American History Too!

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)

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