I want to start an in depth discussion about an oddity, possible conspiracy, and thought provoking mystery. I thought it might spark some great theories, and the collective discussion and inquiry might flush out some truths. Obviously, this means digging deep, in both research, and creative and probing thought

The Missing "Ten Billion Dollars" in Iraq?

How the US sent $12bn in cash to Iraq. And watched it vanish

The US flew nearly $12bn in shrink-wrapped $100 bills into Iraq, then distributed the cash with no proper control over who was receiving it and how it was being spent. The staggering scale of the biggest transfer of cash in the history of the Federal Reserve has been graphically laid bare by a US congressional committee. In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tonnes, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US contractors. Using C-130 planes, the deliveries took place once or twice a month with the biggest of $2,401,600,000 on June 22 2004, six days before the handover.

wiki/Iraq War misappropriations

Vanity Fair In an October 2007 article, two Vanity Fair authors examined the fate of $12 billion in U.S. currency which was transported from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad in April 2003 and June 2004, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. They concluded that of this sum "at least $9 billion has gone missing".[4] [edit]Panorama/BBC BBC television program Panorama (9 June 2008) investigated claims that "as much as $23bn (£11.75bn) may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq.[5] Panorama used US and Iraqi government sources to research how much some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding.[5]

Pentagon Unable to Account for Missing Iraqi Millions

The Pentagon doesn’t know what happened to more than $100 million in cash held at Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad during the Iraq war, according to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

further down:

The new report, the latest in a multi-year investigation by the inspector general into missing money in Iraq, paints a picture of Pentagon officials digging through boxes of hard copy records looking for missing paper copies of Excel spreadsheets, monthly reports and other paper documents that should have been kept detailing what the money was spent on and why those expenditures were necessary. Apparently, there are no electronic records to back up the spending.

I used the term "Ten Billion Dollars" in the title because it seemed to be the label I have used most frequently to describe the missing funds, but like the varying figures of civilian casualties in Iraq, the figures vary depending on the source.

I would like to use our collective spirit to narrow down a tighter figure range. In addition to the outcome of those findings, what are the long term economic repercussions for the future? Meaning, what happened/could have happened with that much hard US currency outside the border floating around? I am sure there is also some sort of interest paid to the Federal Reserve for printing that much cash...

What are your theories? What conspiracy or lack of oversight caused this money to go missing? What happened after it did?

I am sure many of you have come across articles or blurbs about this issue, and have an opinion about it. Perhaps you saved a link to one that stood out with conflicting or more detailed information. Or can track it down again.

If all you want to do is come say that the cake is a lie, that is fine too...

I am of the thought that "Ten Billion Dollars" would go a long way if you are trying to prop up an insurgency.