Elvis Turned Up At The White House And Insisted He Be Made A Federal Agent
To Fight Hippies, Black Panthers, Flag Burners And Anti-American Scum...Like The Beatles
In December, 1970, a limousine rolled up to the White House and a security guard was passed a letter from Elvis Presley, addressed to the President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon.
Elvis was waiting in a Washington DC hotel. He had an urgent need to meet with President Nixon, that very day. Time was made in Nixon's schedule, of course, and one of the most remarkable meetings in the history of the US presidency then took place.
Just after midday, on December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley and President Nixon met for half an hour.
Why?
So Elvis could demand that Nixon make him a Federal Agent of the US government, so he could fight an assortment of perceived enemies of America, including hippies, flag burners, the Black Panthers and drug abusers.
Elvis believed the American flag was being disrespected during anti-Vietnam war protests and he wanted to help restore "dignity" to the flag.
Elvis also had The Beatles in his sights. He thought they were core to the spread of anti-Americanism amongst the youth of England.
If all that wasn't bizarre enough, Elvis explained that he had, since 1960, devoted a lot of time and energy to studying "drug abuse" and "Communist brainwashing techniques."
The mind control techniques and his singing abilities, Elvis believed, could be used to help reshape the patriotic and moral fibre of America's youth.
But, Elvis insisted during the meeting with the president, that he could only do this important work on behalf of the American people if he was made, immediately, a Federal Agent of the United States government.
From the Associated Press :
A memorandum summarising the meeting claims Elvis was all but desperate to convince Nixon of his commitment to fighting anti-Americanism amongst hippies and building up respect for the American flag in America's youth.
"The two of them together somehow is almost incomprehensible," said Bud Krogh, Nixon's former deputy counsel who set up the impromptu meeting that day 36 years ago.
"The king of rock and the president of the United States shaking hands in the Oval Office doesn't compute for a lot of people."
....Elvis walked into the Oval Office wearing his flamboyant outfit, as well as sunglasses and two huge medallions. But when Elvis entered the Oval Office, Krogh recalls, he froze. "I think he was just awed by where he found himself. I ended up having to help him walk across over to the president's desk," he said.
(Elvis) showed Nixon police badges from around the country and asked again for a badge from the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
Nixon agreed to give him the badge - but only after learning that the chief of the narcotics bureau had turned down the same request earlier that day and told him the only person who could overrule his decision was the president.
Nixon's aides arranged for Elvis to be issued a Bureau of Narcotics Special Assistant badge that same day.
The memorandum also explains how Elvis told Nixon that he thought The Beatles had been a force of anti-Americanism, and had actively promoted an anti-American agenda, particularly after they returned home to England after tours of the United States in the mid-1960s.
Nixon was "surprised" by Elvis' conclusions about The Beatles.
When Elvis told Nixon he had studied drug abuse for ten years, he meant it. Amphetamines were deemed absolutely essential for the grinding slog of touring fair grounds and small town halls before he struck major international fame in the late 1950s.
He also consumed monumental quantities of drugs through the 1960s and 1970s, up to, and including, the day he died. More than fourteen different drugs were found in Elvis' bloodstream during the autopsy, including up to ten times what was considered the normal dosage of codeine, a derivative of morphine.
So what was Elvis up to? Was his Nixon visit and his pledge straight from his patriotic heart? Or was it another of the notorious gags pulled off by Elvis and his band of buddies? A bit of both, it seems.
It was no secret that Elvis hated The Beatles, particularly John Lennon. And he was outraged by the majority of the anti-Vietnam protesters and flag-burners of the late 1960s.
Elvis didn't just want to become a Federal Agent, he insisted that he had to be one, and told Nixon he would stay in Washington until he was given Federal Agent credentials.
Remarkable stuff.
As he told Nixon, "I'm on your side".
But who's side was Nixon on?
Here's Elvis' December 1970 letter to President Richard M. Nixon in full :
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
I will be (in Washington DC) 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.
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.
When Elvis Met Nixon
Memorandum Summarising The Remarkable Meeting Between Elvis And Nixon
A CIA Report Prepared For The FBI On 'Communist Mind Control Techniques' From 1954
The FBI Files On Elvis Presley
The Official Richard M. Nixon Library
