One of the more conspiratorial explanations being passed around earlier today was that these bonds were secretly sold Japan in the 80s, to finance the growing d

One of the more conspiratorial explanations being passed around earlier today was that these bonds were secretly sold Japan in the 80s, to finance the growing deficit without letting anyone know. At that time, Japan was the largest holder of US debt, so it makes sense that Japanese people were found carrying the bonds. And if the debt was issued in secret, it should be no surprise that there's no official record of these denominations or coupon/maturity combinations. I'm pretty sure it's just a criminal scam and we shouldn't read much into it. Still, it's always fun to come up with conspiracy theories.