Highlights from Head of State Gifts

Head of State gifts play an important role in any president’s administration. Protocol often dictates a formal exchange of gifts when leaders from different countries convene for diplomatic relations – a practice steeped in history. Different types of gifts, accompanied by other diplomatic measures, help express admiration, cool tempers, bridge disparate cultures, and preserve peace. The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1966 and subsequent legislation strictly govern the acceptance of such gifts by American presidents and their disposition afterwards. The gifts given to President Gerald R. Ford are among the most exquisite in the museum’s collection. Often made from precious materials through the most skilled artisans, these sometime extravagant, sometime simple gifts are always admired by visitors.