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Elvis and Nixon – 40 years on

Written by admin on December 21, 2010 – 9:13 am -



Today is the 40th anniversary of one of the more bizarre incidents in rock ‘n’ roll history. On December 21, 1970 Elvis Presley met President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office. The meeting was arranged in response to a handwritten letter that Elvis had delivered in person to the North West gate of the White House that morning. In the letter, Elvis expressed his desire to present a gift to the President and also to discuss the possibility of becoming a “Federal Agent at Large” in the war against drugs.

The unusual request was fuelled largely by Elvis’ wish to obtain a Federal Narcotics Badge for his collection.

Elvis and President Richard Nixon

Elvis had stormed out of Graceland in Memphis, TN a couple of days before, after arguing with his father about money. He went to Memphis airport and boarded a plane for Washington D.C. on his own, which was unheard of. Elvis had never even purchased an airline ticket for himself before. After a brief trip to L.A. from Washington, Elvis then returned to the Capital with friend Jerry Schilling now in tow. It was on the flight back to Washington that Elvis penned his letter to Nixon.

Click on the thumbnails to read Elvis’ letter to Nixon or scroll down to read the transcript:

1Elvis Nixon Letter page 1

2Elvis Nixon Letter page 2

3Elvis Nixon Letter page 3

4Elvis Nixon Letter page 4

5Elvis Nixon Letter page 5

6Elvis Nixon Letter page 6

Transcript of Elvis’ letter to Nixon

Dear Mr. President.

First, I would like to introduce myself. I am Elvis Presley and admire you and have great respect for your office. I talked to Vice President Agnew in Palm Springs three weeks ago and expressed my concern for our country. The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc. do not consider me as their enemy or as they call it the establishment. I call it America and I love it. Sir, I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. I have no concern or motives other than helping the country out.

So I wish not to be given a title or an appointed position. I can and will do more good if I were made a Federal Agent at Large and I will help out by doing it my way through my communications with people of all ages. First and foremost, I am an entertainer, but all I need is the Federal credentials. I am on this plane with Senator George Murphy and we have been discussing the problems that our country is faced with.

Sir, I am staying at the Washington Hotel, Room 505-506-507. I have two men who work with me by the name of Jerry Schilling and Sonny West. I am registered under the name of Jon Burrows. I will be here for as long as it takes to get the credentials of a Federal Agent. I have done an in-depth study of drug abuse and Communist brainwashing techniques and I am right in the middle of the whole thing where I can and will do the most good.

I am glad to help just so long as it is kept very private. You can have your staff or whomever call me anytime today, tonight, or tomorrow. I was nominated this coming year one of America’s Ten Most Outstanding Young Men. That will be in January 18 in my home town of Memphis, Tennessee. I am sending you the short autobiography about myself so you can better understand this approach. I would love to meet you just to say hello if you’re not too busy.

Respectfully,

Elvis Presley

P. S. I believe that you, Sir, were one of the Top Ten Outstanding Men of America also.

I have a personal gift for you which I would like to present to you and you can accept it or I will keep it for you until you can take it.

The letter did the trick. After a trip to the Narcotics Bureau, during which Elvis tried and failed to obtain a Federal Narcotics Badge, he received a message saying that the President would be happy to meet with him.

The details of the meeting were recorded by White House Deputy for Domestic Affairs, Egil “Bud” Krogh, who said it opened with pictures being taken of Nixon and Elvis, after which Elvis began showing the President some of his law enforcement collection. The pair then discussed Elvis’ potential for reaching young people and Elvis reiterated the points made in his letter regarding the drug culture and problems the country was facing. In what might have been a first for Nixon, the meeting in the Oval Office concluded with Elvis giving him a hug.

Elvis’s bodyguards, Jerry Schilling and Sonny West, were then permitted into the Oval Office to meet the President. Nixon presented the men with gifts from his drawer, which Elvis also began rummaging through. Elvis also cheekily reminded the President that the guys had wives and so extra gifts were given for them.

Elvis and Nixon slideshow

As indicated in his letter, Elvis presented Nixon with a gift. This was a commemorative World War II Colt 45 pistol in a wooden chest.

Elvis' gift to Nixon - Colt 45 commemorative pistol

On December 31, 1970, the following thank you letter was sent by Richard Nixon to Elvis:

Richard Nixon's letter to Elvis

It’s certainly not unheard of for great stars to meet political leaders, but what made this meeting strange and unique was the spontaneous nature of it. Elvis decided he wanted to meet the President, so wrote a scrappy note on airline notepaper and within a few hours he was in the Oval Office! The documentation about the event and the interview with Jerry Schilling do suggest that Elvis was a little eccentric by December 1970, but endearingly so. I love that he expected to see the President by walking up to the front gate with that note and I love that he pulled it off.

Some might also see the irony in Elvis’ concerns about drug culture, given his later problems with prescription medication, but it’s undoubtedly the case that Elvis, like many before and since, saw street drugs very differently and failed to appreciate how destructive over the counter medication could be if abused. Elvis’ comments should also be considered in the context of the time. This was just weeks after the drugs-related deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

Earlier this year, Timothy Naftali, Director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, hosted a fascinating discussion with Bud Krogh and Jerry Schilling about the day Elvis met President Nixon. Enjoy!



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