Gov Docs: Elvis Presley and Government Documents   Tags: access, elvis, elvis presley, govdocs, government, government document, history, music, nixon, president, presley, rock, roll, university of south alabama federal depository collection  

In 1992, the American public voted on a matter of vital national importance: young Elvis or old Elvis?

The world of visual art has also become a repository for images of Elvis—tributary, allegorical, and satirical. Today, Elvis is the subject of works—in every form and medium possible—by artists from all over the world. His face is no longer the face of the man who sang, danced, and played the good guy on the silver screen; rather, it is the face of an icon whose character echoes the views and passions of the artists who portray him.

On the morning of December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley personally delivered a letter to the northwest gate of the White House. Written on American Airlines stationery, the five-page letter requested a meeting with President Nixon. Presley intended to present the President with a gift of a World War II-era pistol and obtain for himself the credentials of a federal agent in the war on drugs.

Elvis Aron Presley entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, on March 24, 1958, and then spent three days at the Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Reception Station. He left active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 5, 1960, and received his discharge from the Army Reserve on March 23, 1964.

Since Elvis served in the military, his file is part of the permanant holdings of the National Personnel Records Center. Elvis was no ordinary soldier—his fame meant that the Public Information Division of the U.S. Army released a statement when he completed basic training.

Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-1977), rock-n-roll singer and movie actor, was not investigated by the FBI. His name, though, appears in many different FBI files. Presley was the target of many extortion attempts investigated by the FBI. Reactions to his music and stage presentation led concerned citizens to write the FBI suggesting that it investigate Presley; we did not. And there is correspondence regarding Presley’s interest in meeting Director J. Edgar Hoover.