Q:Anything on Elvis
Looking for a little less conservation, a little more Elvis?
You can find all our past posts on “the King” with the #elvis-presley tag.
But we’re also partial to this animated gif from our colleagues at OurPresidents:
Transmittal and Certificate of Achievement awarded to Sergeant Elvis A. Presley …”in recognition of faithful and efficient performance of duty and for outstanding service to the United States Army.”, 02/24/1960
Nixon’s Surprise Visit from Elvis
President Richard Nixon shakes hands with Elvis Presley in the Oval Office. Presley was born on January 8, 1935, and Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 (100 years ago tomorrow).
Incidentally, the photo from this impromptu meeting on December 21, 1970, is among the most requested from the National Archives. The Elvis-Nixon meeting draws more inquiries than the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
Birthday cheers for Elvis and Nixon!
More — Elvis Presley’s surprise visit to the Nixon in the White House
-from the Nixon Library
Elvis is in the Archives!
via NARAtions » Tag It Tuesday! Elvis Edition
Tag It Tuesday’s all shook up! Today’s Document and our pals over at the Our Presidents tumbler are celebrating “Elvis in the Archives” week and we thought we’d join the fun. Sure, the King is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but you can also find him in the National Archives. Included in the Archives’ holdings are the famous image of the Oval Office meeting between President Richard Nixon and Elvis; Elvis’ Official Military Personnel File (OMPF); and a case file regarding copyright infringement and Elvis’ song “Too Much”. We also have a large number of images of Graceland on the occasion of its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
Don’t be cruel! Get tagging! Tag Elvis-related records » and tag our digital images of Graceland »
Presley responded that he did his thing by “just singing.”
Elvis Presley arrives unannounced at the gate of the White House. He is there to see President Nixon and he is ready to sign up as a federal agent to combat drugs. It’s December 21, 1970.
What happens next? A Nixon Aide took these notes:
“The meeting opened with pictures taken of the President and Elvis Presley.
Presley immediately began showing the President his law enforcement paraphernalia including badges from police departments in California, Colorado and Tennessee…
The President mentioned that he thought Presley could reach young people, and that it was important for Presley to retain his credibility. Presley responded that he did his thing by ‘just singing.’ He said that he could not get to the kids if he made a speech on the stage, that he had to reach them in his own way. The President nodded in agreement…
Presley indicated to the President in an very emotional manner that he was ‘on your side.’” Read More
No video was taken of the President meeting The King, but here’s a sequence put together from the White House contact sheets.
From the Nixon Library - Elvis in the Oval Office
“Presley Presley
IS OUR CRY
P-R-E-S-L-E-Y”
-Letter to President Eisenhower from “Elvis Presley Lovers” Linda Kelly, Sherry Bane, and Mickie MattsonElvis Presley was drafted for the U.S. Army in December, 1957. This letter from the Eisenhower Library was written by three fans in Montana who pleaded to the President:
“You don’t no how we feel about him, I really don’t see why you have to send him in the Army at all, but we beg you please please don’t give him a G.I. hair cut, oh please please don’t! If you do we will just about die!”
On the right is the Acknowledgement of Service Obligation signed by Pvt E-1 Elvis Aron Presley. The National Archives holds Elvis’ Official Military Personnel file, take a peek here.
R.I.P. Elvis Presley
This photograph of Richard Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley in the Oval Office was taken on December 21, 1970. Elvis died on August 16, 1977.
