Bike Chain Bracelet
Hand Over The Gifts Or Else by Lyn Thomas
You thought it was rotten enough that those in high places get enormous salaries, but wait until you drift your eyes over just a tiny portion of the diplomatic gifts they also receive. Gifts that for the most part live in ‘Archives Foreign’. After reading through only some of 1998 list it makes you feel as if the Archives Foreign are something resembling Harrods the day before Christmas.
Libya’s Moamar Qaddafi was among the most generous gift-givers, when he was particularly pleased with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Tripoli last year. Qaddafi showered Rice with gifts to a total value of $212,225. They included a diamond ring and a locket with his picture inside, according to a newly-released State Department report.
Officials, by law, are required to hand these gifts over to the U.S. government.
Following is Just a tiny sample of the official gifts that were received with the excuse that ‘non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to both the donor and the U.S. Government’.
Farwa overcoat
Gold dagger
Gold sabre with diamonds and rubies – foreign archives
A navy suede robe with gold trim and mink lining
Gold necklace
Black Mercedes mountain bike
24″ gold Collar of State chain
2 Tan leather saddles
49 piece white china set
3 wind chimes and candle holder
Pair of leather boots
Painted leather saddle
Music system with speakers and remote control
Waterford crystal footed bowl
Pen and ink set
Silk Afghani rug
19 x 39 oval lapis tabletop
MTB Hard tail special edition mountain bike
uSqueeze Calf and foot massager
Zen Mp3 player
Taxidermied lion and leopard
Silver tea pot and teaset
Carved statues
Bottle of Kutjevo wine (location – handled pursuant to Secret Service policy)
Gold plated SMG PK Caliber 9mm gun
Gold necklace with emeralds, diamonds and rubies
The list of gifts included numerous watches, diamond bracelets and earrings, paintings and items of clothing, cufflinks and rings, robes, vases, scarves, rugs, statues, pens, traditional dress, carved statues, books, handbags, teasets, vases, plates, photos.
Many items were moved to ‘General Services Administration’, showing they are being ‘officially’ used somewhere.
Several members of the White House staff also received similar gifts, which were transferred to ‘General Services Administration’. These included items like swords, carpets, gold and silver tea cups.
Children’s books, stuffed toys and children’s shirts. Caviar, cognac and pomegranates and 12 lb of Arabian dates were handled pursuant to US Secret Service policy.
These gifts do not include accommodation, round trip air tickets etc., provided by host countries.
The list rolls on and on into hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items. And this was only for the Bush administration in 2008!
What about all the other years and all the other presidents, besides all the other governments right around the globe? The question remains: How big are the official ‘Archives Foreign’ and are they constantly expanding. Or do the officials hold an ‘auction’ from time to time? Are there buildings hidden away, full of treasure, that are larger than several football fields? Who has the control of this uncountable wealth, or do the ‘Archives Foreign’ have revolving doors? Perhaps the gifts should be gone over and handed out again to other diplomats?
About the Author
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO’s of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) providing high school education grants for children who are without hope. A chance to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Take a few minutes to check it all out at Win A Resort (http://winaresort.com)
Feel free to contact Wendy on admin@youmesupport.org
December 27, 2011 7:02 pm 
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