What to give the most powerful man in the world is a question that has clearly taxed the minds of many foreign leaders on their way to Washington.

The answer last year appears to have been books about Mahatma Gandhi, which were given to President Bush in 2006 by an Indian politician and were the only presents he decided to keep — rather than donate to the national archives.

Not mentioned on the list of gifts, published this week, is the blue Burberry jumper that Tony Blair gave Mr Bush last year, shortly before the now infamous exchange between the two men at the G8 summit in Russia that was recorded by a rogue microphone.

Mr Bush, who had greeted the then Prime Minister with the words, “Yo Blair!”, was heard thanking Mr Blair for the jumper he had given him.

Tiffany Divis, the State Department's protocol gift officer, explained yesterday that only gifts that together add up to a total of more than $305 (£150) are reported. No presents from Mr Blair were listed in 2006, but the former Prime Minister will perhaps be judged to have been generous to the US President in other ways.

Many leaders had put considerable thought into their presents, only for them to be carted off to the archives, as diplomatic protocol demands, as soon as their motorcade left the White House.

Junichiro Koizumi, the former Japanese Prime Minister numbered among Mr Bush's closest international allies, gave the President an electric-assisted bicycle, as well as a CD collection of his favourite Elvis Presley records, which included I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and Hawaiian Wedding Song. Mr Bush took Mr Koizumi to Presley's Graceland home in June last year.

The Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, gave Mr Bush — an avid cyclist — two grey and navy blue cycling jerseys and tights, embossed with the president's name.

Nato's Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is Dutch, had the same idea, providing him with a royal blue biking shirt, while the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, presented Mr Bush with a red-and-white cycling jersey, embossed with the words “George W Bush” and valued at $75.

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Ferenc Gyuresány, gave a pair of Huszár riding boots with a leather “W” stitched into the side, estimated at $935.

The least original presents came from the Iraqis. Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq, gave “a silver palm tree with hand-hammered trunk and finely cut palm leaves with three bunches of gold dates” in a glass box. So did Jalal Talabani, Iraq's President, even though the black velvet presentation case was listed as “damaged on arrival”. And what did Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, receive from Iraq's vice-president, Tariq al-Hasimi? Yet another “silver palm tree in glass case” valued at $1,500.

Other presents might have been bought at the airport. From Slovenia Mr Bush acquired a pair of golf trousers and polo shirt. And the First Lady, Laura Bush, will doubtless have been grateful for the “short-sleeved blue polyester shirt” valued at $55 which she received from a Liberian delegation.

The most extravagant gifts were inevitably from the Saudi Arabians. King Abdullah gave Mr Cheney the most expensive present on the list: a $55,000 18-carat white gold, ruby and diamond jewellery set. The King also gave Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, a white gold-and-diamond necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring, worth $20,000.

Mr Bush's most expensive gift was an $11,000 Cartier Santos-Dumont watch — inside an $18,000 white gold case — from the Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He was toppled by the military in September 2006 and has since taken over Manchester City Football Club.

Theyv'e got it all wrapped up

— Junichiro Koizumi then Japanese Prime Minister: an electric-power- assisted bicycle and a CD collection of his favourite Elvis Presley songs

— Guy Verhofstadt Belgian Prime Minister: two grey and navy blue cycling jerseys and tights embossed with “a patriotic stripe” and the President’s name

— Anders Fogh Rasmussen Danish Prime Minister: a red and white cycling jersey embossed with the words “George W Bush”

— Ferenc Gyuresány Hungarian Prime Minister: a pair of Huszár riding boots with a leather “W” stitched into the side

— Nouri al-Maliki Iraqi Prime Minister: a silver palm tree with hand-hammered trunk and finely cut leaves with three bunches of gold dates

— Jalal Talabani, Iraqi President: the same, but damaged on arrival

— Thaksin Shinawatra then Thai premier: Cartier Santos-Dumont watch in a white gold case

— Heinz Fischer Austrian President: the Mozart Complete Edition, a huge set valued at $1,276

— Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijani President: a handwoven rug featuring George and Laura Bush, the presidential seal, the US Capitol, New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty, the White House and his own palace

— Manuel Zelaya Honduran President: 75 cigars and an engraved humidor

Source: The White House

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