Nixon meets Elvis Part Two
It is widely known and a matter of the historical record that Elvis visited President Nixon in the White House in 1970 and received a badge making him an honorary agent at large for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The story is a bit convoluted, but boiled down to Nixon's desire, as a hopelessly paranoiac who was also a perpetual square and outcast, to ingratiate himself with the nation's youth, and Elivs's guilt as an essentially good and God fearing Christian boy, at being seen as, not entirely in accordance with the facts, a representative for many of America's burgeoning drug culture.
Needless to say, the visit was not a complete success, except perhaps for Elvis, who received his honorary badge, as well as official White House souvenirs for his male buddies who, unaware of his whereabouts for approximately forty-eight hours, had finally tracked him down in Washington, D.C., and arriving to safely ferry him home just shortly before his hard-won audience with Nixon, naturally enough joined him, and even some improvised goodies for the boys' wives. On the other hand, Elvis was asked not to mention the matter of the honorary entrance into one of the nations top law enforcement agencies, as he was seen by millions, after all, as a godless, negro-loving, pedophile communist, and the White House didn't publicly reveal that the visit had ever happened until two years later.
What is less well known is that Elvis made a second visit to the White House in 1971. It is unknown how this meeting came about, but there can be no doubt that it did take place, as it was recorded, again for unclear reasons, on the so-called "Nixon," or "Watergate Tapes." On the tapes the conversers, who sound especially "loose," discuss Nixon's impending visit to China, which had yet to be publicly announced. Elvis is heard remarking that he believes "in his heart" that Chairman Mao is "truly a good little guy" and that "Jesus has enough room in his heart for the Communists and all the rest." There is a moment of tension when Nixon makes an unbecoming remark about "the Jews" and Elvis speaks positively of his Jewish friends and "that Kissinheim [fellow]" the latter likely a reference to Henry Kissinger. Elvis later offers Nixon one of the interlocking cross-and-Star-of-David medallions that he was known to distribute among friends. The tape ends with a discussion of bowling in the Presidential bowling alley, installed by Nixon in the White House's basement.
This tape has been released as part of the process of unearthing the remains of the Nixon Presidential tapes and documents. Excerpts from the tapes may be heard here.
Needless to say, the visit was not a complete success, except perhaps for Elvis, who received his honorary badge, as well as official White House souvenirs for his male buddies who, unaware of his whereabouts for approximately forty-eight hours, had finally tracked him down in Washington, D.C., and arriving to safely ferry him home just shortly before his hard-won audience with Nixon, naturally enough joined him, and even some improvised goodies for the boys' wives. On the other hand, Elvis was asked not to mention the matter of the honorary entrance into one of the nations top law enforcement agencies, as he was seen by millions, after all, as a godless, negro-loving, pedophile communist, and the White House didn't publicly reveal that the visit had ever happened until two years later.
What is less well known is that Elvis made a second visit to the White House in 1971. It is unknown how this meeting came about, but there can be no doubt that it did take place, as it was recorded, again for unclear reasons, on the so-called "Nixon," or "Watergate Tapes." On the tapes the conversers, who sound especially "loose," discuss Nixon's impending visit to China, which had yet to be publicly announced. Elvis is heard remarking that he believes "in his heart" that Chairman Mao is "truly a good little guy" and that "Jesus has enough room in his heart for the Communists and all the rest." There is a moment of tension when Nixon makes an unbecoming remark about "the Jews" and Elvis speaks positively of his Jewish friends and "that Kissinheim [fellow]" the latter likely a reference to Henry Kissinger. Elvis later offers Nixon one of the interlocking cross-and-Star-of-David medallions that he was known to distribute among friends. The tape ends with a discussion of bowling in the Presidential bowling alley, installed by Nixon in the White House's basement.
This tape has been released as part of the process of unearthing the remains of the Nixon Presidential tapes and documents. Excerpts from the tapes may be heard here.
posted by Chris at 11:00 PM
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