Signing ceremony gift?

Three million viewers of a YouTube video clip in just two days is a record hard to reach. It’s about President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic quietly pocketing a pen during a signing ceremony. It all happened on Monday, April 11, during his visit to Chile, when the Czech President was taped during a news conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. He opened a box on the table in front of him, admired the pen then held it under the table where he appears to have put it in his pocket.

The film specially processed with red circles and arrows underlying the movements and spiced up with comical music suggesting the theft reached the internet. Pen pinching took place in full view of the media during the official ceremony and sparked acid comments in the media all over the world. Nobody could avoid commenting an event that attracted millions of viewers. But tackling it was different around the globe. Next to the diplomatic approaches that spoke about the president “taking an official pen” or cautioned saying that “Klaus falls in love with a pen” or “Klaus quietly slipping a ceremonial pen into his pocket”, some wondered “could Klaus be a kleptomaniac?”. Most comments were blunt and acid: “Vaclav Klaus, caught red-handed stealing a pen” or “discreetly pocketing a ceremonial pen encrusted with semi-precious stones”, “Klaus spiriting away a pen” “Czech President Ribbed for Swiping Pen” or even used the urban dictionary to say “Klaus coyly ganking a ceremonial pen”.

All that President Klaus commented about the incident was that "it is not a pen but just a stylus" adding that he takes such things all the time. He confirmed that among other souvenirs he has a pen from the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, and a notepad from the Latvian Parliament. He considers that this is "what people do regularly. They keep notepads and pen from such events".

Czech media teased or even blamed President Vaclav Klaus on Tuesday for his behavior that made him end up on YouTube. Noticing that clicking the pen is an aphrodisiac for some the journalists wondered if Klaus needed one at that time and joked that it was a good idea to put the pen in the pocket because the habit of clicking might have stressed the ones next to him. They have no doubts he would have been or perhaps had even been told before that the pen was his but going about it in such a dishonorable way in front of the cameras is a proof of ill judgment on his part. All his manners suggest that he is stealing it. A president doing something like this it casts doubts on his right to be the leader in the EU. Others maliciously wondered if a detailed furniture inventory in the Prague Presidential castle was made before President Klaus took up residence.

The truth is that protocol allows Klaus to take the pen. In fact, during such ceremonies, special pens are used to be taken away by signatories. We even know persons collecting pens used on such special occasions. They never have a great value.

Mainly fountain pens and roller ball pens are used in signing ceremonies. The first specially imprinted bill signer pen was introduced by President Eisenhower in the late 1950's. President Johnson introduced the special presentation box for bill signers, a practice followed by every American president ever since. The specially imprinted pens are used now by the president to sign legislation, proclamations and other official papers or veto messages. After the signing ceremony the pens are given out as gifts to those attending the event.

Stories about presidents and pens are a delicacy of the press and they always make the front pages. US President Johnson made quite a show during a 1963 signing ceremony, handing out pens he used on that occasion to the officials attending the event. In August 1964 when Johnson signed the anti-poverty law he used 114 pens to put his name on the documents and then offered them to the members of Congress and Cabinet. The White House declared that it could no longer track the number of pens used and offered by Johnson. Presidential pens used by Johnson’s predecessors trade now for more than $150, while the ones used by the Johnson administration and his successors have prices as low as $25, with some evaluated at higher prices. Other historical pens include a Parker 51 used to sign the Peace treaty between Japan and the US after WWII.

The list of fountain pens used in certain events includes two Parkers hold by Eisenhower in a "V" for victory sign; George Bernard Shaw also used a Parker. Sheaffer was used by Pope John Paul II, Francois Mitterand used a Waterman, Clare Booth Luce and Frank Sinatra a Montblanc, George F. Will a Montblanc Diplomat, while Ronald Reagan used a 69 cents Sharpie. President Obama was photographed with a Montblanc Meisterstuck in his suit jacket pocket, but uses the Cross Townsend Selectip Rolling Ball in Black Lacquer with Rhodium Plating to sign all official presidential documents. Visconte issued a LE Black Divina that was used by the world leaders who attended the 2009 G8 Summit and J.F. Kennedy used a Sheaffer Snorkel.