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December 29, 1973

Introduction

This almanac page for Saturday, December 29, 1973, pulls together various records created by the federal government and links to additional resources which can provide context about the events of the day.

Previous Date: Friday, December 28, 1973

Next Date: Sunday, December 30, 1973

Schedule and Public Documents

  • The Daily Diary files represent a consolidated record of the President's activities. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    The President's day began at San Clemente, California

  • The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents made available transcripts of the President's news conferences; messages to Congress; public speeches, remarks, and statements; and other Presidential materials released by the White House.

    Digitized versions can be found at HathiTrust.

  • Each Public Papers of the Presidents volume contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the White House Office of the Press Secretary during the time period specified by the volume. The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the text note.

    To ensure accuracy, remarks have been checked against audio recordings (when available) and signed documents have been checked against the original, unless otherwise noted. Editors have provided text notes and cross references for purposes of identification or clarity.

  • The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other Presidential documents.

    No Federal Register published on this date

Archival Holdings

Any selection of archival documents will necessarily be partial. You should use the documents and folders identified below as a starting place, but consult the linked collection finding aids and folder title lists and the collections themselves for context. Many documents to be found this way do not lend themselves to association with specific dates, but are essential to a complete understanding of the material.

  • The National Archives Catalog is the online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records. It is the main way of describing our holdings and also provides access to electronic records and digitized versions of our holdings. 

    The Catalog searches across multiple National Archives resources at once, including archival descriptions, digitized and electronic records, authority records, and web pages from Archives.gov and the Presidential Libraries. The Catalog also allows users to contribute to digitized historical records through tagging and transcription.

    Nixon Library Holdings

    All National Archives Units

National Security Documents

  • The President's Daily Brief is the primary vehicle for summarizing the day-to-day sensitive intelligence and analysis, as well as late-breaking reports, for the White House on current and future national security issues. Read "The President's Daily Brief: Delivering Intelligence to Nixon and Ford" to learn more.

  • The Foreign Relations of the United States series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Visit the State Department website for more information.

    Vol. XXVII, Iran; Iraq, 1973-1976

    Iran, September 1973-November 1974

    • 49. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Iran, Washington, December 29, 1973, 1916Z

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 603, Country Files—Middle East, Iran, Vol. V, May–December 1973. Secret; Niact; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Dickman; cleared in draft by Donaldson and by Morton (NEA/IRN), Atherton, and Katz; and approved by Kissinger. Repeated Immediate to Jidda and to Kuwait.

    Vol. E-3, Documents on Global Issues, 1973-1976

    Terrorism

  • The Kissinger telephone conversation transcripts consist of approximately 20,000 pages of transcripts of Kissinger’s telephone conversations during his tenure as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (1969-1974) and Secretary of State (1973-1974) during the administration of President Richard Nixon. Visit the finding aid for more information.

    Digitized versions can be found in the National Archives Catalog.

Audiovisual Holdings

  • The White House Communications Agency Sound Recordings Collection contains public statements that took place between 1969 and 1974. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    S - White House Press Office Briefings (continuation of the L-series)

    • WHCA-SR-S-428
      Press briefing by Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Caspar Weinberger. (12/29/1973, White House Press Lobby)

      Runtime: 22:00

      Keywords: Press conferences, news conferences, interviews, media

      Production credits: Audio feed supplied by WHCA; Recorded by __ (initials of WHCA engineer)

      Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

  • The White House Communications Agency Videotape Collection contains “off-the-air” recordings of televised programs produced between 1968 and 1974. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    • WHCA-6715
      "Agronsky & Company".
      ALL NETWORKS
      Runtime: 00:31:00
    • WHCA-6718
      Weekly News Summary, Tape II.
      ALL NETWORKS
      Runtime: 1:30

      21. Brokaw/Hunt: Price gouging for gas; gas black market. Time Code Start: 48:39. Keywords: energy, petroleum, oil, gasoline, fuel, shortages, rationing, natural resources, sales, illegal. Network: NBC.

      22. Brokaw/Mackin: President Nixon in California and attends wedding of White House physician Major General Dr. Walter R. Tkach in La Jolla. Time Code Start: 53:28. Keywords: Presidents, travel, trips, Nixon trips, domestic, doctors, physician, weddings, marriages, celebrations. Network: NBC.

      23. Rather/Shakne/Shaw: Gas shortage and price gouging. Time Code Start: 55:36. Keywords: energy crisis, petroleum, oil supply, gasoline, fuel, shortages, rationing, sales, prices, costs, price wars. Network: CBS.

      24. Rather/Sargent: Health bill. Time Code Start: 60:07. Keywords: health care, health insurance, laws, bills, voting, insurance, benefits, medicine, medical care, hospitals, costs, financial aid, debates. Network: CBS.

      25. Rathter/Stahl: White House Tapes. Time Code Start: 61:51. Keywords: law officials, attorneys, lawyers, bugging, bugs, wiretapping, wire taps, surveillance, spying, recordings, Watergate, Senate committee hearings, investigations, testimony, testify, cover-ups, scandals. Network: CBS.

      26. Rather/Kalb: President Nixon in California. Time Code Start: 63:54. Keywords: Presidents, travel, trips, Nixon trips, domestic. Network: CBS.

      27. Rather/Goldberg: Campaign supporting President Nixon in Georgia. Time Code Start: 65:24. Keywords: Presidents, travel, trips, Nixon trips, domestic. Network: CBS.

Context (External Sources)