Yes, this is correct.... I have three friends in this situation...
the two that got the Canadian pardons BEFORE trying to enter the US show NO RECORDS at the US border...
The one that tried to go across with a 19 year old conviction is now in the "US hoop jumping" scam to be allowed the privilege to spend some money down there on a vacation. They just happened to get randomly flagged at Christmas a couple of years ago and now their CAR is flagged, even though they are not in it! I know, because I borrowed it one day to drop my daughters off at the Buffalo airport... I won't borrow that little gas sipper again... I will just take my dodge ram and pay thru the nose for fuel instead