21st December 1970, Monday

[Graeme]

Day number 13132Site Date Map

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[silverwings]

Elvis meets US President Nixon in the White House
      

[silverwings]

Sonny West and Jerry Schilling meet the President
      

[silverwings]

Colorized pictures of the Presidental meeting:

[silverwings]

The present to the President

[Private Presley]

December 21, 1970

Elvis Presley is probably one of the most photographed celebrity in history. But the most popular photo of him was not of one of his performances nor stint in the army, instead, it was taken with Richard Nixon in the Oval Office at 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 21, 1970 — and it was, until as late as 2015, the most-requested photograph in the entire U.S. National Archives.

Both men were at the top in their careers at this point. Presley was in the middle of a successful comeback, selling out shows in Las Vegas and had just been nominated as one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Young Men by the United States Junior Chamber, an award he was particularly proud to have received. Nixon, meanwhile, who had not yet been tainted by Watergate, was experiencing a wave of popularity for vowing to get America out of Vietnam and to desegregate schools.

The story behind how this photo came about is even more ‘unconventional’ than the photo itself! About two days before, Elvis had apparently fled his Graceland mansion in Memphis after a dispute with his father, wife and others over his finances, driven himself to the airport and flown to Washington on his own. After checking into his hotel, he went back to the airport and flew to Los Angeles to pick up his longtime friend Jerry Schilling. Elvis and Schilling took the red-eye back to Washington on the same plane as Sen. George Murphy of California, who had acted in movie musicals before entering politics. The two entertainers apparently hit it off on the plane, and that may have inspired Elvis to write note in midair addressed to the President. They landed in Washington at dawn, got into a limousine and drove straight to the White House, where Elvis himself handed the note to flabbergasted officers at the Northwest Gate.

The note, written on the American Airlines stationary made available to him on his flight, explained the reason behind his desire to meet with the president: “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,” the 35-year-old singer wrote in the letter, which noted that young people see him as one of them, thus making him the perfect person to help fight the war on illegal drugs. “I would love to meet you just to say hello if you’re not too busy.”

After confirming that the note was legitimate and that it was indeed Elvis Presley at the gate, then Chief of Staff, Bob Haldeman, notified the President and extended a welcome to Elvis . The two men met in the Oval Office for about 35 minutes and the topics of conversation ranged from Communist brainwashing to the Beatles, proliferation of illegal drug use among young people and even how hard it was to play Las Vegas.. At the end of the meeting, Elvis asked if he could have an official badge from what was then known as the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to legitimize his efforts on behalf of drug prevention—and also to add to his shiny collection.

At that, the president turned to Bud Krogh who was in charge of the impromptu meeting and said: “Get him a badge,” he said. “I want him to have one.” Elvis was so overcome by this that, before anyone could stop him, he stepped forward and embraced the president in a bear hug. This was not, to say the least, something that happened often with Nixon.

This incident is one of the more ‘extraordinary’ event that occurred in Elvis’ storied life!

[ColinB]

"...After checking into his hotel, he went back to the airport and flew to Los Angeles to pick up his longtime friend Jerry Schilling.
Elvis and Schilling took the red-eye back to Washington on the same plane as Sen. George Murphy of California..."

"Wot - No Sonny West ?"

[ColinB]

From the UK newspaper 'i' on 21st December, 2022:

It's 52 years on & still warrants a mention in the UK national media...