Random Things That Elvis Presley And Richard Nixon Once Shared Strangest White House Meeting (12 items)

• 

  (#1) Presley Decided To Fly To Washington On A Whim

  By the end of the '60s, Presley had turned his career focus back to music after a stint in the film industry, but he'd also become prone to prescription pill use and erratic behavior. Such an episode occurred in December 1970, when Presley got upset that his father and wife thought it was excessive to spend $100,000 on Christmas gifts.

  Presley stormed off to the Memphis, TN, airport and boarded a plane headed to Washington, DC, where he got a hotel room. He soon lost interest in the city and returned to the airport, hopping on a plane bound for Los Angeles, CA. He stayed in California for a single day before he resolved that he had business to attend to in the nation's capital.

  Presley's wife, Priscilla, recalled, "We were mystified. For the first time, he was traveling alone - without even one bodyguard. Elvis didn't even know his own phone number, nor did he carry cash. How was he going to get around?"
• 

  (#10) Nixon Gave Presley A Federal Agent Badge And Sent Him On His Way

  The meeting ended with what Bud Krogh described as "a surprising, spontaneous gesture," in which Presley "put his left arm around the president and hugged him." Then, President Nixon turned to Krogh and asked, "Can we get him a badge?" 

  The answer was yes, and Presley walked out of the White House in possession of a genuine badge from a predecessor agency of the DEA - but he did not have any actual authority.

  Presley had brought along his collection of badges from various police forces to show the president, and his new federal badge was added to this, as it functioned as little more than a souvenir. That didn't stop Presley from referring to himself as a "Federal Agent at Large."
• 

  (#8) No Recording Of The Meeting Exists, But A Memo Reveals An Emotional Presley 

  The 1970 meeting between Presley and President Nixon predated the installation of Nixon's infamous taping system in the White House. There is no known transcript of the dialogue between Presley and the president. The only documentation of their encounter is an internal memo written up by Bud Krogh, a Nixon official who witnessed it. Krogh wrote: 

  Presley indicated to the President in a very emotional manner that he was "on your side." Presley kept repeating that he wanted to be helpful, that he wanted to restore some respect for the flag which was being lost. He mentioned that he was just a poor boy from Tennessee who had gotten a lot from his country, which in some way he wanted to repay.

  He also mentioned that he is studying Communist brainwashing and the [counterculture] for over 10 years. He mentioned that he knew a lot about this and was accepted by the hippies. He said he could go right into a group of young people or hippies and be accepted, which he felt could be helpful to him in [Nixon's endeavor to eliminate substances]. The President indicated again his concern that Presley retain his credibility.
• 

  (#3) Presley Claimed To Be Concerned With The Influence Of Counterculture On The Rock Scene

  In his letter to President Nixon, Presley expressed his concern for the future of the country. Specifically, Presley was worried about the ever-evolving counterculture movement and its impact on the nation's youth - and he didn't hesitate to namedrop those he saw as particularly threatening:

  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.
• 

  (#9) Presley Railed Against The Beatles And Their 'Anti-American' Ways

  According to Bud Krogh's memo of the meeting, Presley wasn't afraid to spill the tea on a specific group that he thought was doing a disservice to America: the Beatles. Presley dedicated a large chunk of his time with the president railing against the British band, and Nixon readily agreed with his assessment:

  Presley indicated that he thought the Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit. He said that the Beatles came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme. The President nodded in agreement and expressed some surprise. The President then indicated that those who use [substances] are also those in the vanguard of anti-American protest. 
• 

  (#4) Presley Asked To Become An Undercover Agent

  In Presley's letter to President Nixon, it became clear that Presley wasn't asking for a simple face-to-face meeting with the president - he wanted something in particular. Presley stated that he was seeking an official federal badge. He wrote: 

  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...

  I have done an in-depth study of [substance use] 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.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking