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May 16, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, May 16, 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: Monday, May 15, 1972

Next Date: Wednesday, May 17, 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. VIII, Vietnam, January-October 1972

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

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

    Nixon at the Summit, May 13-May 31, 1972

    • 229. Telegram From the Department of State to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Delegation in Helsinki, Washington, May 16, 1972, 2234Z

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, DEF 18–3 FIN (HE). Secret; Nodis. Drafted and approved by Philip J. Farley, Deputy Director of ACDA.

    • 231. Paper Prepared by the National Security Council Staff, Washington, May 16, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 484, President’s Trip Files, The President, Issues Papers—USSR, III, [Part 1]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. A notation on the paper indicates the President saw it. According to a May 16 memorandum from Kissinger to Nixon, this was the full content of the third briefing book for the summit sent to the President. (Ibid., RG 59, S/P Files, Lot 77 D 112, Box 335, Lord Chronology, May, 1972)

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

    U.S. Relations with India and Pakistan, 1972

    • 263. Telegram 85263 From the Department of State to the Embassy in India, Washington, May 16, 1972, 0035Z

      The Department reiterated that the Indian Government should be made aware that the request to reduce AID staff in India was carefully considered in Washington, and that the U.S. concurred.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, AID (US) INDIA. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Drafted on May 15 by Schneider; cleared by Van Hollen and Williams, and approved by Sisco.

    Bangladesh, December 1971-December 1972

    • 423. Memorandum For the President’s File, Washington, May 16, 1972

      Ambassador-Designate Karim made his initial call on President Nixon who pledged that the United States would do everything it could to help Bangladesh survive and to provide hope for the future.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 17 BANGLADESH–US. Confidential; Exdis. Drafted by Hoskinson.

    Vol. E-13, Documents on China, 1969-1972

    • 129. Memorandum of Conversation, New York, May 16, 1972, 6:10-7:10 p.m., New York, May 16, 1972, 6:10-7:10 p.m.

      President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger alerted Chinese Ambassador to the UN Huang Hua as to the nature of the discussions at the upcoming U.S.-Soviet summit and reassured him that the U.S. would not agree to anything that would hurt Chinese interests.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, March 1, 1972-June 24, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held at the PRC Mission at the UN. Attached at Tab A is the U.S.-Soviet Bilateral Agreements; attached at Tab B is the Basic Principles of U.S.-Soviet Relations; and attached at Tab C is the draft Sino-American announcement.

  • 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)