If Britain fell, its wealth would survive 💰🔒 As World War II intensified, British leaders feared the possibility of invasion. If Britain fell, enormous amounts of gold, securities, and financial records could be lost or captured. To prevent that, Britain launched a secret operation to transfer wealth across the Atlantic to Canada. Much of it was stored beneath Montreal's Sun Life Building, which became one of the most important financial centers of the Allied war effort. The operation succeeded in safeguarding billions of dollars in assets. At the time, most people had no idea that one of the largest movements of wealth in history was taking place beneath a building in downtown Montreal.