Power play: When Richard Nixon (almost) visited Disney World dedication

Images via Walt Disney Archives and the Nixon Presidential Library.

The most important man in the country had a dilemma on his hands: How to get to Disney World?

The Vietnam War was an ongoing debacle, and President Richard Nixon was on the verge of making an important announcement to the American public about reducing the number of troops at the end of the war. It coincided with the time Disney World was opening in October 1971. Nixon, who loved Disney, debated for weeks whether he could make it to the festivities.

“Be a hell of a good time,” he said in the Oval Office. But Nixon knew the bad optics of appearing at Disney when he talked about ending the war that killed 60,000 Americans.

Disney World’s 50th anniversary has brought a renewed interest in the theme park’s history. One person who has studied it from a deeper angle is Bethanee Bemis, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Bemis listened to the infamous Nixon Tapes, where buried in the contents are 52 Disney mentions.

“Honestly, it was such a fun project to transcribe them because of how hilarious it was,” Bemis said. “Just picturing two politicians in suits in the Oval Office chatting about heading to Walt Disney World.”

Bemis’ specialty is political history, but she also is a Disney fan herself from spending her childhood family vacations in Orlando. For Bemis, there’s a story of how Disney fits into American history and culture, something that’s become as American as baseball and apple pie. It’s been that way since the beginning when even White House officials were excited about Disney World’s impact.

For a few moments spread over the course of several weeks, Nixon’s mind was like everybody else’s in the fall of 1971: He wanted to see the Magic Kingdom for the first time.

Disney World’s opening is “the biggest thing in Florida for many years,” said Nixon’s chief of staff, H.R. “Bob” Haldeman, according to Bemis’ transcripts.

“They also have this Hall of Presidents which has an interesting twist ‘cause they have ah, living figures of all of the Presidents, each one of ‘em talks or something, including you, which is a little awkward,” said Haldeman, who like Nixon, would soon fall from grace from the Watergate scandal. Haldeman served 18 months in prison for his role.

The two men plotted about Nixon arriving for Disney’s dedication in late October 1971. Nixon was worried about appearing at a theme park as he was making an important Vietnam War announcement.

“I probably shouldn’t go before,” Nixon said on Sept. 15, 1971.

His Chief of Staff suggested maybe Nixon could visit Disney during a preview, before the big opening.

Nixon wasn’t convinced.

He didn’t want to go to an empty park.

“You’ve gotta have people around to make a preview worthwhile; I wouldn’t want to be sitting there with Mickey the Mouse,” Nixon said.

As they talked, Nixon had a bad habit of mixing up the name Disney World with Disneyland. He got them confused. But it was clear, Nixon was a big Disney fan.

As a sitting Vice President, Nixon got a ceremonial key to Disneyland when he visited with his family in 1955 for the park’s grand opening. He returned when the park expanded, opening the Monorail and other rides in 1959.

“I think he really liked the escapism,” Bemis said. “He rode all the rides. There’s a report … where his wife Pat is saying, ‘Nixon is getting a bigger kick out of this than his children are’ as he’s sailing away on a pirate ship on Peter Pan’s Flight.”

Nixon’s love for Disney even gets a mention in his presidential library.

“Richard M. Nixon is considered the foremost Disney Fan out of any U.S. President,” according to Nixon’s presidential library’s website. “As a native of Orange County, he still holds the record for the most visits to Disneyland by any U.S. President.”

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The White House had a “beautiful plan.” They could present Disney World with a flag that flew over the White House, Haldeman suggested to Nixon on Sept. 20, 1971.

“You could present it to Mrs. Disney,” Haldeman said.

Nixon seemed open.

“I think I will still consider the idea of going to Florida that weekend,” he said.

Days later, Nixon was still wrestling with what to do.

“What the hell do we do about Disneyland?” he asked Haldeman on Oct. 5, 1971.

Haldeman called it a “Disney problem.”

“You don’t have to do it or you can do it on the way down Friday,” Haldeman said.

“Just stop down and give ‘em a flag?” Nixon asked.

“Sure,” Haldeman said.

“Make that the news,” Nixon said. “Go around and see all the rides and the Presidents thing, we bring ‘em a flag and so forth. Check that out, will you?”

A few days later, Nixon changed his mind again. Once again, he got the name wrong.

“On the Disneyland thing. I’m inclined to think that we’d better not do it; I’ll tell you why. Henry‘s [Kissinger] getting back on the 25^th and ah, we’ve got that troop announcement coming up shortly thereafter. You see what I mean?” Nixon said on Oct. 18, 1971. “I can’t do a press event until I’m ready to go on the troop announcement, see? So maybe I can’t do it that weekend.”

Nixon stuck to it this time. He wasn’t going to Disney World’s dedication ceremony on Oct. 25, 1971.

In Nixon’s place, the White House sent a flag to be flown at Magic Kingdom’s Main Street USA.

“Your kingdom of fantasy will entertain and delight millions from all ages, from all lands, and in this spirit of goodwill, I take special pleasure in presenting you with the flag of the United States which has flown over the White House,” Nixon wrote in an Oct. 23, 1971 letter to Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, for the park’s official dedication.

Bemis’ interest turned to the Nixon Tapes in the first place because she wanted to track down what happened to that flag. She listened to the tapes for clues that never popped up. Last year, Bemis tracked it down to the Disney Archives and learned The Mouse had kept it safe all these years.

“They had preserved it, and in fact they brought it back,” Bemis said.

Last year, Disney displayed the flag for public viewing in the rotunda entrance of the Hall of Presidents attraction at the Magic Kingdom.

Did Nixon ever make it to Disney World?

In Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Nixon gave his infamous “I’m not a crook” speech on Nov. 17, 1973. The Contemporary was right next door to the Magic Kingdom, but clearly, Nixon was preoccupied with other matters as his presidency was falling apart. Bemis said he didn’t make it over to the park.

Finally, in the 1980s, Nixon visited Disney World with his family, Bemis said.

Of all the places to stay, Nixon returned to the Contemporary. Bemis noted Nixon must not have harbored any hard feelings about the hotel.

The trip was magical for Nixon, who couldn’t hide his glee.

“You haven’t seen the world until you’ve seen Disney World,” the former President said, according to Bemis. “And I’ve seen 80 countries.”