The only way the Franc's Deutsche Mark value could be kept constant was, indeed, for the Bundesbank to keep doing the one thing it detested: incessantly buy francs using freshly printed Deutsche Marks. Were these marks to remain stashed in the vaults of the French central bank--or anywhere else for that matter--the Bundesbank would not have minded much. Only these banknotes did not stay under lock and key, but were steadily repatriated back to Germany, as the French used them to buy more Volkswagens and speculators converted their francs into marks convinced that at some point the Bundesbank would let the franc slide, netting them a substantial windfall. And why would the Bundesbank let the franc slide? Because the repatriated Deutsche Marks were increasing the quantity of money circulating in Germany, pushing prices up and causing inflation in a nation that despised rising prices with all its heart, nation that trusted the Bundesbank to prevent this from happening.