Upon heads of state meeting for the first time in official capacity, it is customary to exchange gifts as tokens of friendship between the countries involved.
Mr. Brown gave Obama an ornamental pen holder constructed from the timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet, once also named HMS President.
He also gave a framed commission for the HMS Resolute. The desk in the Oval Office is itself made from the timbers of the HMS Resolute. The Resolute has symbolic history between the two countries.
Lastly, Mr. Brown gave Obama a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Winston Churchill, written by Sir Martin Gilbert.
The thoughtfulness and symbolism of these tokens of friendship given by our most treasured ally cannot be understated.
President Obama`s well thought out gesture was a 25 DVD set of classic American films.
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