Episode 19 - Nixon and Elvis - The President and the King

On December 21, 1970, a man dressed in black and wearing sunglasses entered the Oval Office of the White House. He desperately wanted to bring a Colt .45 pistol with him, but even without it, his purpose was clear. In front of him stood a craggy, slightly crumpled figure. The man in black advanced, but his intent was not assassination. He had come seeking a badge. A badge that he thought would give him power. The man he met had worked all of his life to gain power, and now that he had it, he would do everything he could to hold on to it. This was one of the most bizarre meetings ever to take place in the White House, for the man in black was the King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Presley and the craggy, crumpled man was President Richard M. Nixon. The photographs of that meeting are some of the most requested images from the US National Archives, but by the end of the 1970s, Elvis would be dead and Nixon would have resigned in disgrace. Yet, the event has gained the status of a modern myth and helps to illustrate the interconnectedness of power, politics, and popular culture. So, on Episode 19 of American History Too, we explore the fascinating, bizarre, and sometimes sad story of the meeting between the President and the King.   Reading/Viewing List Irwin F. Gellman, The President and the Apprentice: Eisenhower and Nixon, 1952-1961 (Yale University Press, 2015) Iwan Morgan, Nixon (Arnold: 2002) This is Elvis (documentary, 1981) National Security Archive: http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/nsa/elvis/elnix.html Douglas Brode, Elvis: Cinema and popular culture (London: McFarland, 2006) Peter Carlson, 'When Elvis Met Nixon', The Smithsonian Magazine, December 2010, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/when-elvis-met-nixon-69892425/ Peter Guralnik, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (London, Boston: Little, Brown, 1994) Glen Jeansonne, David Luhrssen, and Dan Sokolovie, Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times (Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2011)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices