By Archie Wilson III
Elvis Presley met President Richard Nixon in the White House on December 21, 1970. Elvis went there because he wanted a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) badge, and because he was concerned over drug abuse and the culture of the United States. This is ironic because Elvis later overdosed on prescription drugs. However, he was never known to participate in the consumption of illegal drugs.
He wanted the BNDD badge to add to his collection of law enforcement badges from various police departments that protected him when he was touring. Elvis also wanted a badge from the BNDD because he believed that it would allow him to carry a gun for protection almost anywhere.
The meeting came about when Elvis wrote Nixon a six-page letter asking for a visit to the White House and to be made a Federal Agent at Large in the BNDD, which later became the Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA. The letter was written on American Airlines stationary while Elvis was on a flight from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. He then gave the letter to a guard at the northwest gate of the White House in which he asked for a meeting with Nixon. Elvis was checked in at the Washington Hotel under the alias Jon Burrows. In the letter, Elvis wrote:
“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 American and I love it. Sir, I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. I have no concerns 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.”
Before the meeting with the president began, Elvis met with several White House staffers and presented a gift for Nixon, a Colt 45. However, the gun was confiscated by Secret Service agents before Elvis was allowed to meet with the president, but the gift was accepted. The pictures of them were taken at the beginning of the meeting. Elvis showed Nixon his law enforcement badges from police departments in California, Colorado and Tennessee.
Nixon believed that Elvis could reach the youth of the nation, but it was agreed between the two that Elvis would do so through singing—not speeches. In the memorandum of the meeting Elvis “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. 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.”
Elvis told Nixon that he had been studying communist brainwashing and the drug culture for quite some time. Now when Elvis talked about drug culture, he was referring to illegal drugs like marijuana and LSD. Elvis was not referring to legal drugs which would later lead to his death.
At the end of the meeting, Elvis told Nixon how much he supported him, and the president wished for Elvis to retain his credibility. Initially Elvis was denied the narcotics badge, but after the meeting was given the badge. The meeting between them was initially kept a secret, but on January 27, 1972, it was revealed in the Washington Post by reporter Jack Anderson.
This piece of history is important because the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll met with the President of the United States to discuss how to help to combat communism and drug abuse, specifically among the youth—and because he wanted to add to his collection of government badges.
It’s an amusing part of history where a famous icon met with the president, who was known for being tough against communism and the War on Drugs. The meeting inspired two comedy films: Elvis Meets Nixon (1997) and Elvis & Nixon (2016)
Sources:
“Meeting Notes (Transcript),” December 21, 1970. https://www.archives.gov
“The Nixon-Presley Meeting,” n.d. https://nsarchive2
White House Historical Association. “The President of the United States Meets the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.”.