Richard Nixon Invites Elvis Presley to the Oval Office
When he struggled to deliver a "peace with honor" in Vietnam, Nixon could sense he was further alienating America's youth, who never really trusted "Tricky Dick" to begin with. So he turned back time to the 1950's, and consented to an Elvis Presley request to visit the White House. This unlikely summit took place on December 21, 1970, and The King was invited to the Oval Office to discuss Presley's proposal to serve as a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Presley hoped to help the commander-in-chief turn the tide against the era's drug-filled counterculture. After meeting with Nixon, Presley posed for photos, including the iconic one seen above. He was also perhaps the lone visitor to the Nixon White House who didn't mind having his voice recorded.