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March 20, 1969

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, March 20, 1969, 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 19, 1969

Next Date: Friday, March 21, 1969

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.

    Appointments and Nominations

    Executive Orders

    Reports to the President

    • Plans for Progress Program (5 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 439, March 20, 1969)
      Announcement of report to the President on Increased Job Opportunities for Minorities.

    Swearing-In Ceremonies

    • Interstate Commerce Commission (5 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 440, March 20, 1969)
      The President's Remarks at the Swearing In of Donald L. Jackson as a Commissioner, With Mr. Jackson's Response.

    Digest of Other White House Announcements

    Following is a listing of items of general interest which were announced in the press but not made public as formal White House press releases during the period covered by this issue. Appointments requiring Senate approval are not included since they appear in the list of nominations submitted to the Senate, below.

    • King Hussein of Jordan has accepted President Nixon's invitation to be his official guest in Washington on April 8-9.
    • Eugene Carson Blake, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches, paid a call on the President at the White House.
    • Jacob D. Beam, U.S. Ambassador-designate to the Soviet Union, met with the President and Henry A. Kissinger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, at the White House.
    • Jacques Chaben-Delrnas, President of the French National Assembly and Mayor of Bordeaux, met with the President at the White House.
    • The President has appointed Secretary of the Navy John H. Chafee and Secretary of the Air Force Robert C. Seamans, Jr., as members of the National Armed Forces Museum Advisory Board.

    Nominations Submitted to the Senate

    Does not include promotions of members of the Uniformed Services, nominations to the Service Academies, or nominations of Foreign Service Officers.

    • JOHN D. J. MOORE, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ireland.
    • RANDOLPH W. THROWER, of Georgia, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
    • WALTER C. SAUER, of the District of Columbia, to be First Vice President of the Export-
    • Import Bank of the United States.
    • OTTO F. OTEPHA, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Subversive Activities Control Board for the remainder of the term expiring August 9, 1970, vice Edward C. Sweeney, deceased.
    • ANTHONY J. P. FARRIS, of Texas, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas for the term of 4 years vice Morton L. Susman.
    • JOSEPH O. ROGERS, JR., of South Carolina, to be United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina for the term of 4 years vice Klyde Robinson.
    • LOUIS O. ALEKSICH, of Montana, to be United States Marshal for the District of Montana for the term of 4 years vice George A. Bukovatz.
    • JAMES E. WILLIAMS, Of South Carolina, to be United States Marshal for the District of South Carolina for the term of 4 years vice Walter N. Lawson, Jr.
    • DONALD W. WYATT, of Rhode Island, to be United States Marshal for the District of Rhode Island for the term of 4 years vice Peter J. Foley.
    • Having designated, in accordance with the provisions of Title 10, U.S. Code, Section 5232, MAx. GEN. Louis B. Robertshaw, USMC, for commands and other duties determined by the President to be within the contemplation of said section, I nominate him for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general while so serving.
    • JOHN B. WATERS, JR., of Tennessee, to be Federal Cochairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
    • STEWART LAMPREY, of New Hampshire, to be Federal Cochairman of the New England Regional Commission.
    • E. L. STEWART, of Oklahoma, to be Federal Cochairman of the Ozarks Regional Commission.
    • CHARLES S. WHITE-SPUNNER, JR., of Mobile, Alabama, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for the term of 4 years vice Vernol R. Jansen, Jr.
    • CHARLES E. ROBINSON, of Washington, to be United States Marshal for the Western District of Washington for the term of 4 years vice Donald F. Miller.
    • GAETANO A. Russo, JR., of Connecticut, to be United States Marshal for the District of Connecticut, for the term of 4 years vice Joseph T. Ploszaj.

  • 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

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.

    • Annotated News Summaries, Box 28, News Summaries - March 1969 [During this period, the Staff Secretary only removed pages from the News Summaries which contained President Nixon's handwriting, often leaving the document with no date. Although there are no specific documents dated March 20, 1969, you should also consult the full folder for the month.]

    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)
      Thursday, March 20.

      Cabinet meeting, mainly to hit them on the budget. First a long briefing and discussion about ABM. Laird briefed, then President got into quite a dialog with various members. He went a bit far in his desire to convince them that we have very valid reasons for the decision and revealed a lot of highly classified information regarding pictures. I interrupted and pointed out the nature of the material.

      Main thrust was that we have to have real military superiority and defense as a base for negotiations. President stated flatly that war will be over by next year - but that it must be understood that the next four or five months will be very tough because we have to take public position that outlook is tough, etc. , while we negotiate in private. Rogers said his answer to criticism that we have no planned strategy is that we do have one and that it is that we will not tell anyone what it is. Based on position that the only productive negotiations are the private ones - and as soon as we tell anyone about them, they're not private.

      Then Cabinet went to budget briefings by Mayo, Kennedy and McCracken. President had carefully pre-staged this with them yesterday - to take very hard line about necessity for cuts. After briefing he moved to executive session - and (I guess) really put it to them. Meeting lasted three hours - twice as long as scheduled.

      I spent rest of day in various meetings, including lunch with Walter Thayer regarding OEO. President had a bunch of appointments, then Chowder and Marching reception and Business Council dinner. I didn't even get in to get the afternoon stuff signed because I was in a meeting with Flanigan's office regarding Consumer Office and President left for home.

      Still a stir regarding domestic program. Not organized right yet. Burns and Moynihan both feel strongly that President not putting enough time or attention on this and that nothing will be settled until he does. I think they're right. This morning he flatly rejected Head Start and Job Corps proposals without even really reading them. Just wants them changed --or preferably abolished.

