According to declassified FBI documents, the king of rock and roll admired the work of the FBI and wanted to become a bureau informant. On this occasion, he met with US President Richard Nixon, in a conversation with whom he demanded to expel John Lennon from the country.
The US secret services, unlike their Russian counterparts, are democratic and progressive: they upload files of declassified documents to the Internet. Anyone can look under the same FBI hat and study photocopies of personal files collected, for example, on Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra, Jean Seberg and many others.
The first director of the FBI, Edgar Hoover, began to pursue the policy of actively looking after art (and, where necessary, directing the work of creators in the right direction) in the States. He closely followed all the films in which his organization appeared, and even personally attended the set when the films about the FBI were filmed. Not without his participation in the press, the persecution of the "communist" Charlie Chaplin was launched - the great comedian did not want to cooperate with him and allowed himself to laugh at Hoover. Patriotic citizens reacted to the “stamping” in the press, shouting at the pickets: “Chaplin is a fellow traveler of the Reds!”, “Get out of our country!”, “Send Chaplin to Russia!”
Chaplin was not the only one - the fear of the danger of the socialist threat forced the special services to control even ultra-patriots such as Elvis Presley, whom there was probably no one more loyal in the United States. For example, he donated seven thousand dollars to the Los Angeles Police Department to support the public safety program (this was the largest donation in the history of the program). Presley gifted soldiers returning from Vietnam with money, and patriotic politicians with collectible weapons, sang in front of recruits whom the country sent to war.
The FBI, however, had a large dossier on Elvis. As noted on the website of the organization, not all secret documents have been made public yet, but even they are enough to understand that, despite thousands of books and TV shows, we do not know everything about the king of rock and roll. From the published archives of President Nixon and the FBI, we learn, for example, that Elvis studied communist propaganda, the work of the special services, wanted to be a secret inquisitor of pop culture in the United States and reported to the special services on informal free thinkers.
Photo: Walter Lindlar / AP
A letter to sly Dick
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It all started with a chance encounter on an airplane with Republican Senator George Murphy from California on board with the king. They got into a conversation, Presley, according to the senator's staff, was happy with his fellow traveler, and they discussed the country's problems for a long time.
There was something to talk about: the end of the 60s - the beginning of the 70s was a turbulent and alarming time for the powers that be, the streets of cities, universities came under the control of left-wing radical students, informals and fighters for world peace. The student revolution in France, fueled by increased student unemployment, escalated into a general strike involving 10 million people. The political crisis led to a change of government and the resignation of French President Charles de Gaulle.
This could not but worry the patriotic citizens, politicians and the US intelligence services, who were confident that all this could spill over like a fever to the United States, and indeed set a bad example for American youth. The country waged a difficult war in Vietnam, and after the introduction of troops into Cambodia, the United States was overwhelmed by unprecedented student protests. The so-called new left and hippies actively involved more and more members in the anti-war protest.
The movement of "Black Panthers", a left-wing radical organization of African Americans, who demanded more and more rights for the black population of the country, grew stronger. The antiwar marches were peaceful at first, but the authorities did not react, and then the degree of hatred began to grow. There were bloody clashes with the police - we are talking about a drama at the University of Kent on May 4, 1970, where the Ohio National Guard fighters shot students (then four people were killed). The blood of young people, two of whom did not participate at all in the protest, brought down the rating of President Richard Nixon and made the authorities think hard. A few months later, the president withdrew troops from Cambodia and froze the operation in Vietnam.
Presley was worried about the situation in the country. After listening to the singer on the plane, Senator Murphy advised him to contact the president directly. The musician on airline letterheads quickly wrote a letter to US President Richard Nixon asking for a meeting, supplementing it with his short autobiography. Then he himself took the message to Washington, staying awaiting an answer in one of the hotels under the name of Colonel John Burroughs.
The meeting between the president and the singer took place on December 21, 1970. There are still a number of great photos of Nixon and Presley shaking hands. There were few details in the press about the meeting, only official data were published that the singer supported Nixon's policies, and the mention of a new badge in the singer's collection, which the president gave him. For example, the Washington Post wrote: “Rock and roll star and police fan Elvis Presley, who collects law enforcement badges and donates thousands of dollars to the police and charities, was very emotional at the meeting with the president and was so overwhelmed that that Nixon gave him a gilded Bureau of Narcotics badge, that tears welled up in his eyes and that he trapped President Nixon in the bear hug of Hollywood."
A letter from Elvis to Nixon
Now, when there is an opportunity to look at a photocopy of that very letter on six forms and read the report on the meeting between Nixon and Presley, we can conclude that the badge was just a bright detail for the yellow press and ordinary people, laughing at the king's quirks, like a new episode of their favorite soap opera. In a letter to President, Presley expressed his concern for the fate of the country and urged to use him to work for the good of the Motherland, since her enemies did not consider him a person connected with the authorities. He was confident that he could act calmly among them. Here are excerpts from the letter:
“Dear Mr. President. First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Elvis Presley and I admire you and have tremendous respect for your office. Three weeks ago, I spoke with Vice President Agnew and expressed to him my concern and concern for the fate of our country. Narcotics, hippies, SDS, Black Panthers and so on do not see me as their enemy or, as they put it, a man of the establishment. And I call it all America and I love my country. Sir, I am happy to offer my services to help our country emerge from the crisis. I don't need titles, ranks or high-ranking appointments. I would do a lot of good if they just made me a federal agent. I would work through my own channels, because I have many acquaintances of all ages and from different social backgrounds. Of course,first of all, I am an artist, and so I will remain, but all I need is federal powers.
