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April 25, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, April 25, 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: Monday, April 24, 1972

Next Date: Wednesday, April 26, 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.

  • 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.

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.

    President's Personal File

    The President's Personal File is essentially a President's secretary's file, kept by Rose Mary Woods, personal secretary to the President, for two purposes: (1) preserving for posterity a collection of documents particularly close to the President, whether because he dictated or annotated them, or because of the importance of the correspondent or the event concerned and (2) giving appropriate attention–letters of gratitude, invitations to White House social events, and the like–to members and important friends and supporters of the Nixon administration. This generalization does not describe all the varied materials of a file group which is essentially a miscellany, but it does identify the reason for the existence of the file group's core. 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)
      Tuesday, April 25.

      Back to Washington, the President spent the whole day at the EOB. Had me over several times, started at 9:00 with Kissinger and Haig discussing the approach to the speech Wednesday night. He had Andrews-- Johnny Andrews and Winston Lord come in, told them that he was going to make the speech tomorrow night at 10:00 on TV, ten minutes regarding Vietnam. He wanted Andrews to follow the President's outline carefully: don't deviate from the rhythm, the phrases, or the order. President dictated a detailed outline for John. He said-- told him to avoid his own ideas, except for side note suggestions. Said the President will work in a couple of vignettes himself at the end, so you ignore the fact that there's no conclusion. Then he outlined how the speech should go: that I'm reporting on the situation in Vietnam, the role the US will play, the efforts for peace by negotiation, review the situation when we took office, what we've done, the troops, casualties, etcetera., the most forthcoming peace offers, and describe those generally. No Mickey Mouse stuff about being too accurate on that. Their answer was a massive buildup, the President showed restraint, then the Easter massive invasion. Then he wants him to get the number of men who have actually invaded into South Vietnam. South Vietnam resisted, the US posture was, no ground forces but heavy air strikes, now report from General Abrams the general air strikes have been essential. The ARVN are fighting. We can expect another month of hard battles, with some losses. His estimate is that the South Vietnamese will be able to contain the invasion. What am I doing as President? First, I will continue the troop withdrawal with 20,000 to be withdrawn before the 1st of July. Second, I'm directing Porter to go back to the negotiating table in Paris. Third, I'll continue the air and naval attacks on North Vietnam. Then review why we had to do the bombing, to protect American forces, to prevent a Communist bloodbath. Kissinger recommended that he add some threats there. The President said that he would put this in his conclusion, not leave it up to these people, referring to the speech writers. He said the conclusion would be damn frightening. He said we must have the point that this is an invasion, and that our bombing will continue in the North until the North stops the invasion. There is no privileged sanctuary in North Vietnam as long as Communists invade the South. He emphasized never to say, "the other side", always to use, "the enemy," "Communist", "invaders", and Lord and Andrews left.

      The President then got into a horrendous blast at the military strategy in the central highlands, making the point than any simpleton knows that they should not have allowed themselves to be driven back across that area, that when you have minimum troops occupying unwanted territory, facing a superior force attacking them, they shouldn't allow themselves to be driven back, they should pull back to a grouping point, draw the enemy in, then encircle him and cut them off. Haig said the problem is that Thieu can't write off people in the territory, so he can't just give ground away that way. Kissinger said they will run out of steam by the end of this week. President kept lashing and lashing on what did they hit and so on. He made the point that my job is to see that the services get out the positive stories, to go to work on Bradshire and the other reporters who have been filing bad stuff, get the PIO's out there to do something, but don't let the press go in with the South Vietnamese units. Use the Scalis, Kleins, Henkins and so on, get out horror stories, atrocities on North Vietnam, what they're doing to refugees and all that. He feels that we've had the most brilliant foreign policy in this century, but we've sold it the worst, because we don't have a C. D. Jackson and we have an iron curtain in the press, but the problem is we aren't working on it enough.

      We then got into a discussion of the notification process again, who was to call whom at what time. The President emphasizing again that he has rejected the North Vietnamese demand to stop the bombing before resuming talks, and told Henry to emphasize that at the 5:30 briefing that we will continue to bomb the military targets in North Vietnam as long as the Communist invaders are killing the South Vietnamese and Americans in South Vietnam and that the President will say this tomorrow night. He covered the vital importance of follow-up using all our big guns, something out every day, call the networks, start a march, all out massive offensive, start attacking the media again with an Agnew assault on how to handle the speech. Vicious calls to the Post including Kay Graham. Demand a correcting editorial, which Henry did call and do. Suggested that-- he also came up with the point that all the Republican candidates who are running against incumbent House and Senate Democratic doves, should immediately fire a wire--file a wire with his incumbent opponent demanding that he repudiate Madame Binh and her letter. He has a Congressional dinner tonight, which is good timing, and then be getting ready for the speech tomorrow and down to Florida tomorrow night right after the speech.

      End of April 25.
    • 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

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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

    • 95. Minutes of a Washington Special Actions Group Meeting, Washington, April 25, 1972, 10:10-10:37 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–116, Washington Special Actions Group, WSAG Minutes (Originals) 1–3–72 to 7–24–72. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. All brackets are in the original.

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

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

    • 170. Letter From President Nixon to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev, Washington, April 25, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 494, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1972, Vol. 11. Top Secret. An unsigned handwritten note indicates the letter was delivered to Vorontsov by messenger at 4 p.m. on April 25. According to a typed note attached to another copy, the letter was “machine signed (in a matter of 5 minutes) at HAK’s direction and hand carried to Minister Vorontsov.” (Note from Muriel Hartley to Haig, April 25; ibid.) A draft with Kissinger’s handwritten revisions including the sentence: “What has been achieved on Dr. Kissinger’s trip gives great promise; I am sure our talks will bring it to completion,” is ibid.

    Vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969-1972

    Thailand

    Vol. XXXII, SALT I, 1969-1972

    Kissinger's Secret Trip to Moscow and Aftermath, April 19-May 17, 1972

    Vol. XLI, Western Europe; NATO, 1969-1972

    Canada

    Vol. E-5, Part 1, Documents on Sub-Saharan Africa, 1969-1972

    The Horn

    • 329. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, April 25, 1972

      Kissinger informed the President that Defense could come up with an additional $1.5 to $2 million in Military Assistance Program (MAP) funds for Ethiopia without cutting any other country programs. At Kissingerʼs recommendation, the President signed a letter telling the Emperor that because of his desire to respond to the Emperorʼs needs he had managed to increase the current yearʼs program.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 751, Presidential Correspondence, 1969–1974, Folder Ethiopia Corres. Selassie. Secret. Sent for action.

  • 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)