      President comments to Cabinet, regarding the need for military strength as a basis for successful negotiating - the intellectuals are all opposed to this approach - "It's only us non-intellectuals who understand what the game is all about."
    • Handwritten diary entry (JPG)

  • 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 Intelligence Community and the White House

    • 188. Executive Order 11460 , Washington, March 20, 1969

      Source: 34 Federal Register 5535. Documentation on the formulation of the executive order—including the draft executive order prepared by PFIAB member Frank Lincoln, revisions urged by PFIAB Chairman Maxwell Taylor, and objections raised by Laird and Helms—is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 274, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board—Vol. 1 [1969]. Also see Document 186. Significant differences in E.O. 11460 from E.O. 10938 of May 4, 1961, which it replaced, are footnoted below. E.O. 10938 is in 26 Federal Register 3951.

    Managing the Department of State

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

    Trade and Commerce, 1969-1972

    Vol. XXIX, Eastern Mediterranean, 1969-1972

    Greece

    • 242. Memorandum for the Presidentʼs File , Washington, March 20, 1969

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Presidentʼs Office Files, Memoranda for the President. No classification marking. Drafted by Butterfield.

    Vol. E-4, Documents on Iran and Iraq, 1969-1972

    Iraq 1969-1971

    • 256. Memorandum of Conversation , Brussels, March 20, 1969

      Marcel Dupret, the Belgian Ambassador to Iraq, told an Embassy official and Rodger Davies that the Baghdad Government sought the U.S. Embassy property for security reasons.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 17 US-IRAQ. Confidential. The conversation took place in Brussels, Belgium.

    Vol. E-5, Part 1, Documents on Sub-Saharan Africa, 1969-1972

    Nigerian Civil War

    Vol. E-5, Part 2, Documents on North Africa, 1969-1972

    Tunisia

    Vol. E-7, Documents on South Asia, 1969-1972

    India and Pakistan: Pre-Crisis, January 1969-February 1971

  • 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 Photo Office collection consists of photographic coverage of President Richard Nixon meeting with prominent social, political, and cultural personalities; speaking engagements and news conferences of the President and various high-ranking members of the White House staff and Cabinet; Presidential domestic and foreign travel, including Presidential vacations; social events and entertainment involving the First Family, including entertainers present; official portraits of the President, First Family, and high-ranking members of the Nixon administration; the 1969 and 1973 Inaugurals; the President’s 1972 Presidential election campaign appearances (including speeches) and other official activities of the White House staff and the President’s Cabinet from January 20, 1969 until August 9, 1974 at the White House and the Old Executive Office Building; other locations in Washington, DC, such as The Mall; and the Presidential retreats in Camp David, Maryland, Key Biscayne, Florida, and San Clemente, California. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

    Roll WHPO-0552 Photographer: Atkins, Oliver | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0552-, President Nixon meeting with White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) winners. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room. President Nixon, WHNPA President Stan Sterns, unidentified photographers.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0552-12, President Nixon meeting with White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) winners. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0552-15, President Nixon meeting with White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) winners. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room.

    Roll WHPO-0553 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0553-, Preident Nixon at the swearing-in of Donald L. Jackson as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room. President Nixon, John Mitchell, Donald L. Jackson, unidentified men.

    Roll WHPO-0554 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0554-, President Nixon meeting with the WHNPA winners. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room. President Nixon, unidentified news photographers.

    Roll WHPO-0555 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0555-, President Nixon greeting WHNPA President Stan Sterns, UPI. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Roosevelt Room. President Nixon, Stan Sterns.

    Roll WHPO-0556 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0556-, Empty Suite 180 room views in the Executive Office Building (EOB), to be renovated for use as President Nixon's Office. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. Executive Office Building, Rm. 180. none.

    Roll WHPO-0557 Photographer: Atkins, Oliver | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0557-, A portrait study of Ron Ziegler in his office. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. Office of Ron Ziegler. Ronald Ziegler.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0557-06, A closeup portrait study of Ron Ziegler in his office. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. Office of Ron Ziegler. Ronald Ziegler.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0557-24, A portrait study of Ron Ziegler in his office. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. Office of Ron Ziegler. Ronald Ziegler.

    Roll WHPO-0558 Photographer: Atkins, Oliver | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0558-, President Nixon seated informally in the Oval Office during a meeting with Jacob Beam, Ambassador designate to the USSR. A fire is lit in the fireplace nearby. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, Jacob D. Beam, Henry Kissinger.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0558-05A, President Nixon seated informally in the Oval Office during a meeting with Jacob Beam, Ambassador designate to the USSR. A fire is lit in the fireplace nearby. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, Jacob D. Beam, Henry Kissinger.

    Roll WHPO-0559 Photographer: Kightlinger, Jack | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0559-, President Nixon seated informally in the Oval Office during a meeting with Jacques Chaban-Delmas, President of the French National Assembly and Mayor of Bordeaux, and French Ambassador Charles Lucet. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Charles Lucet.
    • Frame(s): WHPO-0559-02, President Nixon seated informally in the Oval Office during a meeting with Jacques Chaban-Delmas, President of the French National Assembly and Mayor of Bordeaux. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, Jacques Chaban-Delmas.

    Roll WHPO-0560 Photographer: Kightlinger, Jack | Color or B&W: B&W

    • Frame(s): WHPO-0560-, President Nixon with Bordeaux, France's Mayor Jacques Chaban-Delmas who is also the President of the French National Assembly and French Ambassador Charles Lucet. 3/20/1969, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Charles Lucet.

  • 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.

    P - Formal Presidential Remarks

    • WHCA-SR-P-690320
      to Chowder and Marching Society with Gerald Ford. (3/20/1969)

      Runtime: 10:10

      Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

Context (External Sources)