February 19, 1972

The Daily Diary files represent a consolidated record of the President's activities. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

• Original typewritten diary (PDF)

The President's day began at Armstrong Residence, Kaneohe MCAS, Hawaii

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.

• Federal Register of Saturday, February 19, 1972

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.

• Annotated and Unmarked News Summaries [Note: Although there was no News Summary on this date, due to the way News Summary products were compiled, you should also consult nearby days for potentially relevant materials.]

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.

• President's Speech File
  • Box 72, Saturday, February 19, 1972, Departure--Hawaii to China

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, February 19.
  
  In Hawai’i. President had me over at 10:00 this morning, and had been reading the New York Times and was quite cranked up on some domestic items. He was especially upset with the Business Council, who had blasted him for his inflationary economic policies and ordered me to send a wire to Arthur Burns, which the text of which is in my file.
  
  His point was that Arthur had undercut him in his talk to the Business Council earlier this week, and that he should be reprimanded for it, and told that his talk of this kind can be only detrimental in the psychological effect on the country. He told me before sending the wire to clear it with Connally, which I did later in the day from the airplane, and Connally felt that, while Arthur was way out of line in what he said, that it would not be a particularly good idea to send the wire. He didn't pose it directly, but recommended that it not be sent unless the President really wanted to. I covered the President on that later, and he agreed not to send it. So I dropped that one-- and agreed not to send a wire to Arthur, we'll keep it on file and maybe use it later, if he flares up again at some point. He also told me to tell Flanigan to tell the Business Council that they've had it, and then to get orders out to all our people that no one is to go to the Business Council, at any high level, they're to have no report on China from anyone, etcetera. In other words, the President just figures they screw us publicly, so it does no good to go in and give them the pitch.
  
  The other thing he was concerned about was a Kissinger leak on the SALT talks, and he wanted to get a message to Jerry Smith, which I also have in the file, saying he was shocked about their leak. Henry approved that, so we went ahead and sent it.
  
  He was concerned about Buchanan in the speech writing side, on being unable to get adequate phrases and that sort of thing in the departure statement, and the toasts and so on. So he wants some help from Price on material for the toast. He later told Henry to have Price completely rework the toast and get it out to us before we leave Guam. We got into some other domestic questions on the busing thing, the poverty bill, the dock strike, and so on, equal employment opportunity. And I talked to Ehrlichman while I was with the President, and covered some of those points with him. President also mentioned that he wanted me to go out and buy a large supply of Chinese mementoes for him, in varying price ranges, to give to people when he gets back, so I'll do that when we get to China. He got to Guam. We had a big flap on the availability of Dr. Riland, which the President had been concerned about in Hawai’i, then we screwed it up so we had him bouncing around on that a bit in Guam, but nothing serious.
  
  End of February 19.
• 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

• Text search for February 19, 1972
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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.

• President's Daily Brief of 19 February 1972

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. XVII, China, 1969-1972

China, October 1971-February 1972

• 193. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, February 19, 1972

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 847, President’s File—China Trip, China Visit—Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai, Book IV, The President. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information. Much of this document was underlined by Nixon. On February 15 Kissinger forwarded to the President a 21-page paper “prepared by my staff” that “distills some of Mao’s major philosophic and political themes drawn from his writings, statements, and actions throughout his life.” Kissinger’s covering memorandum and the report are in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Geopolitical Files, China, Trips, February 1972, Briefing Book. See also Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–13, Document 86. Other briefing materials or reports on the trip include: 1) Detailed Schedule (National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 US/NIXON); 2) Record of Previous Visits Arranged by Subject Matter (ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 846, President’s File—China Trip, Book I—HAK’s 1971 Visits by Subject Matter and Book II [part I]); 3) Record of Previous Visits (ibid., Box 847, China Trip—Record of previous visits, Book III); 4) Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai (ibid., China Visit— Readings on Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai, Book IV); 5) Briefing Books (ibid., Briefing papers for the China trip, The President, Books V and V–a); 6) Reading Materials (ibid., China Trip—Reading materials, Book IV); and Department of State reading materials (ibid., Box 848, General reading material, State Department Briefing Book, Book I [Parts I–III]). The President’s Daily Diary also contains detailed information on the trip. (ibid., White House Central Files) as does the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, February 28, 1972, pp. 461–499; Public Papers: Nixon, 1972, pp. 367–384; Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily Report, People’s Republic of China, Special Report: President Nixon’s Visit to China, March 9, 1972, no. 48, supp. 7; and Department of State Bulletin, March 20, 1972, pp. 419–440. The CIA also prepared Special National Intelligence Estimate 13–72, “Security Conditions in the PRC,” for the President’s visit. (Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–R1012, NIC Files)

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.

The White House Communications Agency Sound Recordings Collection contains public statements that took place between 1969 and 1974. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

I - Various Administration Events

• WHCA-SR-I-103
  Conference call: Hawaii, Peking, Shanghai, Hangchow [see Series T]. (2/19/1972, Peking SWBD, People's Republic of China)
  
  Runtime: [Nonelisted]
  
  Keywords: People's Republic of China, Trips
  
  Production credits: Audio feed supplied by "SWBD"; Recorded by RHD (initials of WHCA engineer)
  
  Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

P - Formal Presidential Remarks

• WHCA-SR-P-720211
  Remarks by President Nixon on departure from Kanohe MCAS, Hawaii. (2/19/1972)
  
  Runtime: 1:50
  
  Keywords: People's Republic of China, Trips
  
  Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

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-5078
  "Agronsky and Company" AND "Black and White".
  ALL NETWORKS
  Runtime: 01:01:11
• WHCA-5079
  "China Trip: President Nixon Goes to Peking". People's Republic of China
  ALL NETWORKS
  Runtime: 00:33:07
• WHCA-5124
  Weekly News Summary.
  ALL NETWORKS
  Runtime: 01:28:08
  
  11. Levine: War debts. Time Code Start: 31:57. Keywords: war, costs, funding, finances. Network: NBC.
  
  12. Utley/Mackin/Briggs: Florida primary; Convention preparation. Time Code Start: 33:06. Keywords: elections, campaigns, campaigning, primaries, candidates, speeches. Network: NBC.
  
  13. Mudd/Schorr: Neighborhoods integrate. Time Code Start: 39:21. Keywords: desegregation, racism, racial profiling, racial discrimination, civil rights, African Americans. Network: NBC.
• WHCA-5146
  "China News Summary", Tape I.
  ALL NETWORKS
  Runtime: 1:30
  
  10. Utley: More coverage of President Nixon's China trip. Time Code Start: 27:14. Keywords: Presidents, travel, trips, Nixon trips, international, People's Republic of China. Network: NBC.
  
  11. Mudd/Rather: The President Nixon's China trip. Time Code Start: 28:08. Keywords: Presidents, travel, trips, Nixon trips, international, People's Republic of China. Network: CBS.

• New York Times of February 19, 1972

• AP Images photos from February 19, 1972
• Getty Images photos from February 19, 1972

The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is the world's most extensive and complete archive of television news. They have been recording, preserving and providing access to television news broadcasts of the national networks since August 5, 1968.

• February 1972 Broadcast Index

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• February 19, 1972