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December 12, 1970

Introduction

This almanac page for Saturday, December 12, 1970, 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 11, 1970

Next Date: Sunday, December 13, 1970

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.

  • 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.

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)
      Saturday, December 12

      The President was in early and apparently had been up late last night dictating also, since he had five tapes for me to get started on when I came in in the morning. He had been doing some work last night on the Youth Conference speech with Ray also. Wasn't happy with what they had developed regarding letters from children and wants that whole area reopened up, and some more work done on it. He had a lot of miscellaneous notes that he wanted me to follow up on. He had a number of schedule items. He wants to be sure and see Mansfield before Christmas, wanted to line up gifts for Mrs. McCormick and Mansfield and the others he'll be seeing between now and Christmas. Got back onto the Teddy Kennedy picture. Philosophized some about the lack of urgency and drive in the staff, and made the point that we have to follow the philosophy that we must not leave anything undone if it will then become too late to do it at some future point. He also talked about [unclear] best to run government but the ways to sell it. That's why revolutionaries are always successful, because even with bad causes, they're charged up and sell what they have.

      He was reviewing some ideas on PR for Mrs. Nixon and the family, feeling that we haven't adequately built up the accomplishments that they've had over the first couple of years, and he wants the whole group to go to work on making something on that. He then got into some discussion on Connally arrangements, [unclear] and notify people [unclear] important. He said that he wanted me to call Arthur Burns, which was, of course, not a good idea. After the morning session with me, he went over to EOB for a budget meeting. The rest of the day went over to the house to watch a couple of the football games.

      He did call at home and went into further details on Connally arrangements, mainly the line that he's going to use. He hadn't really worked it out very well, and obviously needs to give more thought to that. He's given up on Kennedy and what-- trying to do, since Rogers won't go along.

      I used a good part of the day to cover some general meetings, one with Chapin and [unclear] on Connally arrangements; and another long session with Henry on the question of whether he should stay on, and more importantly whether he should talk now with the President. I told him he should. He’s still very much concerned about a repeat of the problem he had this summer on the Middle East and he’s—as he puts it—outraged by the fact that the President feels that his views on the Middle East are colored because of him being Jewish. He know that it is the case and doesn’t feel valid but he’s unable to--

      [End of tape reel AC-01(AB)]

      [Begin tape reel AC-02(A)]

      No Saturday Dec--

      This is a continuation of Saturday December 12. I was talking on the previous tape about meeting with Henry he had come in to go over his problems since he's now got to make a decision in the next couple of days as to whether he stays or not. I told him, of course, he should stay, that there's no dissatisfaction, etcetera, but that he should talk with the President, and make his offer to go back to Harvard, etcetera, so they have a chance to review the thing and settle it once and for all.

      Henry's main concern is that he is going to get back into the situation similar to last summer regarding the Middle East, where he doesn't have the President's confidence and is not involved in what's going on. I pointed out that this is bound to be a problem from time to time but that overall he is indispensable to the President, and both he and the President know it, and he's got to stay here.

      Later I had a meeting with Ehrlichman and Shultz regarding Connally. It's obvious that the two of them are less than totally enthusiastic about the appointment but will do the best they can to overcome whatever problems it creates. Shultz particularly seems to have some concerns, and it's obvious he's not totally behind the appointment, but the negatives that he raised were all constructive and valid. I covered them later in a phone call with Connally and got them all adequately answered. The principal concerns were how to build up his qualifications for the post and the question of whether he had said anything in the campaign that would be harmful to him now.

      The President spent the afternoon watching football games after his budget meeting and then the evening working on the Youth speech.

      End of December 12.
    • 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. IV, Foreign Assistance, International Development, Trade Policies, 1969-1972

    Foreign Assistance Policy, 1969-1972

    Vol. VII, Vietnam, July 1970-January 1972

    Planning and Decisions for Operations in Cambodia and Laos, October 9, 1970-February 7, 1971

    Vol. XIX, Part 2, Japan, 1969-1972

    December 1969-March 1971: Relations After the First Nixon-Sato Summit

    • 64. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon, Washington, December 12, 1970

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 400, Subject Files, Textiles, Vol. III, 1 Dec 70–31 Dec 70. Secret. Kissinger passed this memorandum to Nixon on December 23, who subsequently noted it. (Ibid.) Bergsten also sent this memorandum to the President under a December 15 covering memorandum, stating that the negotiations should be promptly concluded with an agreement as the result. Bergsten continued, “If we lose the leverage of possible quota legislation, as now appears likely at least for this session, it may become even more difficult to redeem your commitment. In addition, a prolongation of the textile problem would overhang our overall trade policy next year, and therefore continue to raise foreign policy problems with Europe as well as with Japan. Flanigan is currently working with the industry to try to get their support for an agreement which he believes would be agreed to by the Japanese.” (Ibid.)

    Vol. XXXII, SALT I, 1969-1972

    From Stalemate to Breakthrough, August 24, 1970-May 20, 1971

    • 120. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, December 12, 1970

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 336, Subject Files, Items to Discuss with the President, September 9–December 1970. Top Secret. A copy was sent to the Attorney General. The memorandum is attached to a list of items to discuss with the President, prepared by Richard Kennedy for Kissinger on December 18. Item 7, suggesting that Kissinger brief the President on the status of negotiations at Helsinki and on the Verification Panel meeting of December 8, was crossed out by an unidentified hand.

  • 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 Photo Office collection consists of photographic coverage of President Richard Nixon meeting with prominent social, political, and cultural personalities; speaking engagements and news conferences of the President and various high-ranking members of the White House staff and Cabinet; Presidential domestic and foreign travel, including Presidential vacations; social events and entertainment involving the First Family, including entertainers present; official portraits of the President, First Family, and high-ranking members of the Nixon administration; the 1969 and 1973 Inaugurals; the President’s 1972 Presidential election campaign appearances (including speeches) and other official activities of the White House staff and the President’s Cabinet from January 20, 1969 until August 9, 1974 at the White House and the Old Executive Office Building; other locations in Washington, DC, such as The Mall; and the Presidential retreats in Camp David, Maryland, Key Biscayne, Florida, and San Clemente, California. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    Roll WHPO-5261 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: Color

    • Frame(s): WHPO-5261-, Log: "Decorating". 12/12/1970, Washington, D.C. White House interior.

    Roll WHPO-5262 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: Color

    • Frame(s): WHPO-5262-, Log: "Decorating". 12/12/1970, Washington, D.C. White House interior.

    Roll WHPO-5263 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: Color

    • Frame(s): WHPO-5263-03A-27A, 30A-33A, No negatives - contact sheet only., Unidentified individuals decorating White House for Christmas, including tree-trimming and setting up wreaths. 12/12/1970, Washington, D.C. White House interior. Unidentified individuals.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-5263-28A-29A, No negatives - contact sheet only., Pat Nixon and others in front of the Christmas tree. 12/12/1970, Washington, D.C. White House interior. Pat Nixon, unidentified individuals.

  • 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-4040
      Weekly News Summary, Tape I.
      All networks
      Runtime: 01:01:30

      1. Mudd/Pierpoint: President Nixon rejects major Campus Unrest Commission finding, denies he is responsible for ending unrest (President Nixon). Time Code Start: 00:00. Keywords: universities, colleges, demonstrations, rally, protesters, demonstraters, students, Vietnam War, anti-war. Network: CBS.

Context (External Sources)