BY LEE PFEIFFER
Dwight Chapin was the Appointments Secretary to President Richard M. Nixon when he helped arrange the now legendary, if bizarre, meeting between Elvis Presley and the President. Elvis had made an impromptu appearance at the White House entrance and presented a hand-written letter (on airline stationary), respectfully requesting an audience with the President. Chapin didn't automatically dismiss the request and sent it up through the chain of command, eventually getting approval for the King to visit the President on that December day in 1970. In a way, Nixon and Elvis had some things in common. Both of them had revived their flagging careers through remarkable comebacks. Nixon had been in the political graveyard before being elected to the presidency in 1968, thanks in no small part to the fractious state of the Democratic party. Elvis had been mired in mediocre movies before he decided to get back to the basics by honing his craft with the intention of playing before live audiences once again. The strategies proved to be successful for both men, giving them a common bond even though Nixon was hardly a fan of Elvis or rock 'n roll music in general. Nixon did love movies and had recently praised "Patton" and "Chisum" as examples of his kind of Hollywood productions. However, the President loathed the hippie culture and the youth-driven anti-Vietnam War movement. Thus, when Elvis offered to use his influence to bring a social message of healing to young people, Nixon felt he had nothing to lose.
Click here to read Chapin's first-hand account on Politico.