Since 1702, a revered tradition in the United States (and earlier in other parts of the world) has been the presentation by the mayor of a municipality or his delegate of "the key to the city" to certain select individuals. Although in modern times the key is usually a large prop which does not unlock anything, it still represents an award to an individual whom the city wishes to honor and revere. The prestige of such a tribute is usually in proportion to the size of the city presenting it.
In 1980, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young arranged for the Detroit Key to the City to be presented to the leader of a foreign country. His name was Saddam Hussein of Iraq, who had recently achieved his exalted position by liquidating 21 government officials, including 5 Ministers of the state.
While did Young do this? Part of the reason may have been that Hussein had been donating money to various Chaldean (a Middle Eastern form of Catholicism) churches around the world and had included a $250,000 gift to the Chaldean church in Detroit. What is more likely the primary reason was that, at the time, the USA was really not getting along very well with Iran and wanted to ingratiate itself with Iran's archenemy, Iraq. It is widely suspected that the U.S. Department of State encouraged the presentation of the key in order to suck up to Hussein.
For further info on the history of "the key to the city" as well as the presentation of it by Detroit to a scum-sucking murderous despot, please click here in the Today I Found Out website.
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Shakil Mustafa at the English language Wikipedia
[GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
via Wikimedia Commons
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