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FBI seeks information on 1978 Truman Presidential Library theft

Truman Presidential Library
Posted at 4:40 PM, Apr 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-11 17:40:32-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The FBI's Kansas City Field Office is asking for information on a 43-year-old theft that cost the Truman Presidential Library between $700,000 and $1 million.

The theft occurred in the early hours on March 24, 1978, according to the FBI. A car pulled near the south gate of the library, and two suspects who might have been familiar with the library's security procedures, broke in and smashed a display case in the lobby.

The case had three ceremonial swords and two daggers that had been given to President Harry S. Truman by the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Saud and the Shah of Iran.

The theft took just two minutes, and the suspects escaped the building through a window.

The FBI is offering up to a $10,000 reward to anyone who may have information leading to retrieving the artifacts.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's Kansas City Field Office at 816-512-8200.

For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.