Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 461 › Conversation 461-012
Nixon, Ziegler & Heltemes on Easter Seal Society and Hollywood
Tuesday, March 2, 1971 · 12:53 PM–1:07 PM ET · Oval Office ·14 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met in the Oval Office with the Heltemes family—the 1971 Easter Seal poster family—accompanied by Senator Robert Dole and other guests. The meeting served as a ceremonial event to honor the poster child and distribute presidential gifts, including Apollo-themed viewers and cufflinks. Following the departure of the Heltemes group, Nixon held a broader discussion with his remaining visitors regarding the state of the film industry, expressing his preference for family-oriented entertainment and criticizing the prevalence of explicit content in modern movies.
- Easter Seal Society
- Presidential scheduling
- Hollywood
- Film industry
- Family values
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Click a timestamp to play from that point.
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
The boy here.
Stand up, stand up, stand up.
Well, I should.
Oh, I know.
These are real, buddy.
Now, can you do it?
Can you do it?
Can you do it?
Oh, come on.
Let's do it again.
Watch this.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're the best salesman I've got, look up here.
We're all going to like you.
Thank you.
Now, let's see, we've got a few little hips.
Look at this.
Oh, here we go.
These are, here's the Apollo viewer, you know, who just gave us an astronaut.
This is something you can take and you can look and see what they see under the stars, you know.
And you all can see it too.
You watch Apollo, right?
Anyone say Apollo?
Yeah?
Well, we watch it now.
And let's see.
Now let's see for everybody else.
Now let's see, now what are we going to do?
Here you go.
Senator, you stop.
I'll get a guy to pick it up.
And all the other people here, you can shoot them later.
He's a grand president.
Yes.
Well, how are you?
Other grandparents are asking about you.
I'm sorry.
Fargo, right?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Oh, that's good.
Oh, you do?
One of the classy guys.
I know all of you.
All of you get these things, too.
I guess we have to go around.
Yes, sir.
We have to go.
We'll take care of all of them.
Oh, that smile, you're gonna make rocks.
Thank you for watching.
Hello, how are you?
Mr. Bell.
Where's that right there?
Go on.
Hi, how are you?
And all the kids, you know, from, uh...
They're all girls?
Yes.
They're all married.
They all married.
Three are.
Three are married.
Now, they've got some two of them.
Bob, you've made golf?
Yes.
Yes, you too?
Yes.
You've made golf?
Yes.
You've made golf?
Yes.
You've made golf?
Yes.
No, I'm not a golfer.
Well, if you have two more of them, you're a couple of aces, my guy.
I was thinking about the wheelchairs.
I don't have an excuse.
I was the worst daughter in my family.
I don't want to work.
I sure will.
Well, we're so delighted to see you.
I don't look at it much, but you know, when you see a good, clean, decent program like Boston, they should be growing.
We're also going to have a lot of good people.
We are getting a lot of great guys.
I'm a friend, and I do a lot of great stuff.
And I'd rather not make fun of the success of the show.
You know, I was talking to you the other day
He was here, you know, he was out in the fields.
After we saw our son off, he was very brave.
He did it, sitting in front of Jack.
He told me, you know, Charlie, this line has never happened.
You know him good.
The president was being active.
He killed his son.
He wired him.
about these, what is happening, that these, these movies, and of course Hollywood produces its share of lousy movies, both on the television and Star Trek, too, but these movies that they, some of these were broad, they said, I didn't see it at all, and he got all the time, and sure he did, and he said, that's all, that's that.
cost $40,000 to $35,000 to produce and make $15,000,000 a day.
But we just got to stop that kind of stuff from coming to this country because their jobs in Hollywood don't make it.
But also Hollywood brings on this stuff so that families can look at it, you know.
I don't just swear to stuff, I understand.
We all understand the words and it isn't like it was in the old days where we never showed
or something like that, and we understand that, but they've gone completely over the internet, and there's more of them, you know, other than the original.
It's a mask, it's just, you know, I have guards that are out there, they're pretty lively, some of them, Julie's the other day, she said she saw the movie, and she said that the director general was mad at him, and she said he was alive.
I agree, it's not a little embarrassing.
I'm not in front of you, sir.
Right, very good.
I just think it would be better.
What do you think?
I think the people will look at it.
Absolutely.
Well, the proof of the point that you take, two of the greatest all-time horses in the airport didn't sound beautiful.
Both of these pictures were.
Yeah, yeah.
I think so.
I think so.
The younger people, it's amazing, they're interested in the material that's been shown.
I know!
So that's how quickly they can get rid of it, right?
And the fact that it has an enlarged audience, trying to be fun, young people with heights, it should be a very local sign.
I'm all, really very all for it.
Frank, I have one word for our panic show.
There's a deal with that.
Well, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I, if I,
We'll see you now.
Thank you.
Bye.
NARA Description
On March 2, 1971, 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. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 461-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 461-12
Date: March 2, 1971
Time: Unknown after 12:53 pm until 1:07 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler
President’s schedule
-Easter Seal meeting
-Press
-Heltemes family
-Poster child
Peter Heltemes, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Heltemes, David Heltemes, Jack Heltemes, Jr., Holly
Heltemes, Robert J. Dole, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Young, David N. Parker, and George Bill entered
at 12:55 pm; members of the press were present at the beginning of the meeting
[Unintelligible]
Easter Seal Poster Child
-Importance
[Unintelligible]
Presidential gifts
-Apollo viewmaster
-Cufflinks and pins
[General conversation]
Young
-A telethon
-A meeting with the President in 1961
-Christmas
-University of Southern California
Ziegler, the Heltemes, Dole, Parker, and Bill left at an unknown time before 1:07 pm
-Family
San Clemente
Young family
Young
-Golf
-Presidential golf balls
[General conversation]
Leslie T. (“Bob”) Hope
-Christmas show
-Talk with President
-Previous meeting with the President
Movies
-Telegram
-Charlton Heston
-Screen Actors’ Guild
-Foreign films
-Costs
-Effect on Hollywood
-”I am Curious Yellow”
-Need for family entertainment
-Trend
-President’s view
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
-”Airport” and “Sound of Music”
-”Around the World in Eighty Days”
-Older movies
-Young people’s interest
Farewells
Mr. and Mrs. Young left at 1:07 pmAlso recorded on March 2, 1971
- 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.
- 461-011 12:44 PM · 9 min — 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.
- 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 — 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.
- 461-015 1:27 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 1:27 pm and 1:35 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 461-012, 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/461-012 (accessed September 18, 2026).