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March 15, 1973

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, March 15, 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: Wednesday, March 14, 1973

Next Date: Friday, March 16, 1973

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.

     

  • The Congressional Record is the official daily record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress.

Archival Holdings

  • 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.

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

    Africa Region

    • 3. Memorandum of Conversation, London, March 15, 1973

      Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs David Newsom summarized U.S. views on Africa at the beginning of the second Nixon Administration for his counterparts from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL AFR. Confidential. Drafted by Michael L. Milligan (AF) on May 4.

    Vol. E-11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973-1976

    Costa Rica

    • 109. Telegram 47730 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Costa Rica, Washington, March 15, 1973, 1354Z

      Summary: The Department reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission planned to present evidence in court of financial links between financier Robert Vesco and Costa Rican President José Figueres.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number]. Confidential; Limdis. Drafted and approved by Lazar. Vesco sought residency in Costa Rica after becoming the subject of an SEC investigation for fraud in connection with his management of the Investors Overseas Services mutual fund firm and his implication as the source of an illegal contribution to President Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign. In telegram 939 from San José, March 17, the Embassy reported that Figueres told Vaky that he could account for the transactions involving Vesco and offered to facilitate an out-of-court settlement between Vesco and the SEC. (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files, Box 779, Latin America, Costa Rica) Telegram 983 from San José, March 22, transmitted a letter in which Figueres elaborated on his offer to mediate. (Ibid.)

    Vol. E-12, Documents on East and Southeast Asia, 1973-1976

    Korean Peninsula

    • 234. Memorandum From John Holdridge of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, March 15, 1973., Washington, March 15, 1973

      Holdridge recommended that Kissinger approve a backchannel message to Habib concerning UNCURK.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files, Far East, Box 544, Korea, Volume 6, January 1973–October 1973. Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only; Entirely Outside System. In the top right hand corner Kissinger wrote, “Where is the extra paper by Rush?” A response in an unknown hand wrote “Tab C,” referring to the March 8 Department of State paper. At the top of the first page, an unknown hand indicated that the situation room received the telegram for dispatch on the morning of March 19, 1973. Attached but not published is Tab A, the draft backchannel telegram from Kissinger to Habib, which was sent as backchannel telegram 30768 to Habib, March 19. (ibid., Box 411, Backchannel Messages, Southeast Asia, Volume II, 1973, Part 1) Tab B, a February 24 memorandum of conversation, is Document 232. Tab C, a paper prepared in the Department of State, March 8, is attached but not published.

    Philippines

    Vol. E-15, Part 2, Documents on Western Europe, 1973-1976, Second, Revised Edition

    Federal Republic of Germany, 1973-1976

    • 263. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, March 15, 1973

      Summary: Kissinger forwarded a letter he had received from the novelist Hans Habe.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 61, Country Files, Europe, General, Hans Habe. Confidential. Sent for information. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates the President saw it. Nixon wrote on the bottom of the memorandum, “K—a very perceptive and very disturbing analysis—I think he is too close to the truth.” Nixon underlined the portion of the seventh paragraph of the letter that begins “in the current of time” until the end of the sentence and wrote in the adjacent margin, “K—very perceptive.” In the ninth paragraph, Nixon underlined the third sentence; in the tenth paragraph, he underlined the fourth sentence. In the thirteenth paragraph, Nixon underlined the sixth sentence, as well as the final sentence, and wrote a check mark in the margin. In the sixteenth paragraph, Nixon underlined the first sentence, writing in the adjacent margin, “K—one of our greatest mistakes. We must do everything possible to rectify it.” Nixon also underlined substantial portions of the fourth and fifth sentences in the sixteenth paragraph.

  • 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)