40 years ago today, is this the best photo-op of all?
It has to be the most unlikely photo op of all time and it happened 40 years ago today. The Wall Street Journal thinks it's well worth a mention so we'll go along with that: On this day December 20 in 1971, Elvis Presley visited Richard Nixon in the White House.
Who's that with Elvis Presley?
The visit was requested by Presley in a six-page hand-written letter to the president which began , " Dear Mr President, First I would like to introduce myself. I am Elvis Presley… ".
Presley wanted to discuss what he could do to fight “the Drug Culture, the Hippie Elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc.” He suggested he could be a “Federal Agent at Large” in this service.
Nixon liked the idea. Presley got a badge of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs out of the meeting - although there is no record that he ever arrested anyone.
The pop star presented Nixon with a Colt .45 gun.
Nixon later wrote the star to thank him, passing on his good wishes to "Mrs Presley and Lisa."