as Soviet gold which has been smelted at the Swedish Mint or given 
in payment for Soviet gold sold to that institution. Because of the 
amicable relations between the United States and Sweden, Assistant 
Secretary of the Treasury S. Parker Gilbert, Jr., and Director of the 
Mint Raymond T. Baker have ruled that the Assay Office may not 
refuse to purchase this gold. 
Very recently some doubt as to the origin of gold being sent 
here by British and French interests has been raised and the Assay 
officials are puzzled as to whether they are complying with the ruling 
against receiving Soviet gold. The practice in both countries is to 
have the metal assayed and run into bars by private assayers who 
do not work exclusively for their Government or for the Banks 
of England and France. Thus, it is pointed out, it might be pos- 
sible for some Europeans to get Russian gold into England and 
France, have it turned into bars by the same agencies which work 
for the Governments and then transfer it here and sell it. 
There are only three Government mints, outside of the United 
States, which put distinctive markings on gold bars. These are the 
Swedish Mint, the Canadian Mint at Ottawa and the British Indian 
Mint at Bombay. All other Governments use unmarked bars, 
some of them using special forms, but most of them using conven- 
tional forms. Under these circumstances, with private assayers 
doing a majority of the work, the chances of converting Soviet 
gold into the ordinary commercial form are considered great. 
The affidavit which the Assay Office uses in cases of suspicious 
offerings is considered very comprehensive. Tt reads. in part, as 
follows * 
“The undersigned owner of a lot of gold in the amount 
of. . . for the purpose of inducing the United States to 
purchase said gold, delivered to the United States Assav 
Office, does hereby represent and warrant that said gold 
is not of Bolshevist origin and has never been ‘in the pos- 
session of the so-called Bolshevist Government of Russia. 
“The undersigned further represents that it is acting 
on its own behalf and not for account of another in of- 
fering said gold for sale in the United States and does 
forever warrant to the United States, without any qualifi- 
cations or reservation whatever, the title to said gold.” 
Authorities here are of the opinion that if it is made neces- 
sary to append this affidavit to all gold offered to the Assay Office, 
very little of the metal will be brought here unless the Government 
of foreign countries can guarantee the character and origin of the 
gold. Even in such cases there might be difficulty in getting Amer-