The facts are absurdly simple: Elvis Presley drove up to the White House gate, handed over a letter addressed for the president's eyes only, and a few hours later was holding an audience with Richard M. Nixon.
"You don't plan a meeting like this," said Egil "Bud" Krogh, a Nixon aide and the lone survivor of the full meeting between the king of rock 'n' roll and the president of the United States. "It just happens."
It happened 25 years ago today, two days after Elvis stormed out of his Memphis mansion, Graceland, because he was tired of his father and wife hounding him over the $85,000 he spent on six Mercedes-Benzes and the $38,000 he spent on guns--all as Christmas presents.
"It's my money," Elvis told them in a boyish fit.
And then he did something he had never done before. He left. Alone. He boarded a commercial airline flight from Memphis to Washington, D.C.
There, he had second thoughts about doing this on his own. He called Jerry Schilling in Los Angeles and flew west to meet him.
On the flight back to Washington, Elvis wrote a six-page letter on American Airlines stationery requesting a meeting with the president--and delivered it first thing in the morning at the White House's Northwest Gate. (See accompanying story on this page.)
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Dwight Chapin, a political strategist who knew what the president liked, red-tagged the letter to Krogh, which is to say he made it a high-priority message. Krogh got it five minutes later, about 8:50 a.m.
A veteran of Chapin's practical jokes, Krough was skeptical.
He thought the handwriting was of grade-school quality, but it seemed incredibly sincere in its patriotic nature and offer "to be of any service that I can to help The Country out."
"After looking at it, it seemed even beyond the skill of Dwight Chapin to fabricate such a letter," said Krogh, who last year wrote the book "The Day Elvis Met Nixon" (Pejama Press), from notes he took that day--about four months before Nixon had the Oval Office bugged.
So Krogh, knowing the letter was either true or a sensational prank, bit on the invitation. He called the Washington Hotel and asked for "Jon Burrows," Elvis Presley's traveling alias.
Schilling answered the phone. Yes, Elvis could be there about 10 a.m. Elvis was not at the hotel, but was instead with John Finlator, deputy director of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Finlator was in the process of denying Elvis' request for a federal agent's badge.
Krogh began setting in motion the process by which someone meets the president. Among the things he needed was an OK from White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, who wrote on the memo from Chapin, "You must be kidding," but approved anyway.
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Elvis arrived at 10:10 a.m. Krogh, set for a premeeting interview, couldn't believe what Elvis wore.
Standard attire for male guests to the Nixon White House was black, dark gray or blue business suits with white shirts. It was not deep purple crushed velvet suits, silk shirts with high collars, heavy jewelry. And certainly not a cape.
"I love my country, and I care a lot about my family and friends," Elvis told Krogh, Nixon's top drug enforcement advisor. "I'd like to do what I can to help out."
Despite Elvis' abuse of prescription drugs leading up to his death in 1977, he denounced street drugs at every opportunity.
When their five-minute meeting ended, Krogh red-tagged another memo to Chapin, who called back right away. The meeting was a go.
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There was a last-minute hitch. Paul Duncan, the head of the president's Secret Service detail, called Krogh at 11:45 a.m.
"We've got a little problem here," Duncan said.
No one had said anything about a gun, the World War II chrome-plated Colt .45 with seven silver bullets inside a display case.
"I just thought the president would like to have a gun like that," Elvis said. "It's a real collector's gun."
"I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Krogh told him. "A beautiful gift like that usually ends up being prominently displayed in the presidential library after the president leaves office." (It's on display as Exhibit 119 in the Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda.)
A short time later, the gun in the Secret Service's possession, Krogh took Elvis to the Oval Office.
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Elvis paused at the door, observed the room, then walked hesitantly toward the president.
"He seemed to be awed if not overwhelmed by it all," Krogh said.
Nixon got up from his desk. "It's very good to meet you, Mr. Presley. I appreciate your offer to help us on the drug problem."
Elvis didn't respond, but just kept smiling.
Krogh chimed in, saying that Elvis felt he could reach a lot of young people through his music to help them stay off or get off drugs.
Finally, after some awkward silence, Elvis spoke: "Mr. President, thank you for seeing me. I'd like to show you some pictures of my family and some of my badges."
