I remember reading a story a few decades ago that said a LOT of gold was stored underground in banks in NYC. When countries exchanged the gold, it basically meant that X bars from Lower Slobovia were piled on a hand cart in the Lower Slobovian gold storage room, trundled down the hall to the Upper Volta gold storage room, and unloaded there. Entries were made in a record book, and the transaction was considered complete.
Now, if something fishy happened and some country's gold is unaccounted for or missing (and this thread is the first I've heard of it) . . . that ought to be a big, BIG story.
With stupendous repercussions.