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May 12, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Wednesday, May 12, 1971, 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: Tuesday, May 11, 1971

Next Date: Thursday, May 13, 1971

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.

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  • 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 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)
      Wednesday, May 12.

      The usual clear Wednesday, which creates monumental problems for me as the President has nothing to do and so keeps me in there talking for hours, as he did virtually all morning and for a good chunk this afternoon. He went through a number of schedule changes, and I went through my whole folder of schedule recommendations. He wants to shift the plan for going to Florida ahead of the LBJ dedication, so that instead we stay here and fly down directly to Texas and then to Florida afterwards. The reason for this turns out to be that Pat can't go, and so he's got to wait here to take her along. Then we also got into the secret plan to go to Florida this weekend, which he had dredged up in his own mind somewhere and decided it would be a good idea. He decided not to go to the NATO meeting in Indianapolis, because he doesn't think there's much in it for us and feels the Hovde dinner later does more good because it relates to Indiana, where the NATO thing doesn't. Then he wanted to shift press conferences around, because he wants to do those at the time when Pat Buchanan's available to do the briefing book for him, rather than trying to do it when we had originally scheduled it.

      An amusing episode was his reaction to a television program he inadvertently saw last night because he had tuned in to watch the baseball game, which was canceled because of rain. It was a show that glorified a couple of homosexuals, and it made all the good guys, the normal human beings, look bad. The President was horrified by the whole thing and wanted some discreet research done as to whether this is what's really going on TV.

      Later today we had the SST vote in the House, and it came out in favor of restoring the SST funds. The President was delighted and made a number of calls to Congressmen assuring them of our support in trying to get it through the Senate. Also, the Ways and Means Committee reported out the Welfare Reform Bill today, so it was a good day at the House of Representatives. He got into some PR discussion, particularly a follow-up to Scali's memo, saying that we should launch a positive press relations campaign, stop our broadside attacks on the press and instead develop a constructive program of trying to sell a few of the salable-type press people. The President agreed with this and told me to set it up with Scali having the basic responsibility and hold him for delivering on it. I did this later in the day, and Scali was delighted. He's going to go ahead with it on this basis.

      The President also had a long talk with Peterson, and was very much impressed with him and his ideas and thinks he should sit in more with the political people, because he thinks more imaginatively than our pragmatists do. Pete apparently argued the need to set understandable goals, and then tell people what they are and then move ahead to accomplish them, and that we should talk about all the things we're going to do. This whole concept intrigued the President, because it's what he's been talking about too.

      The big flap of the day was the proposed NATO troop reduction amendment offered by Mansfield and the question of how to deal with it. The decision was to fight it for a defeat in the Senate. That got us into a Kissinger-Rogers tangle, as Kissinger started launching all the plans for it, but the President wanted Rogers to lead the charge and talked to him about it. Rogers said he would, but in talking to Kissinger later, backed away and obviously didn't want to really take over on it. We went through a painful exercise, with Henry in the office, while the President was trying to work out a way to force Henry to get Rogers in.

      [End of tape reel AC-07(B)]

      [Begin tape reel AC-08(A)]

      Addendum from May 12. Previous part of May 12 was dictated on the last tape. This item's added as Henry Kissinger called me after I had done the other tape, to report that in his meeting with Dobrynin today, he had gotten agreement in all of the specifics of the SALT thing except for one minor technicality that relates to translation in the letter, as related to the wording in the press release. Henry says there's a 9 out of 10 chance that we'll be able to make the announcement next Thursday, and that if it gets hung up at all, it will only be hung up on this technicality, which can be worked out in two weeks, but it would take that if they do have to actually move in and work it out. He's very pleased and thinks he's gotten over the first hurdle in his series of negotiating plans, and now we will anxiously await the next one.

      End of May 12.
    • Original audio recording (MP3)

  • 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.

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    Nixon Library Holdings

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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

    Coordinating Committee on Export Controls, 1969-1972

    • 373. Letter From President Nixon to Prime Minister Heath, Washington, May 12, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files-Europe, Box 728, UK, Volume VI 4/71-8/71. No classification marking. Attached to a July 3 memorandum from Kissinger to the President informing him that successful security negotiations with the United Kingdom had been completed and that on June 25 the United States had lifted its COCOM objections to the proposed computer sale. “The President has seen” is stamped on the July 3 memorandum.

    Vol. XIII, Soviet Union, October 1970-October 1971

    "One of Two Routes": Soviet-American Relations and Kissinger's Secret Trip to China, April 23-July 18, 1971

    • 211. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, May 12, 1971, 3:30 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 491, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1971, Vol. 6 [part 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. David Young and Winston Lord prepared the memorandum of conversation from Kissinger’s “somewhat cryptic” dictated notes; they also drafted a memorandum to the President summarizing the “highlights” of the meetings between Kissinger and Dobrynin on May 12 and 13. Kissinger, however, decided on May 20 not to forward the memorandum to the President. (Memorandum from Young to Kissinger, May 18; ibid.) The meeting was held in the Map Room at the White House. According to Kissinger’s Record of Schedule, the meeting began at 4:35 and lasted until 6:10 pm. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 438, Miscellany, 1968–76)

    Vol. XIII, Soviet Union, October 1970-October 1971

    "One of Two Routes": Soviet-American Relations and Kissinger's Secret Trip to China, April 23-July 18, 1971

    Vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969-1972

    Thailand

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

    The Two Yemens

    Vol. XXIX, Eastern Europe, 1969-1972

    Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty

    Vol. XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Vol. XLI, Western Europe; NATO, 1969-1972

    Western Europe Region and NATO

    • 62. Minutes of a Legislative Interdepartmental Group Meeting, Washington, May 12, 1971, 12:12-12:44 p.m.

      Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 137. Secret; Nodis. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. Kissinger provided an account of the background to this meeting in White House Years, pp. 938–949.

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

    Iran 1971

    • 127. Telegram 2495 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State, Tehran, May 12, 1971, 1242Z

      Ambassador MacArthur notified the Department that instances of “externally directed and supported” anti-government subversion in Iran had increased in recent months.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 23 IRAN. Secret. Repeated to Ankara, Dhahran, Jidda, Kuwait, London, and Moscow.

  • 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)