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May 11, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, May 11, 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, May 10, 1972

Next Date: Friday, May 12, 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.

  • 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

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

    Trade and Commerce, 1969-1972

    Vol. VIII, Vietnam, January-October 1972

    The North Vietnamese Offensive Falters, Negotiations Resume, May 8-July 18, 1972

    • 146. Minutes of a Washington Special Actions Group Meeting, Washington, May 11, 1972, 11:21-11:59 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–116, Washington Special Actions Group, WSAG Minutes (Originals) 1–3–72 to 7–24–72. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. All brackets, except those that indicate the omission of material, are in the original.

    Vol. XIV, Soviet Union, October 1971-May 1972

    Summit in the Balance: U.S.-Soviet Relations and the Decision to Mine Haiphong, April 26-May 12, 1972

    • 214. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, May 11, 1972, 1:15 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 494, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1972, Vol. 2. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only.

    • 215. Memorandum for the President’s Files From the President’s Assistant and Director of the Council on International Economic Policy (Flanigan), Washington, May 11, 1972, 10:08-11:01 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 88, Memoranda for the President, Beginning May 7, 1972. Secret. The time of the meeting and the fact that members of the press and an unnamed White House photographer were present for short periods are in the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid., White House Central Files) An undated memorandum for the President’s files outlines the key points for the President to make during his meeting. (Ibid., White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 88, Memoranda for the President, Beginning May 7, 1972) Kissinger’s May 11 memorandum to the President provided a background briefing for the meeting. (Ibid., NSC Files, Box 719, Country Files, Europe, USSR, Vol. XXII, May 1972) A May 11 memorandum from Peterson to Nixon contained talking points. (Ibid.) Kissinger briefly describes the meeting in his memoirs. (White House Years, p. 1194) A recording of this meeting is ibid., White House Tapes, Oval Office, Conversation No. 723–5. Kissinger’s comments to Nixon immediately following this meeting also appear on a tape recording. (Ibid., Conversation No. 723–7)

    • 216. Minutes of Washington Special Actions Group Meeting, Washington, May 11, 1972, 11:21-11:59 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–116, WSAG Minutes, Originals. Sensitive. Transmitted to Kissinger under cover of an attached May 11 memorandum from Davis.

    • 217. Conversation Among President Nixon, his Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger), White House Chief of Staff (Haldeman), and Secretary of State Rogers, Washington, May 11, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Oval Office, Conversation No. 723–16. No classification marking. According to his Daily Diary, Nixon met with Kissinger, Haldeman, and Rogers in the Oval Office from 3:51 to 4:44 p.m. The editors transcribed the portion of the conversation printed here specifically for this volume. In his diary Haldeman recorded that Rogers asked for this meeting to show that he “is not cut out” of decisions in Vietnam. “We set up the Rogers meeting. The P had me sit in and we didn’t really accomplish much. The P told Rogers not to have a press conference this week, emphasize that we have to turn off all of our PR apparatus on any comment on the Soviet answer or any interpretation of the Soviet attitude.” Haldeman continued: “The general feeling now, even on Henry’s part, is that the Summit is going to be on rather than off, and so there’s a level of optimism on that part.” (The Haldeman Diaries: Multimedia Edition)

    Vol. XIX, Part 1, Korea, 1969-1972

    Republic of Korea Troops in Vietnam and Force Modernization, April 1971-December 1972

    • 139. National Intelligence Estimate, Washington, May 11, 1972

      Source: Central Intelligence Agency, ODDI Registry of NIEs and SNIEs, Job 79–R01012A. Secret. The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense, the NSA, and the Atomic Energy Commission participated in the preparation of this estimate. The Director of Central Intelligence submitted this estimate with the concurrence of all members of the USIB with the exception of the representatives of the FBI and the Department of Treasury who abstained on the grounds that it was outside their jurisdiction. Another copy of this NIE is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 361, Subject Files, National Intelligence Estimates, Part 3.

    Vol. XXIV, Middle East Region and Arabian Peninsula, 1969-1972; Jordan, September 1970

    The Two Yemens

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

    Iran 1972

    • 191. Telegram 2774 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State, Tehran, May 11, 1972, 1230Z

      The Embassy offered guidance on whether the President should raise the issue of narcotics during his Iranian visit.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, SOC 11–5 IRAN. Confidential; Exdis. Repeated to Kabul, Ankara, and Islamabad.

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

    U.S. Relations with India and Pakistan, 1972

    • 261. Telegram 83263 From the Department of State to the Embassy in India, Washington, May 11, 1972, 2350Z

      Ambassador Keating was instructed to propose consultations to produce a mutually agreed reduction of U.S. AID staff members in India, taking into account U.S. and Indian priorities for various programs.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, AID (US) INDIA. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Eyes only for Ambassador from Hannah and Sisco. Drafted by Schneider and by Williams and Hannah; cleared by Van Hollen, Sisco, Williams, and Hannah; and approved by Irwin.

    Vol. E-10, Documents on American Republics, 1969-1972

    Panama

    • 559. Special National Intelligence Estimate 84–72, Washington, May 11, 1972., Washington, May 11, 1972

      In this 3 page intelligence estimate, the Central Intelligence Agency discussed the political stance and probable negotiating position of the Torrijos regime regarding the Canal. In addition, the Agency analyzed different threats to the Canal, and the possible reaction of the Panamanian Government to those threats under a new treaty relationship.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 361, Subject Files, National Intelligence Estimates, Part 3. Secret.

    Vol. E-16, Documents on Chile, 1969-1973

    Cool and Correct: The U.S. Response to the Allende Administration, November 5, 1970-December 31, 1972

    • 111. Memorandum for the 40 Committee, Washington, May 11, 1972

      Summary: This memorandum examined the elections held at the University of Chile in April 1972. The contest was “an event of national importance” as the election showdown between the Marxist and non-Marxist forces indicated a political shift away from Allende.

      Source: National Security Council, Nixon Intelligence Files, Subject Files, Chile, 1971–72. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. A notation on the first page indicates that the memorandum was distributed to the principals of the 40 Committee on May 12. A covering memorandum states, “Paper distributed to all principals. Not forwarded to HAK but read by Bill Jorden. All principals notified that paper being filed 5/22/72. Will not be a minute item.”

  • 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)