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July 29, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Saturday, July 29, 1972, 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, July 28, 1972

Next Date: Sunday, July 30, 1972

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 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.

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, July 29.

      The President's at Camp David. I stayed home. He called a couple of times in the morning to report on his golf game with Meany. Said there's a real hatred there toward McGovern, and absolutely no chance of his endorsing. Nobody could help, if they take Eagleton off the ticket, except Teddy Kennedy, and even there, it wouldn't make any real difference. Got into a general review of Eagleton, the Gallup poll that says that he shouldn't do it, the problem in the Democratic Committee selection process, whether they have to give notice two weeks ahead and all that sort of thing.

      We reviewed a number of schedule items and plans for going down to the funeral on Monday. The President was concerned that we work it out so that McGovern doesn't go down with him, which, of course, we already had. Wallace announced his non-candidacy today, so that solves that problem.

      End of July 29.

      Going back to Saturday afternoon, the 29th.

      The President called in the afternoon, reviewing the general situation. Feels that the other side has now a serious problem that we hadn't anticipated, because dropping Eagleton, in light of the poll, makes the move both unpopular and weak because he's not standing by his man. This is a mixed bag for us, because McGovern could be hurt by dropping him, so keeping him on is not necessarily to our advantage. The President had thought there was more sympathy than the editorials, and so on, would indicate. Eagleton's strong public support could give him more leverage in trying to stay on. He thinks, therefore, we should consider on Monday the question of the press conference; if they throw him off, then there should be no press conference if he stays on, we go ahead. The President, if he were in this position, would keep him on, unless he could get Kennedy-- to avoid getting the campaign bogged down for two or three weeks, not because of the merits. The natural desire of the press to help McGovern would swing behind him. Also, the problem of replacing him and delaying the campaign with the National Committee problem and all, adds up to keeping him on the ticket.
    • 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 Nixon Administration and War Powers Legislation

    Vol. IV, Foreign Assistance, International Development, Trade Policies, 1969-1972

    Trade and Commerce, 1969-1972

    • 275. Memorandum of Conversation, Tokyo, July 29, 1972, 11 a.m.-noon

      Source: Washington National Records Center, Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary of Commerce: FRC 40 77 A 85, Under Secretary File. No classification marking. Drafted on August 1, but no drafting officer is identified. The meeting was held in the Prime Minister’s office.

  • 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)