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December 24, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Friday, December 24, 1971, 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, December 23, 1971

Next Date: Saturday, December 25, 1971

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.

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)
      Thursday, December 24. Correction: That’s Friday, December 24.

      I didn't go in the office today, as it was a holiday. The President was in a good part of the day, bouncing around, touching base with people. He called in the afternoon to say we were still dealing with the Kissinger problem. Basically, it's Rogers in India-Pakistan, but he's so blinded now that he can just see no good in Rogers at all. Apparently he had quite a tantrum with Ehrlichman this morning, and John then laid some of that out to the President, right in the middle of which, Kissinger burst into the President's office. So the President went through a big therapy session with Henry and then spent quite a long time talking with John about the problem afterwards. The President made the point to me that there's going to come a time when Kissinger’s going to have to shape up and start worrying about the President, instead of worrying about himself. And he feels that Kissinger should now stay out of the line of fire and avoid backgrounders and the press, and that we should let Scali know that we'll get him out front at the proper time. I covered with the President my talk with Scali yesterday, which John expressed his view that Henry had really become so obsessed with all this stuff that he was irrational and thus doing some real harm that he was lying to, not only the press and Rogers, but also the President. The President didn't seem unduly concerned about that, and I don't think gives it too much credence, but does feel that we've got to find a way to deal with the Kissinger-Scali problem. So that was it, other than wishing me a Merry Christmas. And then he called me late tonight after the Julie show to ask how it had gone. I gave him the details on it, so he had something to talk to Julie about. Overall, it was a darn good half-hour program, and we came off extremely well, I think, which is what I told him.

      End of December 24.
    • 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. II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969-1972

    The NSC System

    Vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969-1972

    Thailand

    • 148. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Thailand, Washington, December 24, 1971, 1050Z

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 564, Country Files, Far East, Thailand, Vol. VIII. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Repeated to Vientiane and Saigon. Drafted at the White House, cleared by Haig and Sullivan, and approved by Johnson.

    Vol. XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

  • 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)