UNREDACTED: The National Security Archive Blog

I’m planning to make Richard Nixon proud this Memorial Day weekend.  I’m gonna fire up the grill and light up some hot dogs.  In 1969, Nixon’s consumer affairs advisor, Virginia Knauer proposed a maximum fat limit of 30% for American hot dogs.  According to the preisidentialweiner blog, this action resulted in DC newspaper headlines proclaiming, “Major Administration Shift on Weenie.”

If you have a copy of that headline, send it along, I could only find this one.

In response to push-back from the hot dog industry, the President made a surprise call to Knauer and recited what Time Magazine called his “Ode to the Hot Dog.”

“Stick to your guns, Virginia,” he said. “I’m behind you 100%. I came from humble origins. Why, we were raised on hot dogs and hamburgers. We’ve got to look after the hot dog.” 

No word if this gem of encouragement can be found in the Nixon Tapes.

And here are a few other gems of important people eating hot dogs, courtesy of the presidentialweiner blog –which I absolutely recommended checking out.

Happy Memorial Day!  Pass the kraut!!