12/21/2025
On this day in 1970 Elvis visits the White House and meets President Nixon. It sure was a historic moment.
The famous photo of the two shaking hands horrifies many Elvis fans.
This photo is the most requested photo in the National Archives, even more than the Constitution: Elvis Presley, looking every bit the King of Rock and Roll in a purple velvet jumpsuit and enormous gold belt buckle, shaking hands with a staid President Nixon during a secret meeting in the Oval Office.
Just hours earlier, Elvis appeared at the White House gate with a six-page, handwritten letter addressed to the president, scribbled out during an impromptu redeye flight, detailing his concerns about hippies and the growing drug culture. The entertainer, who explains he's done "an in-depth study of drug abuse and Communist brainwashing techniques" insists he is the ideal candidate to appeal to these anti-Establishment types who smoke grass and take umbrage with the Vietnam War. "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 communications with people of all ages," he writes. What Elvis really wants is the badge that goes along with the title. He's collected plenty of honorary police badges while on tour and wants one from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Lucky for him, BNDD liaison Egil "Bud" Krogh is a fan and loves the idea of hooking up the King and the president. A memo to Nixon points out the rock music culture's influence on the drug sub-culture, citing the recent drug-related deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Suggestions for Presley activities include an album with the theme "Get High on Life" and a TV special that dissects popular songs to show "drug and other antiestablishment themes."
When Elvis arrives for the meeting with Nixon, which is kept under wraps to protect the singer's image, he agrees that rock music is the core of the issue, specifically The Beatles. Krogh observes in his notes, "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." A bold statement, considering he sang many of the Fab Four's tunes during his concerts, but enough to earn him his new badge. After gifting the president with a World War II-era C**t .45 and some Presley family photos, he heads back to Graceland with his prize.
Sadly, Presley develops an addiction to prescription drugs, which contributes to his death in 1977, an irony that Paul McCartney commented on: "The great joke was that we were taking [illegal] drugs, and look what happened to him."
The infamous meeting inspires a few movies, most notably 2016's Elvis & Nixon, starring Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as Nixon.
