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August 11, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Friday, August 11, 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: Thursday, August 10, 1972

Next Date: Saturday, August 12, 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.

  • 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)
      Friday, August 11.

      Got into a flap today on the question of the détente with the press, because Bob Semple wrote a story in the New York Times that makes the whole point that we made a calculated decision and issued orders to stop jumping on the press, etcetera, which is obviously counterproductive, so the President got concerned about handling this subtly and making sure that we still continue our attack on the press and particularly eroding their credibility. Also got into a big thing on the question of Ramsey Clark. We launched an attack, but the President feels Dole missed the point completely as to our strategy, because he hit Ramsey Clark on the basis of his traitorism-- treachery in Vietnam, but didn't make the point that McGovern said he would make him the Director of the FBI. So he feels now we've got to use Dole on this one hard-- Agnew on this one hard, in order to make the point, because Dole was the wrong one to do it. The Vice President agreed to hit an attack on it, but told me he felt it was a mistake to do so, because he would become the issue on it, and so we agreed that someone else should. We tried to have John Mitchell, and then Bill Rogers did it all on his own and really knocked it out of the ballpark. We're having Mitchell follow-up, as well as Clark MacGregor, because Rogers didn't hit the FBI point, but he did make the Ramsey Clark point better than Dole had. We’ll also try to get some Congressional follow-up and keep the issue bubbling, since it's a good one for us.

      The other big thing today was Romney. The President met with him this morning and George submitted his resignation, complained about Ken Cole and John Ehrlichman and the advance notice to the press and all, all of which came out in the paper later. He agreed that he'd work in the campaign, but wanted to get out. The President had John and me-- Ehrlichman and me come over to Birch at Camp David this afternoon to tell us about the whole thing. Said that-- he told him-- the President told him to go out and say that six months ago he had talked about moving out, that the President had asked him to stay on, that we have this problem and that he will leave, but not now. Then after the Convention he can come out to California and announce that he's leaving. He apparently complained about the Domestic Council, that his views are never listened to, that no one important ever goes to the meetings, and all that. The usual Cabinet versus staff complaints. We discussed a successor and agreed that Van Deusen would be the answer as acting Secretary. President ruled out the thought of Rumsfeld for the job, at least at this point. President's view is to let Romney go, he's too negative now. Ehrlichman's view is to let it simmer till after the Convention and see what happens. He privately thinks that Romney won't actually go when the time comes for a showdown. The President then sat and discussed general political questions and the Vietnam problem for quite a while. He trying to analyze the political outlook and all. Doesn't seem to have any strong convictions as to what will or won't happen.

      End of August 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. VIII, Vietnam, January-October 1972

    The Parties Move Toward Agreement, July 19-October 7, 1972

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

    Post-Moscow Summit Discussions and Issues, June-August 1972

    • 24. Memorandum for the President’s File by the Executive Director of the Council for International Economic Policy (Flanigan), Washington, August 11, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 89, Memoranda for the President, Beginning August 6, 1972. No classification marking.

    • 25. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, August 11, 1972, 1:15-3 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 495, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, Vol. 13. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at the Soviet Embassy. At the meeting, Kissinger handed Dobrynin a draft announcement of Kissinger’s upcoming trip to Moscow from September 10 to 13. (Ibid.)

    Vol. XIX, Part 1, Korea, 1969-1972

    Republic of Korea Troops in Vietnam and Force Modernization, April 1971-December 1972

    Vol. XXXVI, Energy Crisis, 1969-1974

    March 16, 1972-March 6, 1973

    • 138. Letter From President Nixon to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Washington, August 11, 1972

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 5–1 SAUD. Secret; Exdis. The letter was submitted to Nixon under an August 8 covering memorandum from Kissinger and Flanigan, which informed Nixon of the differences between ARAMCO and Saudi Arabia on the question of compensation. (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1287, Saunders Files, Saudi Arabia, 1/1/72–8/30/72) Thacher personally delivered the letter to Faisal, August 14. (Telegram 2628 from Jidda, August 13; ibid., Box 761, Presidential Correspondence, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal, 1972) His comments on the meeting were transmitted in telegram 2656 from Jidda, August 15. (Ibid., Box 1287, Saunders Files, Saudi Arabia, 1/1/72–8/30/72) The letter was also passed on to Jungers. (Telegram 149065 to Jidda, August 16; ibid., Box 761, Presidential Correspondence, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal, 1972)

    Vol. E-1, Documents on Global Issues, 1969-1972

    International Environmental Policy

  • 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)