Incredible Stories Behind 7 Historical Photos

7. Richard Nixon & Elvis Presley, 1970, White House

On December 21, 1970, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll secretly met with the nation’s 37th president in the Oval Office, an event documented by White House photographer Ollie Atkins. The meeting came about after Presley showed up unannounced at the White House gates earlier that morning and dropped off a handwritten letter of introduction for the president stating he wanted to be of service to the country and suggesting he be made a “Federal Agent-at-Large” to help fight America’s war on drugs. After the letter found its way into the hands of a Nixon aide, Presley was ushered in to meet the president that afternoon.

During the get-together, the entertainer reiterated his wish to be helpful to the president, shared his belief that the Beatles promoted anti-Americanism and said he’d been studying Communist brainwashing and the drug culture. Presley, who collected guns and police badges, then asked Nixon if he could get him a federal narcotics agent badge, a request that was granted later that day. Also at Presley’s request, his confab with the commander-in-chief was kept under wraps and the media didn’t learn about it until the following year. In 1977, the music legend, who never ended up working with the White House, died of heart failure, suspected to have been related to his abuse of prescription drugs.

Credits: history.com