> The fund began operations in April 1934, under director Archie Lochhead and financed by $2 billion of the $2.8 billion gold surplus the government had realized by devaluing the dollar.

> The ESF can convert SDRs into dollars on its account by issuing certificates against them and selling the certificates to the Federal Reserve,[6] and later repurchase them when it has surplus cash.

So they did actually fund it by printing money.