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WHEN NIXON MET ELVIS |
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by archives.gov Jesus in Vegas, by Chumbawumba
The picture was taken when Presley visited Nixon for the purpose of being made a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. This was in December 1970. The irony of this is that Elvis had been a illegal drug user most of his adult life. Even at the time of the meeting, Elvis was doing a lot of drugs.
The following is a transcription of the letter that Elvis Presley delivered to the White House on December 21, 1970. 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,
P. S. I believe that you, Sir, were one of the Top Ten
Outstanding Men of America also. In his memorandum to H. R. Haldeman, aide Dwight Chapin described the purpose of Elvis Presley's unexpected visit to the White House: The thrust of Presley's letter is that he wants to become a "Federal agent at large" to work against the drug problem by communicating with people of all ages . . . I suggest we do the following: This morning Bud [Egil] Krogh will have Mr. Presley in and talk to him about drugs and about what Presley can do. Bud will also check to see if there is some kind of honorary agent at large or credential of some sort that we can provide for Presley. After Bud has met with Presley, it is recommended that we have Bud bring Presley in during the Open Hour to meet briefly with the President . . . Chapin also suggested that Presley might be just the person for Mr. Nixon to speak with, if he was interested in meeting "some bright young people" outside the government. Next to this comment, H. R. Haldeman scrawled in pen "You must be kidding." [You can see an image of Dwight Chapin's memorandum]
But in his own rock star way, he was resplendent. He was wearing tight-fitting dark velvet pants, a white silky shirt with very high collars and open to below his chest, a dark purple velvet cape, a gold medallion, and heavy silver-plated amber-tinted designer sunglasses with "EP" built into the nose bridge. Around his waist was a belt with a huge four-inch by six-inch gold belt buckle with a complex design I couldn't make out without embarrassing myself. . . This was a time in sartorial history when gold chains festooned the necks of many of the more style-conscious men in our society. However, gold chains hadn't quite made their way onto the necks of male staff members in the White House, at least during working hours. Otherwise, the meeting went well. Krogh was convinced of Presley's sincerity and of his potential value in the fight against drug use by young people. He told Presley to return to his hotel and to wait for his call. Shortly afterward, Krogh learned that the meeting had been approved by Haldeman and quickly drafted an agenda for the 12:30 meeting. [You can read Egil Krogh's agenda.]
THE WHITE HOUSE MEMORANDUM FOR: THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT: Meeting with Elvis Presley 1. PURPOSE To thank Elvis Presley for his offer to help in trying to stop the drug epidemic in the country, and to ask him to work with us in bringing a more positive attitude to young people throughout the country. In his letter to you, Elvis Presley offered to help as much as possible with the growing drug problem. he requested the meeting with you this morning when he presented himself to the guard at the Northwest Gate bearing a letter. II. PARTICIPANTS
Elvis Presley III. TALKING POINTS A. We have asked the entertainment industry -- both television and radio -- to assist us in our drug fight. B. You are aware that the average American family has 4 radio sets; 98% of the young people between 12 and 17 listen to radio. Between the time a child is born and he leaves high school, it is estimated he watches between 15,000 and 20,000 hours of television. That is more time than he spends in the classroom. C. The problem is critical: As of December 14, 1970, 1,022 people died this year in New York alone from just narcotic related deaths. 208 of these were teenagers. D. Two of youth's folk heroes, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, recently died within a period of two weeks reportedly from drug-related causes. Their deaths are a sharp reminder of how the rock music culture has been linked to the drug sub-culture. If our youth are going to emulate the rock music stars, from now on let those stars affirm their conviction that true and lasting talent is the result of self motivation and discipline and not artificial chemical euphoria. E. Suggestions for Presley activities: 1. Work with White House Staff. 2. Cooperate with and encourage the creation of an hour Television Special in which Presley narrates as stars such as himself sing popular songs and interpret them for parents in order to show drug and other anti-establishment themes in rock music. 3. Encourage fellow artists to develop a new rock musical theme, "Get High on Life." 4. Record an album with the theme "Get High on Life" at the federal narcotic rehabilitation and research facility at Lexington, Kentucky. 5. Be a consultant to the Advertising Council on how to communicate anti-drug messages to youth.
THE WHITE HOUSE MEMORANDUM FOR: THE PRESIDENT'S FILE
SUBJECT: Meeting with Elvis Presley The meeting opened with pictures taken of the President and Elvis Presley. Presley immediately began showing the President this law enforcement paraphernalia including badges from police departments in California, Colorado and Tennessee. Presley indicated that he had been playing Las Vegas and the President indicated that he was aware of how difficult it is to perform in Las Vegas. The President mentioned that he thought Presley could reach young people, and that it was important for Presley to retain his credibility. Presley responded that he did his thing by "just singing." he said that he could not get to the kids if he made a speech on the stage, that he had to reach them in his own way. The President nodded in agreement. 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 drugs are also those in the vanguard of anti-American protest. Violence, drug usage, dissent, protest all seem to merge in generally the same group of young people. 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 drug culture for over ten 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 his drug drive. The President indicated again his concern that Presley retain his credibility. At the conclusion of the meeting, Presley again told the President how much he supported him, and then, in a surprising, spontaneous gesture, put his left arm around the President and hugged him. In going out, Presley asked the President if he would see his two associates. The President agreed and they came over and shook hands with the President briefly. At this meeting, the President thanked them for their efforts and again mentioned his concern for Presley's credibility. Bud Krogh The meeting was photographed by White House photographer Ollie Atkins.
Note: Each image is also available as a higher-resolution JPEG of
approximately 60K. Epilogue Following his meeting with the President, Elvis Presley and his bodyguards ate lunch with Egil Krogh in the White House dining room. Presley received his badge that afternoon from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Several days later, the President sent Elvis Presley a warm thank you note with best wishes for the new year. Egil Krogh, in The Day Elvis Met Nixon (1994), expressed regret that an opportunity for Elvis to "work with the White House staff" never arose, because "I liked him a lot." Presley's gift to the President, a World War II-era Colt 45, is now on display at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda, CA.
December 31, 1970 Dear Mr. Presley: It was a pleasure to meet with you in my office recently, and I want you to know once again how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness in giving me the commemorative World War II Colt 45 pistol, encased in the handsome wooden chest. You were particularly kind to remember me with this impressive gift, as well as your family photographs, and I am delighted to have them for my collection of special mementos. With my best wishes to you, Mrs. Presley, and to your daughter, Lisa, for a happy and peaceful 1971, Sincerely, RICHARD NIXON
Mr. Elvis Presley
RN/lef/cf/cf Citations and Credits All photographs and textual documents used in When Nixon Met Elvis were reproduced from the original records in the custody of the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff (NLNS), National Archives at College Park, MD. A general description of the Oval Office photographs in this exhibit is available in the ARC database as "Photographs of President Nixon and Elvis Presley." The quotation from the book The Day Elvis Met Nixon, copyright © 1994 by Pejama Press, is used with permission. Special Note: Photographs included in this exhibit were taken by a White House photographer, transferred to NARA as part of the materials under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, and are considered by NARA to be in the public domain. However, the estates of Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley may claim rights in their likenesses and images, and further use of these photographs may be subject to those claims. Anyone who intends to download these images and use them commercially should first contact the appropriate representatives of former President Nixon or Mr. Presley or consult with his own legal counsel.
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