The Day Elvis Met Nixon

by Egil Krogh

The Day Elvis met Nixon.

Genres: History

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, with many pictures of the one time meeting of Elvis and President Richard Nixon.
On the morning of December 21st, 1971, The King, Elvis Presley, shows up at the gates of The White House, with a hand written note for The President. He wants to meet The President and talk about helping with the war on drugs.
Reading this, I was surprised at how quickly it all went down...Elvis drops the note off at 8:45...after a 10:00 meeting with Egil 'Bud' Krogh(a White House Aide), Elvis meets The President at 12:30.
The meeting is quick, and a bit unorthodox and uncomfortable for Nixon.
Elvis asks for (and gets) a special badge.
A fun look at a moment in history that we've heard about, but may not know a lot about....

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it seems kind of silly on the surface the administrative and political processes by which Elvis actually got in to meet President Nixon as detailed by "Bud" Krogh, a Nixon aide, were interesting. A more elaborate process than I had expected and the effort by Nixon's staff to understand exactly what Elvis 'wanted' from the visit I found fascinating. A good, short read.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day Elvis Met Nixon by Egil Krogh (Pejama Press 1994) (780.92) (3413). On December 21, 1970, the universe yawned, and the fabric of time was slightly rent. This was the day that author Egil “Bud” Krogh, who at the time was a White House Aide to now-disgraced former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, attended one of the most bizarre meetings of the twentieth century.

Elvis Presley, who was the undisputed King of Rock and Roll, sent a handwritten letter to the White House requesting a meeting with Nixon. Elvis wished to meet with the President to offer his services “for the benefit of the country” as a roving Special Federal Agent at Large against the “drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc.” All Elvis wanted in exchange was a federal badge and credentials. As the White House aide whose responsibilities included US drug control policy development, this summit meeting fell under Bud Krogh's purview.

And meet they did. The photos are hilarious. It's hard to say which party looked more uncomfortable. Elvis showed up at the Oval Office in sunglasses, a cape, and purple pants with a big gold belt buckle. Nixon looked distinctly ill at ease in a dark suit – sort of like an unindicted Quaker co-conspirator.

Elvis brought a pistol that day to the White House as a gift for the President. Elvis was given that day under Nixon's direct order a badge and credentials which stated that one Elvis Presley was a Special Assistant to the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs of the United States Department of Justice.

And then it was over. Though their orbits never crossed again, these two figures will be remembered as two notables to which the nineteen-seventies were particularly unkind.

You can look it up.

My rating: 7.25/10, finished 01/18/20 (3413).

I purchased a used PB copy in good condition from Amazon on 10/21/20.

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