There was a movie on Showtime some years back about the meeting.
My favourite part was Elvis getting on a commercial flight in Memphis (with his guns!), under an assumed name, and being surprised that the pilots recognized him.
Why would they notice a man in a cape, purple jump suit a cane, massive glasses who looks and sounds just like Elvis…
I read somewhere that at the time, Nixon (not a follower of popular music) had only the vaguest notion of who Elvis was.
I don’t believe that’s true. I’m rather certain reason President Nixon approved to meet Elvis was that he knew very well who “The King” was and the President thought it would be good for his public image to shake his hand etc.
I don’t believe he would let Peter Frampton in, for instance, more or less unannounced, into the oval office, accepting the guns he provided, and left him with a badge. President Nixon knew what he was doing. That’s part of the… well, bizarrity.