The gold was confiscated in 1933, well before Americans were distracted by war. Roosevelt had stolen all the gold by 1934, 7 years before Pearl Harbor. He did it by Executive Order, failure to comply was punishable by heavy fines and up to 10 years in prison. What a guy, no wonder Democrats worship him.
And he was wheelchair-bound... some in that position seek to rise above conventional limitations but I wonder if he felt a desire to avenge his misfortune on... well, on just what I don’t know, but I can tell about the passion of wanting to find something, anything to bash in the face of great misfortune.