[…]
I will stay here (I mean a hotel in Washington DC - approx. "Lenta.ru") as long as it takes to get the powers of a federal agent that I need. I have deeply studied the problem of drug addiction and the methods of the communists' brainwashing, and I am happy to help on any issue, but under the conditions of the strictest secrecy."
As you can see, Elvis was deeply worried about what was happening in the country and showed his knowledge of the political situation. The SDS mentioned in Elvis's letter was the then-famous Students for a Democratic Society, one of those organizations that brought thousands of opponents of the war to the streets. About 25 thousand people came to the SDS demonstration in Washington, after which this organization became the leader of the student protest. She carried out campaigns across the country, and her cells grew on student campuses like mushrooms after rain.
The king is visiting the president
According to documents posted in Nixon's archives, his assistants Dwight Chapin and Egil Bad Krogh were involved in preparing the meeting with Presley. The latter held a preliminary meeting with Presley and was delighted with the singer's patriotism. However, if you look into the plan for the upcoming meeting between Nixon and Presley, in the part where the five points of the proposal for cooperation are set out, they obviously wanted to use it in their own way, not at all as he suggested in the letter. They wanted to offer him to become an anti-drug consultant for the non-profit organization The Advertising Council, which was engaged in social advertising, to appear on television with anti-drug propaganda and, finally, to record an anti-drug music album with the usual name Get High on Life, under which it would then be possible to gather the movement musicians for a healthy lifestyle.
A letter from Elvis to Nixon
That was not what the king wanted at all. Here is what Bud Krogh, who was present at the meeting, wrote: “Presley repeated once again that his business was just to sing. He said that he would not have been able to achieve the desired effect from the audience if he had just gone on stage with a speech. Apparently, this was a response to Nixon's proposal to speak with propaganda on TV. Presley guessed that he was misunderstood and went on the attack (quote from Krogh's report): “The Beatles are the force that carries the anti-American spirit. The Beatles came to the US, made their money, and then returned to England, where they continued to use the anti-American theme, "Presley said. The President nodded in agreement, but it was obvious that he was surprised. Nixon told the singer that among those who are at the forefront of anti-American protests are drug addicts. Violence, drug use, dissent,protest is what drives these groups of young people."
Krogh went on to note how Presley, in a very emotional manner, began to prove to Nixon that he was “on his side”, that he wanted to “restore respect for the flag that had been lost,” and that he, a simple guy from Tennessee, felt obligated to his homeland, therefore “for more than ten years he studied how communists are brainwashed and how drug culture works in the United States. " He also said that he could "go straight to a youth company or hippie hangout and be accepted there so much that it even allows him to become a dealer himself."
Nixon assured Presley of his confidence in him, after which the singer hugged the president. Alas, what Nixon said about the patriotic speech, except for one phrase recorded by Krogh in the report, is unknown, but it is easy to guess from further events. On the websites of fans of the musician's creativity, already in our time, this meeting and a letter to the president are explained as follows: Elvis was so fond of collecting badges of law enforcement agencies that, for the sake of the badge of an anti-drug agent, he allegedly went for a trick and circled Nixon around his finger. Elvis biographer Peter Guralnik adheres to the same version, and the attack on the Beatles was supposedly simple envy of their success against the background of his creative stagnation. However, these logical constructions are destroyed by the king himself.
Visit to the Minotaur
On December 31, 1970, Presley visited the FBI on a guided tour. The bureau chief himself was not in town, but Elvis was still delighted with the event. Agent Jones described the singer's visit in his report to Hoover: “Presley said he was a longtime admirer of Mr. Hoover and had read all of his books: The Master of Deception, A Study of Communism, and Edgar Hoover on Communism. Presley noted that, in his opinion, no one has ever done as much for their country as Mr. Hoover, and he, Presley, considers the director one of the "greatest living Americans", in addition, he confessed to us that "long hair and the odd way of dressing is just a trick of his business."
Edgar Hoover
During a conversation with the FBI, Presley again lashed out at the Beatles (meanwhile, he had a badge for a long time): “Presley noted that the Beatles laid the foundation for problems between the state, society and youth in the United States. In the early and mid-60s, while visiting our country, they corrupted young people with dirty, unkempt looks and suggestive music."
