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May 1, 1973

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, May 1, 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: Monday, April 30, 1973

Next Date: Wednesday, May 2, 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

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 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. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972-August 1974

    Kissinger's Pre-Summit Trip to Moscow, May 1973

    • 101. Letter From President Nixon to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev, Washington, May 1, 1973

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 68, Country Files—Europe—USSR, Dobrynin/Kissinger, Vol. 17. No classification marking. A handwritten notation at the top of the page reads: “Handed by K to D 2:30 pm, Tues, May 1, 1973.”

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

    Costa Rica

    • 111. Telegram 1499 From the Embassy in Costa Rica to the Department of State, San José, May 1, 1973, 1507Z

      Summary: Vaky reported that Figueres seemed committed to Vesco’s side in the dispute with the SEC.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files, Box 779, Latin America, Costa Rica. Confidential; Nodis. In a May 14 letter to Pezzullo, Vaky observed that “There is no doubt that Figueres is committed to Vesco’s side, and the tighter the battle the more his stubborn nature will lead him to rationalize his position. The upshot is that a situation is developing in which Figueres—psychologically—is in an adversary relationship with the USG, or at least a good part of it. And that is bound to have an effect on the degree to which he and his government are prepared to cooperate with us generally.” (Ibid., RG 59, ARA/CEN Files: Lot 75D469, Costa Rica—Political, 1973) Telegram 1248 from San José was not found.

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

    Philippines

    • 323. National Security Study Memorandum 180, Washington, May 1, 1973., Washington, May 1, 1973

      Kissinger asked the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the CIA to study how the insurrection in the southern Philippines affects U.S. policy in Southeast Asia.

      Source: Library of Congress, Henry Kissinger Papers, CL 316, National Security Study Memoranda, October 1971–May 1973. Secret. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On July 26, Hummel, the Acting Chairman of the East Asian and Pacific Interdepartmental Group, sent a study to the NSC Review Group in response to NSSM 180. The study provided options in response to four questions: how the U.S. should react to GOP requests for increased security assistance to help end the insurgency; whether the U.S. should use economic assistance to encourage the GOP to be more responsive to the needs of Philippine Muslims; whether the U.S. should encourage other countries in the region to help stabilize the situation; how the U.S. should treat the Philippine claim to Sabah. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files [H-Files], Box H–199, NSSMs, NSSM 180)

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

    Federal Republic of Germany, 1973-1976

    • 265. Memorandum for the President’s File by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), Washington, May 1, 1973

      Summary: Kissinger reported on a meeting among Nixon, Brandt, Bahr, and himself.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Staff Member & Office Files, President’s Office Files, Memoranda for the President, Box 91, Beginning April 29 (1973). Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. All brackets are in the original. The memorandum contains two sentences that were partially deleted by means of correction fluid; sufficient text remains to decipher them. The first appears at the end of the sixth paragraph: “[He was rambling almost incoherently.]” The second appears at the end of the tenth paragraph: “[A long anti-Israel speech.]” Nixon and Brandt entered the Oval Office, where this meeting took place, at 10:44 a.m.; Kissinger and Bahr joined them at 10:50 a.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary) A tape recording of the full meeting, from 10:44 a.m. to 12:24 p.m., is ibid., White House Tapes, Oval Office, Conversation 908–13. Nixon and Brandt met again on May 2; no memorandum of conversation on this meeting was found, but a tape recording of the talk is ibid., Conversation 909–25. Memoranda of conversation on the talks between Scheel and Rogers are ibid., RG 59, Central Files 1970–1973, POL 7 GER W.

  • 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)