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February 7, 1973

Introduction

This almanac page for Wednesday, February 7, 1973, 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: Tuesday, February 6, 1973

Next Date: Thursday, February 8, 1973

Schedule and Public 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.

    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.

  • 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)
      Wednesday, February 7th. The President went out to see Senator Stennis this morning, unannounced, and without any advance notice. He had checked at midnight last night after the Hussein dinner, and discovered that he had gotten better, and so he went out to see him. He told me later that it now looks as if he may live, and that there's a better than 50 percent chance that he will live, we'll go ahead with the California trip, otherwise, the President will go to Florida, because he will attend the funeral and doesn't want to have to come back for it.

      He had Ehrlichman in this morning with me for quite a long meeting. We got into the question of international monetary ques--, problems; said that we should not get so excited about devaluing the dollar. He okayed the cable to Tanaka regarding the dollar versus the yen question. He said that what we've got to do is work on the fundamental causes on this thing, the things that don't go away, rather than the surface things that do. The key is to show that we're tough in order to protect jobs.

      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      DECLASSIFIED - E.O. 13526, Sect. 3.4: by MS, NARA, June 12, 2013
      Audio Cassette 30, Side B, Withdrawn Item Number 8 [AC-30(B) Sel 6]
      Duration: 11 seconds

      The trap is that we are always supposed to be responsible, but the Japanese and so on, don't have to be.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      He told John we definitely would not have Shultz come out to California; that if we do devalue the dollar, we'll just make an announce, Shultz can just make an announcement from Washington. That we can't let Shultz consume us with Treasury problems that that is becoming too much of an issue. He also told Ehrlichman that he's got to get the monkey off the President's back regarding the USDA looking at IRS returns of farmers. The President did not order it, and it was a routine thing, and that word has got to be put out.

      We covered some appointment questions; John said, we now have an IRS candidate, and that Ruckelshaus tops the list on the FBI. The President okayed the Patent Court for Jack Miller as a way to get him out of the way, and discussed some of agenda for the Cabinet meeting. The question of social lists and cutting off all Administration and White House personnel except for a couple of stars at each meeting, and fill it with Congressmen, Congressional aides, that sort of thing, to keep the Congressional types stirred up.

      I had done the Chowder and Marching breakfast this morning and had reported to the President on that. And the fact that one of the things that Congressmen really seem to be after is some social recognition that will give their wives a chance to get in on things, which seems to be very important to them.

      Ziegler then came in while Ehrlichman was still there to get some guidance on the briefing on the principal question of the Ervin investigation and how to approach that, saying that we welcome a nonpartisan investigation. The President had some broader ideas on that, but cut back on them fortunately. On the Watergate question overall, Ron is still to make the point that we have nothing to add to what's already been said. And on the question of executive privilege, that he will stand by the detailed statement on the subject the President will be putting out a little later, as he had prom--, promised.

      We got into a whole series of miscellaneous problems. He need--, is still pushing for a manager for the entertainment at the White House. He says that Garment keeps coming up with Lionel Hampton, and that we can't do that. He wants to try moving Pam Powell into the Anne Armstrong deal so that we have her in the White House. He says Colson says that there's a problem between Ehrlichman and Brennan. That Shultz doesn't agree with Ehrlichman and his problems that he's getting along fine. That we've got to overrule Ehrlichman and not let him play Brennan's game. He’s indispensable, and we've got to pay the price for him. Why not put Rogers over there as Under Secretary? He can handle it, he has a line into the White House, he knows Brennan and can control him, and has his own interests, so will be our man.

      The President wants to get the best polls we can on spending, with loaded questions, using Gallup, Harris, and Sindlinger. And then, he makes the point that we need a PR operation on the budget and the spending issue, with polls to Congressmen, the Harlow plan on using organizations out around the country, mobilize the organizations to use their mailing lists, and so on. Go all-out, get their members to write Congress, etcetera. He wants an order to all speakers at all times saying that Congress hears from the special interests, let them hear from the general interest; ask people to write their Congressmen and Senators, not the President, if they want to keep taxes down. We should do the same thing as a follow-up on the vetoes. Also he wants to get going on his letter program to the 100 key people with a Buchanan draft of a letter asking them to support the President on cutting prices. Don't leave this to the Domestic Council. Also concerned not to let the peace issue drop; we've got to keep brokering it. Get resolutions of gratitude, etcetera. Keep the PR people thinking about the idea of Thanks to the P--, the President for his leadership for peace.

      That is the end of February 7th.
    • 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. X, Vietnam, January 1973-July 1975

    Neither War nor Peace, January 27-June 15, 1973

    Vol. XVIII, China, 1973-1976

    Kissinger's Visits to Beijing and the Establishment of the Liaison Offices, January 1973-May 1973

    • 7. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, February 7, 1973

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 523, Country Files, Far East, China, Vol. XI, Aug 1972–Oct 24, 1973. Secret. Sent for action. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads: “The President has seen.” At the bottom of the memorandum is a typed note: “Flanigan concurs.” With Holdridge’s concurrence, Richard Kennedy sent this memorandum to Kissinger under cover of a January 17 memorandum, recommending he transmit it to the President. (Ibid.)

    Vol. XXXVI, Energy Crisis, 1969-1974

    March 16, 1972-March 6, 1973

    Vol. E-6, Documents on Africa, 1973-1976

    Horn of Africa

    • 79. Airgram A-23 From the Embassy in Ethiopia to the Department of State, Addis Ababa, February 7, 1973

      Three embassy political officers dissented from the analysis in Document 78 and recommended against additional U.S. military assistance for Ethiopia.

      Source: National Archives, RG 84, Addis Ababa Embassy Files: Lot 77 F 121, POL-DCM, MAP Level 1973. Secret. Drafted by Bazil Brown, Daniel Waterman, and Edward Marcott on February 6. Cleared by DCM Parker W. Wyman.

    • 80. Telegram 22877 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Ethiopia, Washington, February 7, 1973, 0010Z

      An interagency response to Document 78 found general agreement with its analysis, but concluded that the Somali threat was not imminent and that the United States should not be the keeper of the peace in the Horn of Africa.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL ETH-US. Secret. Repeated to Bonn, London, Mogadiscio, Moscow, Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, Asmara, and USCINCEUR. Drafted by Melone; cleared in AF/E, EUR/SOV, PM/ISO, DOD/ISA, AF/RA, and PM/MAS; approved by Newsom.

  • 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)