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December 27, 1970

Introduction

This almanac page for Sunday, December 27, 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: Saturday, December 26, 1970

Next Date: Monday, December 28, 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 Camp David, Maryland

  • 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.

    No Federal Register published on this date

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)
      Sunday, December 27.

      President still at Camp David. Things still pretty calm. He called down after church and didn't have anything particular to cover. He was interested in the statistics we were assembling on the number of people he's met, etcetera, for the first two years, and had some ideas on how to follow-up with that. Then got into the PR programming again, making the point that we need to take each issue, such as the POW's, or whatever. Put one guy in charge of working on that issue, and then if that guy isn't a good man also to handle the PR, put a backup PR man on it, too, who knows that it's his story and that he's responsible. He feels, for instance, that no one knows that we authored the revenue sharing proposal that's now in the mill, the meaningful one, and that's because we haven't been pushing it at a high enough level. The POW thing is an example of what we get when we do push at a high level; because on this one the President is writing it, and we are getting credit. He wants a plan worked up on this that puts the responsibility on the right key people. He's not really clear as to what he does want, and neither am I, because he's getting back to a team of six or eight supermen who will always ride herd on the PR stuff; and that's just exactly what we had agreed before we didn't want to do. And, I don't think that will work. I think we've got to develop our teams on each project, such as revenue sharing, the value added tax, the health program, and reorganization next year, plus family assistance. In any event, he wants to see a table of organization on the whole PR approach and how we'll handle it, and how we use all our players. He thinks this week is when we should get this done.

      He seemed to be in good spirits, relatively relaxed as giving some thought now to going to California or Florida after the TV interview on the fourth.

      End of December 27.
    • 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.

    • No President's Daily Brief delivered on this date

  • 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 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-4054
      "Inside North Vietnam: U.S. Prisoners Speak". Vietnam Prisoner of War
      All networks
      Runtime: 00:33:22
    • WHCA-4056
      "Face the Nation" AND "Meet the Press".
      NBC
      Runtime: 1:00

Context (External Sources)