Anybody remember the idea that Ford pardoning Nixon allowed Nixon to steal diamonds?

[stopbush]

I remember this story floating around when Ford pardoned Nixon: Nixon took diamonds and a number of other items that we given to him as gifts by foreign countries/leaders. By statute, such gifts are the property of the US government, not the president to whom they were presented.

The idea was that by Ford issuing a broad pardon for any offenses Nixon might have committed while president, he unwittingly exonerated Nixon for stealing federal property.

I always thought the story intriguing if rather far fetched.

Does anyone else remember this?

[brooklynite]

1. No. Sounds silly.

The President doesn't usually keep the gift (they're logged and transferred to the National Archives) so they wouldn't be lying around to steal.

[stopbush]

3. I know it sounds silly, but I definitely recall reading a magazine article

on the subject.

Probably one of those conspiratorial memes that arise from people with too much time on their hands.

[crazylikafox]

2. Oh god. Don't tell Trump. He'll leave with everything not nailed down in the White House.

[lapfog_1]

4. fuck that

he will order an aircraft carrier to Kamchatka where it will be seized by the Russian Navy and, in return, Trump will get 40% of Gazprom.

[Cosmocat]

7. That really is not out of the bounds of reality

,,,

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Here's a 1977 story about the missing items:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/08/22/the-missing-nixon-gifts/c62fcbb1-087d-4e42-8421-2cf388c87932/?utm_term=.acc14b75b2fe

They were listed as "missing" from the GSA's collection of gifts given to Nixon and his family by foreign governments or persons. It was thought that they might actually be in the collection but not locatable because of poor record-keeping. The government went to court to get permission to look through stuff Nixon left behind. http://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/25/archives/court-says-us-may-search-nixon-boxes-for-gifts.html?_r=0

[stopbush]

8. Thanks! Nice to know I'm not imagining things.

[yardwork]

6. I remember that!

It's interesting that the idea surfaced again with the false stories about the Clintons stealing silver from Air Force One when Bill left office.

Those Republicans always blame others for what they themselves do.

[csziggy]

9. You are not delusional - see this

The 'Missing' Nixon Gifts
By Maxine Cheshire August 22, 1977

<SNIP>

The miniature is one of a number of valuable items which the State Department has listed as "missing" from the General Services Administration's collection of the identifiable foreign gifts presented to Nixon and his wife and daughters by heads of state and lesser foreign dignitaries during his six years in office.

The "missing" gifts may be in the GSA collection but lost because of poor record-keeping. But in some cases, State Department and GSA officials say, the gifts are believed to be in the custody of the Nixons, which is a violation of the law regulating the gifts.

Those "missing" gifts are the primary reason that U.S. Chief of Protocol Evan S. Dobelle is scheduled to go before U.S. District Court Judge Aubrey E. Robinson here on Wednesday and ask for the court's permission to examine some 200 packing crates of Nixon materials currently in storage with General Services Administration.

Under the Foreigh Gifts and Decorations Act of 1965, any gift worth more than $50 belongs to the government and is supposed to be truned over to the chief of protocol for disposition as public property.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/08/22/the-missing-nixon-gifts/c62fcbb1-087d-4e42-8421-2cf388c87932/

Court Says U.S. May Search Nixon Boxes for Gifts

SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMESAUG. 25, 1977
http://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/25/archives/court-says-us-may-search-nixon-boxes-for-gifts.html

I did not find any articles about what was eventually found in those boxes at the Nixon library.