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March 30, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, March 30, 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: Wednesday, March 29, 1972

Next Date: Friday, March 31, 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 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.

  • 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.

    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 30.

      ITT started out the day again with my meeting with Colson and MacGregor right after the staff meeting to explain the President's action with Kleindienst last night. They feel that Eastland's real plan is to go for acting Attorney General and say that he asked MacGregor for assurance that the President would keep Kleindienst as acting AG. They think we're now turning this over to Mitchell, Kleindienst, and Mardian, but their track record doesn't justify this, their decisions and judgments don't warrant this kind of confidence. Mardian apparently said to Eastland in MacGregor's presence there was-- even though there is a serious philosophical difference between MacGregor and Kleindienst that MacGregor's motives are clear. Also Mardian said to somebody that MacGregor wants the AG job. Problem now is whether they'll equivocate on additional witnesses. Eastland committed to MacGregor on the Thursday thing that he keeps asking MacGregor what the Republican vote count is and all. Clark's principal concern though is that he was being pulled off of what he considers to be his responsibility, and I think I set him to rest on that. Then the President called me in, wanted to review the whole thing, mainly to be sure that Kleindienst checks today with Eastland to be sure that the commitment is a clean vote to terminate.

      President feels that he's got to get away from the ITT matter now, and that so should Colson and MacGregor and that I should play the inner relation role with Kleindienst, let him handle some of this. He told me to tell Kleindienst that he made a mistake in what he said to MacGregor last night, because MacGregor has the responsibility to get the votes. That regarding Eastland, he's to deal directly with him, not have Mardian do it. On the hearings, there must be a clean termination, not any compromise and he's got to understand that MacGregor has to have some contact with Eastland on Republican votes and that sort of thing. We have to have everyone working together, we can't let the Republicans go off on this. Or-- Nor can we have Eastland go off talking about the acting Attorney General because we can't wield that politically. If the hearings are not terminated next week, we of course, have a totally different ball game, which the President recognizes and agrees.

      President then again got back to the point-- called Colson in, got back to the point that he has to step back from the ITT thing, that he now has it setup to get done what needs to be done. I later talked to Kleindienst and everything seemed to be working out all right with him, and I think we've got that issue pretty well buttoned up now.

      During the morning while we were talking and Kissinger was in, he was handed a note indicating that the North Vietnamese have attacked in South Vietnam. The attack that we've been concerned about and waiting for.

      The other item of discussion today was the question whether the President gives a speech to the National Catholic Educators Association, the decision hinging on the question of whether we're going to go with the move for aid for parochial schools. President finally decided he'd do it regardless of what the Domestic Council wanted, and he wants Buchanan to do up the speech, and he also wants to kick the Population Commission, making the anti-abortion point again. So, we busted through the red tape and got that underway. He made the point, however, that he wanted to do it on Tuesday rather than on Monday because Monday would be the day before the New Hampshire pri-- the Wisconsin primary and that would create a problem.

      End of March 30.
    • Original audio recording (MP3)

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Context (External Sources)