When Elvis met Nixon: Aides recall Oval Office meeting (with video)

[tonysam]

Sitting at his desk inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue later that morning, Krogh got a call from fellow aide Dwight Chapin.

"And he says, 'Bud the King is here,'" recounts Krogh. "And I looked at the president's schedule and I said what king? There aren't any kings on our schedule. What are you talking about? And he says, 'No, not any two-bit king, the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. He's right here!' And I said, 'Dwight, come on! It's going to be a long day, four days before Christmas.'"

Still thinking it's a joke, Krogh is floored when Elvis walks into his office with Schilling and gets another surprise.

"That was one of the most lovely half hours I've had, talking to you all and hearing Elvis talk from the heart about his country and what it meant to him," Krogh told Schilling.

link with video

Krogh wrote a book called "The Day Elvis Met Nixon." It is still in print.

[kayakjohnny]

1. Very cool story.

Thanks for finding and posting.

I liked that a lot.

[tonysam]

2. That was fun

The U.S. Postal Service for years sold black-and-white 8X10 pictures of the meeting. There were something like two dozen photos taken. I have all but a handful of those.

[kayakjohnny]

3. Wow!

Two words....

E

Bay

[tonysam]

4. I have eighteen of the 24 glossies

I think the best one of them is the one with Elvis and Nixon smiling at each other in profile.

I got these glossies about 20 years ago. The U.S. Postal Service sold them, but the photo glossies are from the National Archives.

[tonysam]

5. This link is to the exhibit

of the meeting from the National Archives:

link

[kayakjohnny]

6. Great pics!

Thanks, tonysam.

What a great piece of history.

Cheers!

[tonysam]

7. According to the slideshow, there were 25, not 24 pictures.

Anyway I have 18 of them.

Number 13 is my favorite picture.

[MilesColtrane]

8. I love the irony of Elvis being ripped to the tits on a cornucopia of prescription drugs while....

asking for a DEA badge.

[tonysam]

9. He wasn't on drugs during the meeting. That was a lie perpetrated by Albert Goldman.

Elvis in fact was suffering from an allergy or cold during that session.