Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 461 › Conversation 461-011

Nixon, Ulmer & Johnson on Personal relations and Presidential gifts

Tuesday, March 2, 1971 · 12:44 PM–12:55 PM ET · Oval Office ·9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ulmer, Ralph E.;  Ulmer, Ralph E. (Mrs.);  Ulmer, Gary;  Ulmer, Tana;  Johnson, Roger E.;  Parker, David N.;  White House photographerConversation461-011 onTape 461 (tape position 01:59:03–02:07:52)StartTuesday, March 2, 1971 at 12:44 PMEndTuesday, March 2, 1971 at 12:55 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 461-011 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon held a social meeting in the Oval Office with the Ulmer family and their associates to reminisce about past personal connections and exchange presidential memorabilia. Following an informal tour of the office and family pleasantries, the conversation shifted toward potential professional coordination between Ralph E. Ulmer and administration officials George Shultz and Caspar Weinberger regarding the National Association of County Administrators (NACA). The meeting concluded with the President facilitating arrangements for further discussions between these parties to address administrative and organizational matters.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Well, I'm a little there.
How are you?
We're not here to see you again.
Well, now, here's this family all grown up here.
This is Hannah and Gary.
It's been a long time.
Swimming in the little plastic pool that we made over here.
Gary.
Gary.
Hi, how are you?
I'm the tutor.
All right.
You all look great.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Very good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
George Fuller.
Let's look out for one or two minutes.
Look out and smile.
I just can't believe it.
They tell us the whole story of the law and so forth.
I don't know how my mother and father told me all this.
You and the two of you, you met Roger when you were living out there.
So here's another opportunity when we were out there at 7 a.m.
I remember some of you were going out there.
I'm sure you were going out there.
That's right.
With our basement.
That's right.
4th of July, so first.
Yeah, we had a very, very nice day.
Let's see, how old are you?
Thank you.
Your name?
I'm 22.
And you're 22.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Girls, they're getting those.
How are they?
I don't care, girls.
Oh, they're fine.
And you're weathering them well?
Oh, sure.
Many of them.
Well, not you.
You used to live there.
You moved.
You moved out.
Yeah, I knew that.
I helped you to move.
We drove by there from time to time.
I hope they take you around for us.
I remember when you used to drive up there or walk along on Christmas night.
Another thing, I know they've been walking up.
Bob didn't walk.
He drove by on Christmas.
And it shows you how the community has changed.
You notice how few Christmas lights there were in the old days.
They have a Christmas tree.
It's interesting how very few.
And I wondered if the composition of the area had changed.
Or if it was just that it was getting older.
Which is, or it's deeper.
Some said that they put the lights on the ceiling so they just don't feel it.
Do you remember, do you remember the old days how they had competition and everything?
Yes, yes, yes.
Do you remember the dollhouse across the street on, on, on, on?
Do you remember?
Always had sort of a little dollhouse, the one that's right there after you're looking at it.
And I noticed a few of my sons were thinking about life.
And I thought, well, these people are old and scared and don't celebrate Christmas.
Why don't they crash off?
They're all crazy.
They're all crazy.
They're all crazy.
They're all crazy.
At the end of the video, I can't tell you, but I have a little something you brought with me.
You've got a presidential cup.
It's the President of the American Federation.
I do think the President is a tough guy.
I'm sure he won't need that.
I've heard of those double cups.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You generally go, good, you're lucky.
I don't either, I quit the game.
Let's see why I play birds.
So, we just have to search.
And, uh, let me see what we can have here for you.
You've been in this room before.
And nobody has you out on the tours, no.
They don't.
Just see, listen, see what he does.
I'm reintroducing her.
That's the man who's supposed to manage the party.
And the overall presentation, it changes at various times.
Usually over the years it's had a white carpet, but that's a miserable thing here.
You know, it looks white for a day and then brown.
So this is new.
My wife loves that.
All right.
All right.
That's the main part of Washington that you never see.
People don't think it's Washington, but it was Washington in its earlier years, made by the older people, the fathers, and the younger people.
We wish you the very best.
For all of you, we remember you so fondly.
How have you all grown up so well?
We wish you the very best.
That's a good age.
That's a good year.
We wish you the best.
This is a good idea.
It's a matter of fact.
I think it's a better one.
It's a better one to talk to.
Oh, he's my California name.
He's got some ideas for how we can do it.
I wanted to talk to Kat.
I wanted to talk to Kat about, you know, because you work in a family.
They work in a family.
They work in a family.
They work with each other because
We've run a tight ship in NACA.
NACA has a tremendous amount of money, but we've lost this ship.
So big things come from the low end.
And we've got 3 billion people saving small amounts of money.
I know this is work.
I'd like to talk to someone.
And you talk to Cap and Raj on the way around it.
Mr. C, don't try to have your ears cut off.
Good luck.

NARA Description

On March 2, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Ralph E. Ulmer, Mrs. Ralph E. Ulmer, Gary Ulmer, Tana Ulmer, Roger E. Johnson, David N. Parker, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:44 pm and 12:55 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 461-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 461-11
Date: March 2, 1971
Time: 12:44 pm - unknown before 12:55 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Ulmer, Gary Ulmer, Tana Ulmer, Roger E.
Johnson, and David N. Parker; the White House photographer was present at the beginning of
the meeting

     Greetings

     George Fuller

     President’s parents

     Johnson
          -President’s previous meeting

     Ulmer children’s ages

     President’s family

     Ulmer family
         -Location of current home
         -Former neighborhood
               -Christmas lights

     Presidential gifts
          -Cufflinks
          -Golf balls
                -President’s golf
          -Pins
          -Tie clasps
     Oval Office
          -White House tour
          -Carpet
                -Seal
          -Portrait of George Washington

     Farewells

Mrs. Ulmer, G. and T. Ulmer, and Parker left at 12:53 pm

     [Unintelligible]

     George P. Shultz

     Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
          -Possible meeting with R. E. Ulmer
          -National Association of County Administrators [NACA] and another organization
               [Name unintelligible]
4         -Possible meeting with R. E. Ulmer

R. E. Ulmer and Johnson left at an unknown time before 12:55 pm

Also recorded on March 2, 1971

  • 461-010 12:07 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Targut Menemencioglu, Emil ("Bus") Mosbacher, Jr., Christopher Van Hollen, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Warren E. Burger, John W. Dean, III, John N. Mitchell, Edward L. Wright, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:44 pm.
  • 049-002 12:44 PM — unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 12:44 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 461-012 12:53 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Peter Heltemes, Jack Heltemes, Mrs. Jack Heltemes, Jack Heltemes, Jr., Holly Heltemes, Robert J. Dole, Robert Young, Mrs. Robert Young, David N. Parker, and George Bill met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:53 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 049-008 1:07 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 1:07 pm on March 2, 1971 and 8:32 am on March 8, 1971.
  • 049-010 1:07 PM — Unknown person(s) met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 1:07 pm on March 2, 1971 and 8:32 am on March 8, 1971.
  • 049-011 1:07 PM · 9 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 1:07 pm on March 2, 1971 and 8:32 am on March 8, 1971.
  • 461-013 1:07 PM · 6 sec — unknown person(s) and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:07 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 461-014 1:08 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Kenneth R. Lyons, Charles W. Colson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 1:08 pm to 1:23 pm.

All 21 conversations from March 2, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 461-011, March 2, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/461-011 (accessed September 18, 2026).