Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Other Documents Secretly Moved to Fort Knox After Pearl Harbor Attack

A few hours had passed following the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, and Archibald MacLeish's mind was racing.

While the rest of the country was paralyzed by the horrific December 7th, 1941 attack, MacLeish, the Librarian of Congress, had to act.

The nation's most prized documents were in danger. An attack on Washington, DC was a strong possibility, and MacLeish had a duty to make sure that the documents were protected.

If the Declaration of Independence, signed original US Constitution and the Bill of Rights were destroyed in an attack, the United States would suffer a terrific blow to its moral.

The wheels were set in motion to protect the documents. A safe, secure location was chosen to temporarily host the documents - Fort Knox.

Fort Knox was the most heavily fortified building in the United States, so it was a logical location. Fort Knox houses more than half of the gold reserves of the United States.

Storing and transporting the documents, however, was going to prove to be a very hard task.

At the time, the United States was storing the Magna Carta ("Lincoln Cathedral" copy), as it had been sent to New York for the World Fair. The British government asked the United States to look after it until the war was over.

The priceless documents that were to be transported to Fort Knox included:

-Declaration of Independence

-US Constitution

-Bill of Rights

-The first and second drafts (signed) of the Gettysburg Address

-The Gutenberg Bible

-The Magna Carta

The documents were first wrapped in acid-free tissue and then placed inside of bronze containers. These containers were heated for six hours to remove any moisture.

The containers were then placed in mineral wool, loaded into wooden crates and sealed with lead.

On December 26th, 1941, the crates were loaded onto the "Armed Guard" rail car.

The train travelled from Washington, D.C. to Louisville, Kentucky. Secret service agents guarded the wooden crates.

After arriving in Louisville, the crates were taken to Fort Knox, where they were escorted by the 13th Armored Division.

The mission was highly classified.

The documents remained in Fort Knox for three years. At that time, the Administration determined that there was a very low probability of an attack on Washington, and the documents were returned to their original place in the Library of Congress on October 1st, 1944.



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