The FBI Files on Elvis Presley
3/5
()
About this ebook
This book shows the dark side of American fame.
165 pages.
Contains an Appendix of 36 facsimile pages of original FBI documents.
Thomas Fensch
Thomas Fensch has published 40 books in the past 50 years--his first three were published in 1970. He has published five books about John Steinbeck; two about James Thurber; two about Dr. Seuss; the only full biography of John Howard Griffin, the author of Black Like Me, and a variety other titles.
Read more from Thomas Fensch
War Dairies from Inside Hitler's Headquarters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFBI Files on the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOskar Schindler and His List: The Man, The Book, The Film, The Holocaust and Its Survivors Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The FBI Files on John Steinbeck Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Man Who Was Walter Mitty: The Life and Work of James Thurber Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man Who Was Dr Seuss: The Life and Work of Theodor Geisel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Steinbeck and Covici: The Story of a Friendship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOf Sneetches and Whos and the Good Dr. Seuss: Essays On the Writings and Life of Theodor Geisel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Books That Haunt Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kennedy-Khrushchev Letters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnne and Emmett Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMasters of Despair Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe C.I.A. and the U-2 Program, 1954-1974 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Steinbeck's Bitter Fruit: From the Grapes of Wrath to Occupy Wall Street Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Solutions: Beginnings, Middles and Endings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFOUR Complete Sets of Felony Indictments Filed Against Donald John Trump Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChronicles from past Plague Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife, Love, Losses and Dogs: A Memoir, With Paw Prints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sordid Hypocrisy of to Protect and to Serve: Police Brutality, Corruption and Oppression in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegal Aspects of Impeachment: U.S Department of Justice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow They Survived and Why We Lost: Central Intelligence Agency Analysis, 1966: The Vietnamese Communists' Will to Persist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt the Dangerous Edge of Social Justice: Race, Violence and Death in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man Who Changed His Skin: The Life and Work of John Howard Griffin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrwell in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside Nixon's Enemies List Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind Islands in the Stream: Hemingway, Cuba, the FBI and the crook factory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The FBI Files on Elvis Presley
Related ebooks
Who Murdered Elvis? - 5th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Who Murdered Elvis? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis: Truth, Myth & Beyond: An Intimate Conversation With Lamar Fike, Elvis' Closest Friend & Confidant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inside Graceland: Elvis' Maid Remembers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Brother Elvis: The Final Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elvis Interviews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Forever: Looking Back on the Legacy of the King Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis as We Knew Him: Our Shared Life in a Small Town in South Memphis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe King’S Last Ride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Elvis Archives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis, Sherlock & Me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Presley: The Life, Loves and Tragedy of the King of Rock ‘n Roll Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ME, ELVIS. CONDEMNED BY SUCCESS Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5LIFE Remembering Elvis Presley Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elvis Fans Share Memories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Elvis Interview: A Second Chance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Presley: Caught in a Trap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Memories: The real Elvis Presley - by those who knew him Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon’T Cry Darlin’ Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Restoring My Father's Honor: A Son's Crusade Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Presley: The Man. The Life. The Legend. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5100 Things Elvis Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis in Vegas: How the King Reinvented the Las Vegas Show Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Genuine Elvis Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An Idolatrous Revolution: The Movies of Elvis Presley and The Politics of Rock & Roll Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElvis Presley: You're in the Army Now: Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll, #3 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Elvis Presley: His Music & Movies: Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Elvis Quiz and Fact Book: Questions and Facts on the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Entertainers and the Rich & Famous For You
The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bad Mormon: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: An Oprah's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magnolia Story (with Bonus Content) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mommie Dearest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Elvis and Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Counting the Cost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman in Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste: My Life Through Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scrappy Little Nobody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Is This Anything? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bowie: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The FBI Files on Elvis Presley
2 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The FBI Files on Elvis Presley - Thomas Fensch
Editor
Introduction
Elvis Presley never committed a crime.
Elvis Presley was never accused of any crime.
But for decades the FBI kept a file on Presley, not for anything he did, but for threats made against him; complaints about his public performances; an extortion attempt; mention of a paternity suit; the theft by larceny of an executive jet he owned and the alleged fraud (subsequently proven untrue) involving the sale of a 1955 Corvette he had bought new.
These behind-the-scenes files show dramatically how the FBI had to react to others involved in Presley’s world; how J. Edgar Hoover replied to citizen complaints; and how the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the FBI and field offices throughout the United States worked — often with other government law enforcement agencies — to prosecute individuals involved with crimes surrounding Presley.
In some cases, the work of the FBI and other agencies was fruitless — when death threats were received on handwritten postal cards, the FBI was unable (in the cases cited in this file) to find the writer of such threats. In other cases, such as the theft by larceny of Presley’s executive jet, individuals were accused of, and prosecuted for that crime.
In the case of the extortion threat by Laurens Johannes Griessel-Landau, material in the FBI files came from U.S. Military officials in Europe, alerted to the case by Presley himself.
