I don’t think so. And it was a LOT of leaves. We’re talking big holes. He would dig a hole, put in the leaves, and stand there with a string trimmer, blasting away at them. Then cover them up. It was especially odd because the city collects them for free. All you have to do is blow/rake them into a pile on the street.
Allegedly. I personally knew a pilot who flew weekly trips in the 70s to Asia in C-130s filled to the maximum load of gold. So I have my doubts. Several years ago there was a push from Congress to inspect the gold reserves because nobody had laid verifiable eyes on it in a while. But I do not know how that worked out. It’s a great rabbit hole for you to follow - let us know what you find!