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April 11, 1973

Introduction

This almanac page for Wednesday, April 11, 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: Tuesday, April 10, 1973

Next Date: Thursday, April 12, 1973

Schedule and Public Documents

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.

  • Selective document listing

    President's Office Files

    The President's Office Files consists of materials drawn together by the Special Files Unit from several administrative subdivisions within the White House Office. It is the handwriting and sensitive papers sent to the Staff Secretary that now comprise much of the President's Office Files. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

  • The H. R. Haldeman Diaries consists of seven handwritten diaries, 36 dictated diaries recorded as sound recordings, and two handwritten audio cassette tape subject logs. The diaries and logs reflect H. R. Haldeman’s candid personal record and reflections on events, issues, and people encountered during his service in the Nixon White House. As administrative assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Haldeman attended and participated in public events and private meetings covering the entire scope of issues in which the Nixon White House engaged in during the years 1969-1973. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    • Transcript of diary entry (PDF)
      Wednesday, April 11.

      I was out most of the morning…

      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      PRIVACY- Reviewed and withheld under Deed of Gift, DR, NARA, September 11, 2014
      Audio Cassette 33, Side A.
      Duration: 7 seconds
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Mitchell called, which I returned from home. He wanted to talk about the settlement of the civil suits. He'd been talking to Strauss of the Democratic National Committee, and he said this morning that he had cleared the whole thing with Mansfield and Albert and so on. And we could go ahead and settle, but Mitchell said after two-hours with Stans, he's still holding out for damages in the O'Brien libel suit, and we need to turn that off. That he had talked with Ehrlichman and thought he had that taken care of.

      He also was concerned that Dean's testimony would be the one thing that could really unscramble the whole operation. We should try to get Dean not to go to the grand jury, in his opinion. I mentioned this to the President. He's quite concerned about it. Told me to talk to Ehrlichman. He was raising the question of whether that is the linchpin in the whole thing. And the President had Ziegler come in and we went through the whole question of the White House going up to the Senate. Ron argues strongly that we should not. His real fear is that it's going to focus the whole thing onto me and hang it on me and destroy me, and he feels that’ll be extremely harmful to the President. The President made the point again that the key here is to protect Haldeman, but Ziegler feels that Ehrlichman's moves to lock up the Senate deal with Ervin is going to basically haul me in.

      Chapin and Strachan both testified at the grand jury today, and both said that I had agreed to their approaching Segretti. And Chapin said afterwards, that some assistant DA that's working with Silbert made the point that this was a real bombshell and was gonna probably destroy the President, because it laid the whole thing right at the White House doorstep and, really, right at the President.

      In the Ziegler meeting, Ehrlichman came in and there was general agreement that we should put out a preemptive statement of some kind. In other words, that I should make my statement ahead of going to the grand jury, so that we get our story out in writing separately from the Question and Answer session story. Try and establish our own position first, so I'm going to work on getting my statement ready with that thought in mind.

      The President is still obviously very concerned about the whole issue and spending quite a little time on it. Ehrlichman meets this evening again with Ervin and Baker to try to resolve the ground rule question of whether we go up to the Senate and how. Dean is still concerned on the whole grand jury question. Magruder called and wanted guidance from me on what to do, and I had Larry call him back and say I couldn't give him any guidance. That he should do what his lawyer tells him to, and he apparently wasn't satisfied with that and said, well, he hated to do it, and he wanted us to know he was still on the team. But he was going to have to go ahead, if that's what we said, and he was going up to tell Mitchell that tomorrow. Looks like we're nearing the moment of truth and everybody's getting a little panicky in the crunch.

      End on April 11.
    • Original audio recording (MP3)

  • 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. X, Vietnam, January 1973-July 1975

    Neither War nor Peace, January 27-June 15, 1973

    Vol. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972-August 1974

    Summit Preparations; Jackson-Vanik Amendment; Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons, December 1972-April 1973

    Vol. XXII, Panama, 1973-1976

    Panama, 1973-1976

    Vol. XXV, Arab-Israeli Crisis and War, 1973

    Arab-Israeli Crisis and War, 1973

    Vol. E-6, Documents on Africa, 1973-1976

    Horn of Africa

    • 84. Memorandum From Fernando Rondon of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, April 11, 1973

      Rondon summarized recent developments in the Horn of Africa and recommended that Kissinger approve an attached NSSM to review U.S. interests and policy options. Kissinger approved the NSSM.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H-200, NSSM 184. Secret. Sent for action. Cleared by Kennedy, Saunders, and Hyland. Kissinger initialed his approval. On the first page, Kissinger wrote: “Brent-Send out the NSSM in usual way-Pres. is too preoccupied now. I would like to review Kagnew decision.” An attached handwritten note from Scowcroft to Kennedy reads: “NSSM is approved for State/DOD coordination and issue. Note HAK wants to review the Kagnew decision. Why not crank that into the NSSM-if it could become an issue?” Tab I, Suggested memorandum for the President, with proposed NSSM request for approval, is not published.

    Vol. E-9, Documents on North Africa, 1973-1976

    Libya, 1973-1976

    • 11. Telegram 460 From the Embassy in Libya to the Department of State, Tripoli, April 11, 1973, 1410Z

      Summary: Chargé Harold G. Josif questioned the wisdom and timing of the resumption of reconnaissance flights over Libya. Josif expressed concern about the impact of the flights on tensions in the Middle East, and dismay that more time for diplomatic action in Tripoli was not allowed.

      Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 330–780002, Box 6, Libya 452. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated to Rabat.

    Vol. E-11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973-1976

    Mexico

    Vol. E-12, Documents on East and Southeast Asia, 1973-1976

    Malaysia and Singapore

    • 294. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, April 11, 1973, 9:50–10:20 a.m., Washington, April 11, 1973, 9:50-10:20 a.m.

      Kissinger and Lee discussed Southeast Asia.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1027, Presidential/HAK memcons, Folder 5, April–November 1975. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The conversation took place in Kissinger’s Office. On August 4, 3:30–4:40 p.m., Lee and Kissinger met in a conference room at Kennedy International Airport in New York. A memorandum of conversation from their meeting, which mainly discussed affairs in Indochina, is ibid., folder 3.

  • 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

Context (External Sources)