1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Almanac

May 18, 1969

Introduction

This almanac page for Sunday, May 18, 1969, 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: Saturday, May 17, 1969

Next Date: Monday, May 19, 1969

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 Camp David, Maryland

  • 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.

    No Federal Register published on this date

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.

  • 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)
      Sunday, May 18.

      At Camp David. Slept late. Worked for a while after breakfast - then to pool for sun, swim, lunch, TV of Apollo 10 launch. Interrupted by word President was ready to leave. Chopper back to White House. President into office and buzzed me in for 2 hours.

      First concern was White House staff. He'd been doing a lot of thinking about feeling that we don't do an adequate job of selling our story. Feels Ziegler is a superb mechanic but not a designer. He had read all the Sunday papers pretty thoroughly and found just what he had expected and had predicted to Kissinger - all comments regarding his speech were either neutral or negative. Not one line regarding the fact that 98 percent of the foreign press had acclaimed the speech, or the strong positive reaction in Congress. Makes point that if JFK had made the speech they would have all been ecstatic. (Afraid a good part of this is a fact of life, but I'm sure we could do a lot better.)

      Real problem, as he says, is that we don't have a real PR operator, at a very high level, who really works at this all day, every day. Klein and Wilkinson are both very inadequate, and not in enough.

      President is reading Patton's book - and quoted point that a successful commander has to have leadership and be a superb mechanic but most important be ruthless in analyzing his staff and throwing out the people that are not up to it. Another quote - there are more tired division commanders than there are tired divisions, and all tired men are pessimists.

      Overall, we just haven't done an adequate job of building up the President, even though the press has been generally good. The accurate story of how hard he works, etc., is not getting out - i.e., about how he wrote his speech. He says the staff are all doing as well as they can, considering their limitations.

      He wants Ehrlichman, Kissinger and me to try to figure this all out. Says we are the only people on the staff smart and strong enough to do it. Would like to have Mitchell involved also, but feels he's too involved. Hope we can do something.

      Thinking about schedule, he feels he should be more aloof, inaccessible, mysterious, i.e., de Gaulle feels over-exposure detracts from impact. Shouldn't be too chummy. etc.
    • Handwritten diary entry (JPG)

  • 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.

    • No President's Daily Brief delivered on this date

  • 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. VI, Vietnam, January 1969-July 1970

    Vietnam, January 1969-July 1970

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

    Iran 1969

    • 16. Telegram 1904 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State, Tehran, May 18, 1969, 1020Z

      Thacher, the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, reported that the Shah was somewhat disappointed with the outcome of the oil negotiations, and suggested that the United States urge the consortium members to meet the Shah’s needs for the following year.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, PET 6 IRAN. Secret; Limdis. Repeated to Beirut, Dhahran, Jidda, Kuwait, London, and Tripoli.

    Vol. E-5, Part 2, Documents on North Africa, 1969-1972

    Morocco

    • 98. Telegram 2481 From the Embassy in Morocco to the Department of State, Rabat, May 18, 1969, 1626Z

      This telegram transmitted an account of Ambassador Tasca’s conversation with General Mohamed Medbouh, in which Tasca expressed U.S. concern that Morocco’s warming relations with the Soviets could damage confidence between Washington and Rabat.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL MOR-US. Secret. It was repeated to Moscow, Paris, Casablanca, and Tangier. According to telegram 75955 to Rabat, May 13, King Hassan had been dropped from the 1969 list of official visitors to Washington following the visit of Soviet President Podgorny to Morocco. (Ibid., RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 7 MOR)

  • 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.

Context (External Sources)