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America's Money Machine

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The Not So Golden Years 239<br />

payable in various foreign currencies (Swiss francs, German marks, Austrian<br />

schillings, Belgian francs, Italian lire). No bonds, however, were<br />

issued payable in French francs-a circumstance we shall comment on<br />

further on. In addition, the Federal Reserve, through a devious device<br />

known as "swap arrangements," entered into arrangements with various<br />

foreign central banks to obtain foreign currencies in order to strengthen<br />

the dollar abroad.<br />

In short, the Federal Reserve System ended its fifth decade with a<br />

paradox of the so-called gold exchange standard. Its dollar obligations<br />

represented prime reserves of foreign central banks whose currencies,<br />

supported by these dollar obligations, were in turn the support for the<br />

dollar obligations. Ifthis seems a bit confusing, one can think of the little<br />

island where supposedly everyone lived by taking in each other's wash.

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