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mention. As I understand it, a total of some eleven billion dollars is
involved.'
Mr Goldfinger said with precision, 'The exact figure will be nearer fifteen
billion. For convenience I referred only to the amounts I thought it would be
possible for us to carry away.'
A sharp excited giggle came from Mr Billy Ring.
'Quite, quite, Mr Gold.' Mr Springer screwed his monocle back into his eye to
observe Goldfinger's reactions. 'But quantities of bullion or currency to that
amount are to be found gathered together in only three depositories in the
United States. They are the Federal Mint in Washington, the Federal Reserve
Bank in New York City, and Fort Knox in Kentucky. Do you intend that we should
- er - "knock off' one of these? And if so which?'
'Fort Knox.'
Amidst the chorus of groans, Mr Midnight said resignedly, 'Mister, I never met
any guy outside Hollywood that had what you've got. There if'scalled "vision".
And vision, mister, is a talent for mistaking spots before the eyes for
fabulous projects.
You should have a talk with your head-shrinker or get yourself Miltownized.'
Mr Midnight shook his head sorrowfully. 'Too bad. That billion sure felt good
while I had it.'
Miss Pussy Galore said in a deep, bored voice, 'Sorry mister, none of my set
of bent pins could take that kind of piggy-bank.'
She made to get up.
Goldfinger said amiably, 'Now hear me through, gentlemen and - er - madam.
Your reaction was not unexpected. Let me put it this way: Fort Knox is a bank
like any other bank. But it is a much bigger bank and its protective devices
are correspondingly stronger and more ingenious. To penetrate them will
require corresponding strength and ingenuity. That is the only novelty in my
project - that it is a big one. Nothing else. Fort Knox is no more impregnable
than other fortresses. No doubt we all thought the Brink organization was
unbeatable until half a dozen determined men robbed a Brink-armoured car of a
million dollars back in 1950. It is impossible to escape from Sing Sing and
yet men have found ways of escaping from it. No, no, gentlemen.
Fort Knox is a myth like other myths. Shall I proceed to the plan?'
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Billy Ring hissed through his teeth, like a Japanese, when he talked. He said
harshly, 'Listen, shamus, mebbe ya didn't know it, but the Third Armoured is
located at Fort Knox. If that's a myth, why don't the Russkis come and take
the
United States the next time they have a team over here playing ice-hockey?'
Goldfinger smiled thinly. 'If I may correct you without weakening your case,
Mr Ring, the following is the order of battle of the military units presently
quartered at Fort Knox. Of the Third Armoured Division, there is only the
Spearhead, but there are also the 6th Armoured Cavalry Regiment, the 15th
Armour Group, the 160th Engineer Group and approximately half a division from
all units of the United States Army currently going through the Armoured
Replacement Training Centre and
Military Human Research Unit No 1. There is also a considerable body of men
associated with Continental Armoured
Command Board No 2, the Army Maintenance Board and various activities
connected with the Armoured Centre. In addition there is a police force
consisting of twenty officers and some four hundred enlisted men. In short,
out of a total population of some sixty thousand, approximately twenty
thousand are combat troops of one sort or another.'
'And who's going to say boo to them?' jeered Mr Jack Strap through his cigar.
Without waiting for an answer he disgustedly tore the tattered stump out of
his mouth and mashed it to fragments in the ash-tray.
Next to him Miss Pussy Galore sucked her teeth sharply with the incisiveness
of a parrot spitting. She said, 'Go buy yourself some better smokes, Jacko.
That thing smells like burning wrestlers' trunks.'
'Shove it, Puss,' said Mr Strap inelegantly.
Miss Galore was determined to have the last word. She said sweetly, 'Know
what, Jacko? I could go for a he-man like you.
Matter of fact I wrote a song about you the other day. Care to hear its title?
It's called "If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it all over you".'
56
A bray of laughter came from Mr Midnight, a high giggle from Mr Ring.
Goldfinger tapped lightly for order. He said patiently, 'Now hear me through,
please, gentlemen.' He got up and walked to the blackboard and pulled a roll
map down over it. It was a detailed town map of Fort Knox including the Godman
Army Airfield and the roads and railway tracks leading into
57
the town. The committee members on the right of the table swivelled their
chairs. Goldfinger pointed to the Bullion
Depository. It was down on the left-hand corner en closed in a triangle formed
by the Dixie Highway, Bullion Boulevard and
Vine Grove Road. Goldfinger said, 'I will show you a detailed plan of the
depository in just a moment.' He paused. 'Now, gentlemen, allow me to point
out the main features of this fairly straightforward township. Here' - he ran
his finger from the top centre of the map down through the town and out beyond
the Bullion Depository - 'runs the line of the Illinois Central
Railroad from Louisville, thirty-five miles to the north, through the town and
on to Elizabeth-town eighteen miles to the south.
We are not concerned with Brandenburg Station in the centre of the town, but
with this complex of sidings adjoining the
Bullion Vault. That is one of the loading and unloading bays for the bullion
from the Mint in Washington. Other methods of transport to the vault, which
are varied in no particular rotation for security reasons, are by truck convoy
down the Dixie
Highway or by freight plane to Godman Airfield. As you can see, the vault is
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isolated from these routes and stands alone without any natural cover
whatsoever in the centre of approximately fifty acres of grassland. Only one
road leads to the vault, a fifty-yard driveway through heavily armed gates on
Bullion Boulevard. Once inside the armoured stockade, the trucks proceed on to
this circular road which runs round the vault to the rear entrance where the
bullion is unloaded. That circular road, gentlemen, is manufactured out of
steel plates or flaps. These plates are on hinges and in an emergency the
entire steel surface of the road can be raised hydraulically to create a
second internal stockade of steel. Not so obvious to the eye, but known to me,
is that an underground delivery tunnel runs below the plain between Bullion
Boulevard and Vine Grove Road. This serves as an additional means of access to
the vault through steel doors that lead from the wall of the tunnel to the
first sub-ground floor of the depository.'
Goldfinger paused and stood away from the map. He looked round the table. 'All
right, gentlemen. There is the vault and those are the main approaches to it
with the exception of its front door which is purely an entrance to the
reception hall and offices. Any questions?'
There were none. All eyes were on Goldfinger, waiting. Once again the
authority of his words had gripped them. This man seemed to know more about [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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