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April 20, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, April 20, 1972, 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: Wednesday, April 19, 1972

Next Date: Friday, April 21, 1972

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 The White House - Washington, D. C.

  • 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.

  • The Congressional Record is the official daily record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress.

  • Argued

Archival Holdings

  • 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.

  • 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. VIII, Vietnam, January-October 1972

    The Easter Offensive, March 30-May 7, 1972

    Vol. XIV, Soviet Union, October 1971-May 1972

    Kissinger's Secret Trip to Moscow, April 19-25, 1972

    • 127. Memorandum From President Nixon to his Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, April 20, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 21, HAK’s Secret Moscow Trip Apr 72, TOHAK/HAKTO File [2 of 2]. Eyes Only. Rose Mary Woods transcribed the memorandum from Nixon’s taped dictation; copies of the final version, and of a draft with Nixon’s handwritten revisions, are ibid., White House Special Files, President’s Personal Files, Box 74, President’s Speech File, April 1972 Kissinger Trip to Moscow. In a message forwarding the memorandum to Kissinger, who was en route to Moscow, Haig wrote: “The President wanted you to have the attached memorandum as soon as possible.” A stamped notation indicates that the White House Situation Room sent the message at 12:03 p.m. as Sitto 5 from Haig to Kissinger. (Ibid., NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 21, HAK’s Secret Moscow Trip Apr 72, TOHAK/HAKTO File [2 of 2]) According to Kissinger, he was “on the plane heading for Moscow” when the President’s memorandum arrived. (Kissinger, White House Years, pp. 1136–1137)

    • 129. Memorandum of Conversation, Moscow, April 20, 1972, 11-11:40 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 72, Country Files, Europe, USSR, HAK Moscow Trip—April 1972, Memcons. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held in Kissinger’s room at the Guest House on Vorobyevskii Road.

    • 130. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig), Moscow, April 20, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 21, HAK’s Secret Moscow Trip Apr 72, TOHAK/HAKTO File. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. No time of transmission or receipt appears on the telegram. Haig summarized the message in an April 20 memorandum to the President. (Ibid., White House Special Files, President’s Personal Files, Box 74, President’s Speech File, April 1972 Kissinger Trip to Moscow) This and subsequent messages from Kissinger were transmitted via the Presidential airplane at the airport outside Moscow to the White House Situation Room. For his account of the message, and of communications for his trip, see Kissinger, White House Years, pp. 1137, 1154–1155.

    • 131. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and his Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig), April 20, 1972, 8:25 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 999, Haig Chronological Files, Haig Telcons [–] 1972 [2 of 2]. No classification marking. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Nixon placed the call from Camp David to Haig in Washington. (Ibid., White House Central Files)

    • 132. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, April 20, 1972, 0223Z

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 21, HAK’s Secret Moscow Trip Apr 72, TOHAK/HAKTO File [2 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. This and subsequent messages from Haig were transmitted via the White House Situation Room to the Presidential airplane at the airport outside Moscow.

    • 133. National Intelligence Estimate, Washington, April 20, 1972

      Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–R1012A, NIC Files. Secret; Controlled Dissem. The estimate was submitted by the DCI and concurred in by the USIB. The CIA, intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense, and the NSA participated in its preparation. All representatives of the USIB concurred with its release except the representatives of the FBI and Treasury who both abstained because the subject was outside their jurisdiction. The summary section of the estimate is also published in Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA’s Analysis of the Soviet Union, 1947–1991: A Documentary Collection, edited by Gerald K. Haines and Robert E. Leggett, (Washington: Central Intelligence Agency, 2001), pp. 88–95

    Vol. XXIX, Eastern Europe, 1969-1972

    Yugoslavia

    Vol. XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    • 355. Paper Prepared in Response to National Security Study Memorandum 146, Washington, April 20, 1972

      Source: National Security Council, Secretariat Files, NSSM Files, NSSM 146. Secret. The date is taken from an April 20 memorandum from Hillenbrand forwarding the paper to Kissinger. NSSM 146 is Document 341. Hillenbrand, acting as chairman of the Interdepartmental Group on Europe, noted that the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Commerce, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Information Agency, all participated in its preparation. Davis circulated the paper for discussion at the Senior Review Group meeting on April 26. (Memorandum from Davis to Johnson, Rush, Moorer, Helms, and Under Secretary of Treasury Walker; ibid.) The meeting, however, was postponed, presumably as Kissinger was busy preparing the President for his televised address that evening on Vietnam. See also Document 383.

    Vol. E-4, Documents on Iran and Iraq, 1969-1972

    Iraq 1972

    • 306. Telegram 69032 From the Department of State to the Embassy in France, Washington, April 20, 1972, 2359Z

      Deputy Assistant Secretary Davies provided the French with the U.S. estimate of the significance of the Iraqi-Soviet treaty and the fundamentals of U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL IRAQ-USSR. Confidential. Repeated to Tehran, Amman, Ankara, Brussels, Cairo, Jidda, Kuwait, London, and Moscow

    Vol. E-7, Documents on South Asia, 1969-1972

    U.S. Relations with India and Pakistan, 1972

    • 254. Telegram 4957 From the Embassy in India to the Department of State, New Delhi, April 20, 1972, 1426Z

      Ambassador Keating questioned whether the instruction to register a stiff protest with Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh over his statement about Vietnam might have the effect of attaching more importance to the incident than the U.S. intended.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL INDIA-US. Secret; Niact; Immediate; Nodis.

    Vol. E-13, Documents on China, 1969-1972

    • 124. Memorandum of Conversation, Beijing, April 20, 1972, 10:45 a.m.-1:22 p.m., Beijing, April 20, 1972, 10:45 a.m.-1:22 p.m.

      Senators Mansfield and Scott and Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ch’iao Kuan-hua discussed Vietnam, Korea, and Taiwan.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1038, Files for the President-China Material, Mansfield/Scott Trip to China [April-May 1972]. No classification marking. No drafting information appears on the memorandum; presumably drafted by Jones. Presumably the meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People.

    • 125. Memorandum of Conversation, Beijing, April 20, 1972, 8:55-10:40 p.m., Beijing, April 20, 1972, 8:55-10:40 p.m.

      Senators Mansfield and Scott and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai agreed that an American withdrawal from Vietnam would reduce tensions in Asia.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1038, Files for the President-China Material, Mansfield/Scott Trip to China [April-May 1972]. No classification marking. No drafting information appears on the memorandum; presumably drafted by Jones. The meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People.

  • 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)