Declassified CIA Memos Reveal Probes Into Gold Market Manipulation

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030106-1.pdf

"Manipulation of the free market price is suggested by the extremely narrow price range that prevailed for eleven consecutive weeks -- from later January through mid-March. During this period, more than 85% of all morning and afternoon fixings fell within the $34.97 to $35.01 range, with nearly 40% of all quotations set at exactly $35.00.  

Moreover, Swiss bullion dealers are in an excellent position to influence the London free market fixing. At each of some 255 morning fixing a year, the manager of Rothschild's bullion and foreign exchange department suggests an opening price based on a previous half hour of intensive telephone conversations with people at the Bank of England and a host of others, mainly dealers in Switzerland. Representatives of the four other houses are in constant telephone contact with their trading rooms and these in turn are in direct communication with as many as a dozen key clients scattered across Europe. The result is that supply and demand conditions in Zurich are strongly reflected at the London fixings."