FBI Elvis - Why was one of America’s most beloved musicians under federal watch?
As well as being the centre of attention for much of the American public throughout his career, Elvis Presley also became a person of interest to the FBI very early on in his career. Despite never being investigated for any criminal allegations, the FBI vault files on Elvis Presley expose his multiple dealings with extortion attempts, and the numerous complaints sparked by his early performances.
Due to his significant career, and therefore significant wealth, Elvis’s life of fame and glamour became the target of many organised crime attempts. One page in the report refers to a harassing phone call that was referred to the bureau for investigation. An employee received a phone call from an unidentified person saying they had information about an attempted assassination. They claimed the killer had a reservation for a Saturday Night performance from Elvis, and requested 50,000 dollars to identify the killer and provide the licence plate number. The FBI identified this person as potentially ‘ crazy ‘ and under the influence of LSD.
There were also numerous scam phone calls claiming Elvis had been in a Plane crash. However, the most shocking harassment investigation also included a potential threat to the president. Received from Huntsville on January 10th 1964, a postcard read “ President Elvis Presley, Memphis Tennessee “ ( the original had multiple typos ) with the other side reading “ you will be next on my list.. “. This was treated as a threat to both Elvis and the current president, this threat did not come to fruition. Despite being analysed, it did not match any writing samples and contained no defining marks, so they chose to add it to the file in case of further investigation.
In addition to extortion and threats, the FBI also received many requests to investigate Elvis Presley, specifically related to his early performances. A culture shock to the wholesome early 50s teenagers, Elvis’s seemingly provocative dancing gained as much controversy as popularity. His hip gyrations coupled with his seductive looks and voice, created a media phenomenon like no other. Many people accused him of being the devil, suggesting he should go to prison and blaming him for corrupting the youth.
One letter in the FBI vault addressed to J Edgar Hoover expressed one mothers intense disapproval for Elvis. She claims that she had written many times about his “ repulsive antics “ and that she believes “ his way of dancing has been more harmful to the youth than any other element of society”. Considering the excessive drug addictions of teenagers at this time, this stance is incredibly extreme. Another letter refers to him as a “ strip-tease with clothes on”, presenting the idea that his dancing is a form of self masturbation on stage, clearly inappropriate for the classic nuclear families of America at the time.