These documents represent over 650 pages of FBI files in Washington DC. Other government law enforcement agencies may well have their own files about crimes against Presley; in his home town of Memphis, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, perhaps (and even elsewhere). The extent of files about crimes against Presley, located outside the files of the FBI may never be known.
The files in these pages represent, in microcosm, the behind-the-scenes life of any major national or international rock star, and other national or international entertainers. These files could well be duplicated time after time, under the name of other stars, national politicians, government leaders and, certainly in the case of death threats, against each modern President of the United States.
As a caveat to the reader: these files were originally photocopied from FBI records, then stored on a CD-Rom. The files were then reprinted from the CD-Rom; commentary and analysis by the editor was added, then the manuscript was retyped and electronically coded for publication by print-on-demand
technology.
Every effort has been made to retain the accuracy of these files; no changes have been made by the editor, save to clarify, whenever possible, material that appeared garbled.
Neither the editor nor New Century Books is responsible for any errors due to this chain of photocopying, CD-Rom storage, reprinting and eventual publication in book form.
These files show the thrust of activity against Elvis Presley throughout the years and the efforts of the FBI to react to these threats, complaints and crimes.
These files represent the raw history of our times.
The files reflect one individual, who became internationally known, and who changed not only our culture, but affected the entire western world. The files, however, represent the dark side of international fame; a side little-known to fans of Presley and his music, yet perfectly understandable to those in law enforcement and those behind the scenes in the entertainment world and in other facets of public life.
Incidents and cases in these FBI files act as a sober caveat for us all, entertainers as well as those who love them.
As an added advisory to the reader: before declassifying these formerly secret documents, the FBI has chosen to delete certain words, phrases, names, addresses, paragraphs and even whole pages of documents. Samples of the deletions (redactions, in legalese, meaning getting ready for publication) appear in the Appendix. Reasons for omitting material are not given, except for codings related to certain types of secrecy classifications.
Additional names, addresses, paragraphs, and pages related to Elvis Presley may still remain secret. The extent of any such continued secret documents is also unknown.
— Thomas Fensch
The FBI Files on Elvis Presley
The earliest set of documents in the Presley file is correspondence dated March and April, 1959 regarding a death threat made when Presley was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany. SAC
is Special Agent in Charge
of an FBI Bureau. (Copies of the letter about the threat, which is almost illegible, are in the Appendix):
TO: DIRECTOR, FBI
ATT:FBI LABORATORY
FROM: SAC, NEW YORK (62-12152)
SUBJECT:ELVIS-PRESLEY
INFORMATION CONCERNING
Enclosed herewith are the original and a Photostate of a letter dated 3/11/59, and the envelope postmarked 3/12/59, addressed to RCA VICTOR RECORDS, 155 East 24th Street, NY 10, NY, which contains information from an anonymous writer that plans had been made for a Red Army soldier to kill ELVIS PRESLEY, well-known entertainer, who is presently stationed in US Army in Germany.
Legal Department, RCA, who made letter available on 3/19/59, advised that it had been received 3/16/59, and was handled by numerous people on the staff. Stated that PRESLEY’S manager, Col. THOMAS PARKER, Box 417, Madison, Tenn., phone # Nashville 8-2858, was informed of contents of letter and he advised that letter appeared identical to letters received in past from a woman in Ohio and that FBI had already looked into matter. PARKER stated woman was nuts.
Letter contained no personal threats from writer.
Two Photostats are being forwarded for assistance of Memphis Office and it is requested that Memphis instruct Laboratory as to what action desired.
From: John Edgar Hoover, Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Subject:ELVIS PRESLEY
INFORMATION CONCERNING
Attached is a Photostat of an anonymous letter dated March 11, 1959; postmarked Canton, Ohio, and addressed to RCA Victor Records, 155 East 24th Street, New York 10, New York, which contains information to the effect that a Red Army soldier in East Germany is planning to kill Elvis Presley, a well-known entertainer, presently attached to the U. S. Army in Germany.
Legal Dept., RCA, has advised that the contents of this letter have been made available to Presley’s manager, Colonel Thomas Parker, Madison, Tennessee. For your information, during 1957 and 1958, one wrote several threatening letter to Presley. Voluntarily entered the ??, an institution for mental patients, at. The Assistant U. S. Attorney at Cleveland, Ohio, declined prosecution of for violation of the Extortion Statute in view of her mental condition.
The handwriting on the enclosed letter was examined by the FBI Laboratory and it was concluded that the handwriting was not identical with that of known specimens by
The above is being forwarded you for your information and so further investigation will be conducted by this Bureau.
REPORT
Of the
FBI
LABORATORY
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Date: April 14, 1959
FBI File No. 3-3064
Lab No. 303175 DG
Specimens received 3/25/59
Envelope postmarked CANTON OHIO MAR 12, 1959 2:30 PM,
addressed to