“Fortunes of war” is a misunderstood idiom. Rarely does anyone profit from war. In truth, the cost of fighting almost always eclipses anything that might be gained. That will surely be true in Ukraine. Should Russia prevail, they may acquire Ukrainian land and resources. Weigh that against the hatred of a populace and their becoming a global pariah and it quickly becomes a lose/lose proposition.
Naturally, countries do their best to justify their actions. A while back I wrote how Hitler used stamps to bolster his image in Europe and abroad. Eventually, he recognized the need to do some internal propaganda with his own people....
In 1943, Germany’s war against Russia was in doubt. Hitler realized the German people needed reassurance. He had the Deutsches Post produce a series of stamps showcasing the might of his military. Featured were soldiers shooting machine guns, advancing and throwing grenades, tanks firing cannons, and Stuka dive bombers destroying enemy cities.
In fairness, many other countries, including the US, have produced their version of propagandist postal hype. Such is the case with the stamp Ukraine just released showing one of their soldiers on the shore gesturing to a passing Russian warship with his middle finger raised. Ukrainians love it and are clamoring to purchase it. Several million were sold in the first few days.
The fortunes of war can also take a far more literal meaning. It’s guaranteed many fleeing refuges aren’t able to take all their valuables. Some riches gets stashed or buried with the intent of coming back to later retrieve it. It happened many times in World War II with gold and diamonds. Such caches continue to be discovered in Europe.
Another war treasure has made recent headlines. It began almost 160 years ago, in 1863, during the Civil War battle of Gettysburg. Allegedly – which means take this with a grain of salt – the Union Army had shipped between 25 and 50 bars of gold weighing 50 pounds each, from West Virginia to Philadelphia. That gold is said to have never reached its destination.
Yes, this is the type of story of which dreams are made. In this case, enough evidence exists for a group to have located a remote area in Pennsylvania where the gold was said to be buried. Even ground penetrating radar indicated a large stash of something (gold bars?) was in that spot.
For whatever reason, the group contacted the government. Exactly why I can’t fathom. Maybe it was on government land. Maybe they wanted the publicity. For the record, the group’s name is “Finders Keepers, LLC.” That name doesn’t offer much reassurance as to the veracity of the potential claim. But, let’s keep hope alive.
Names aside, the government seems to have taken them seriously. Two years ago, under darkness of night and a cloak of secrecy, the government dispatched the FBI to investigate and dig up what might be there. 50 agents and a number of armored trucks descended on the area. Whatever was or wasn’t found during that excavation has been sealed under court order.
The simple fact the FBI’s Art Crimes Division with a gaggle of agents was involved and all records sealed suggests something fishy. But, what? That’s what the Finders Keepers folks want to know. If something was unearthed, where’s their share?
Supposedly, the feds sealed the documents in the case under a claim it is an ongoing criminal investigation. Criminal? Dating back to 1863? Investigation of what? Anyway, given that our national debt has now eclipsed $30 trillion, what’s a paltry $400 million? Conversely, imagine the taxes Finders Keepers would have to pay on their booty? Wouldn’t the government be happy with that?
War makes people do strange things – now or 160 years ago. As the case slowly snakes its way through the courts, I’ll keep you posted about this or any other such buried fortune of war.
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