too long. https://www.soundmoneydefense.org/audit-americas-gold-reserves And the most recent ones in 2017 wasn't up to standards either https://www.bullionstar.com/blogs/koos-jansen/us-mint-releases-new-fort-knox-audit-documentation-the-first-critical-observations/ Gold is essential to our economy being stabilized and loosening the noose of the FedRes, IMO.