Because billion dollar bearer bonds seemed like such a great idea at the time…
Two guys, a suitcase, and $134 billion. Can you imagine being the bag man on this job while the customs agents are going through your luggage? I wouldn’t think the price for this is just a broken leg or a clean bullet to the head. Losing $134 billion is clearly Marsellus-Wallace-with-a-blowtorch territory.
(Update: the treasury came out and said they were, of course, fake. Ah well.)