This time, the king did not limit himself to the Beatles and suggested that the FBI take a closer look at the actress Jane Fonda, known for her anti-war and socialist views, as well as the work of the Smother's Brothers, singers and humorists, brothers Richard and Thomas Smathers. They had the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a popular television show in the late 60s, in which they allowed themselves to criticize the authorities and, again, pacifist statements. He named other unreliable participants in the entertainment industry, but Agent Jones did not literally quote Presley's speech, limiting himself to his final words: “All of them will be held accountable on Judgment Day for poisoning young minds with disgust for the United States in their public speeches and their dubious activities.
Finally, Presley asked Agent Jones to personally convey to Hoover his proposal, which Jones did: “Presley spoke of his desire to inform the director that from time to time he was approached by individuals from groups inside and outside the entertainment industry, whose motives and goals (he is convinced of this) are directed against the interests of the United States, and that they periodically want to use his name in their dubious activities. In this regard, he wants to report them to the bureau on a confidential basis and then provide information to the bureau when it comes across such a thing. In addition, he asked to convey to the director of the FBI that if the bureau needs his services, he will just be happy to provide any help."
It is interesting to follow the change in attitudes towards Presley on the part of the FBI agents before and after meeting with him - according to the reports, it is clear that he simply charmed them. Here is what they wrote before the meeting: “It should be noted that Presley is not the type of person with whom the director could meet. Presley has shoulder-length hair and a defiant extravagant dress. Attached is a photo of Presley, taken from today's Washington Post - it shows well Presley's behavior and manner of dress."
And here is the opinion from the report of Agent Jones after the meeting: “Presley really gives the impression of a sincere young man who is aware of the many problems faced by our country. Considering his unique position in show business, his favorable responses to the director and the bureau and his offer to help us, as well as the fact that his merits were recognized by the Chamber of Commerce and the President, we suggest sending him a letter on behalf of the director."
Hoover was apparently flattered, and on January 4, 1971, wrote a letter to Elvis Presley to Colonel Burroughs: “Please excuse me for not being able to meet with you during your tour of the bureau. I hope you enjoyed it. We highly appreciated your kind opinion about our bureau, and I assure you that we constantly remember your offer of cooperation with us. Yours sincerely, Edgar Hoover.
There are no publicly available documents confirming Presley's further cooperation with the FBI, but this does not at all mean that such a super-professional like Hoover did not take advantage of Elvis's offer to become a Trojan horse in the camp of hippies and free-thinkers. However, judging by the personal folder of John Lennon in the FBI archives, Hoover knew almost everything about the Beatle even without Elvis, right down to how much "weed" he used and who was selling it to him. The FBI had the same information on Presley and many others.
It is worth emphasizing once again that the lack of publicly available documents does not mean that the king soon lost interest in the FBI, and Hoover, after such praise, did not want to personally talk with the eccentric patriot. The fact that there were such contacts is evidenced by journalist and music activist Chris Hutchins in the Daily Mail: “Whenever Elvis heard the name of John Lennon, he was furious, - recalls a close friend of Presley, popular singer Tom Jones, - His dislike for the Beatle was associated with his pacifism. Presley formed an alliance with FBI Director Edgar Hoover and urged him to throw Lennon out of the United States. When Presley discussed with Jones the FBI's actions towards Lennon, he said: "I told him that he should have kicked him out long ago."
Elvis Nixon's Gift
By that time, John Lennon had left the Beatles and moved to live with Yoko Ono in the United States, where he was actively involved in politics and participated in the anti-war movement. In the FBI dossier, his name is directly associated with all the Anglo-American political radicals of that time. Lennon and his wife lived in New York since 1971, but if Ono received permission to live in 73, Lennon was categorically denied this. He had to fight for the right to live in the United States for five years.
The KGB and the FBI know everything
The Soviet special services were well aware of Elvis's new "hobby". Already in 1979 in the magazine "Rovesnik" there was published an exposing article with the heading "What was Colonel Burroughs singing about?", Where young Soviet music lovers were told how Elvis was cooperating with the FBI. The attitude of the thinking public to the Soviet press, and especially to materials of such content, can be characterized by the phrase of Professor Preobrazhensky from "Heart of a Dog": "Do not read Soviet newspapers until lunchtime." Particular skepticism among the intelligentsia was caused by instructions in the following spirit: “What kind of“cooperation”it was - we do not yet know, since information about this side of Presley's activities is still a state secret. However, it is clear that Hoover's letter is undoubtedly proof that the "rebellious" hero of rock and roll, a personwhom young Americans so believed was an FBI informant."
The version presented in a Soviet magazine did not take root among music lovers, although it received an almost anecdotal circulation among the people. So, for example, in one of the verses of a humorous song, the bard Timur Shaov has the following words:
“Petrarch was a bore, And Sartre is a communist, And Presley was a sexot -
He knocked on the Beatles."
It is curious that in the FBI reports in the last months of the life of the king of rock and roll, the spy records who Elvis buys drugs from, how he went through with doses, worried about the reality of a lethal outcome. Despite all the king's love for the FBI, the secret services turned out to be cold to Elvis's illness, although they had every opportunity to prolong his life. Presley died in his closet on August 16, 1977 from a lethal dose of sedatives.
Alexey Sochnev
