Monday, October 11, 2010

Chrome Heart Shining In The Sun

For Richard Nixon in the deep forest of Watergate, there were several roads not taken. According to official Grateful Dead biographer Dennis McNally, the band was working hard on his problem at their headquarters in San Rafael, California:
[T]he Dead's best political statement came in a 1974 letter from Ron Rakow, then president of the Grateful Dead Record Company, to President Richard Nixon. Rakow offered the threatened officeholder an idea on how to continue his administration. "We pass our solution along to you with only the remotest expectation that you will carry it out. Since, while it is brilliant, it is not extremely logical. We have concluded that the problems referred to above would disappear, as if by magic, were you to chrome the entire White House."

2 comments:

Steve Greene said...

Hello Fr. John, former Nixon Project archivist here! I looked for a WHCF: Name File entry for Ron Rakow while I worked there. Never found it. Any ideas where the document might be found?

Fr. John said...

Hi, Steve! Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been neglecting my blog since 2016! That was a quote from the book I mentioned. Maybe the author has a footnote. Thanks for reaching out.