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November 16, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, November 16, 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: Monday, November 15, 1971

Next Date: Wednesday, November 17, 1971

Schedule and Public Documents

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.

    President's Personal File

    The President's Personal File is essentially a President's secretary's file, kept by Rose Mary Woods, personal secretary to the President, for two purposes: (1) preserving for posterity a collection of documents particularly close to the President, whether because he dictated or annotated them, or because of the importance of the correspondent or the event concerned and (2) giving appropriate attention–letters of gratitude, invitations to White House social events, and the like–to members and important friends and supporters of the Nixon administration. This generalization does not describe all the varied materials of a file group which is essentially a miscellany, but it does identify the reason for the existence of the file group's core. 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)
      Tuesday, November 16th. Henry was in quite a stir this morning because of the story in the New York Times that obviously had been leaked by Defense, giving the figures on ultimate troop withdrawal numbers and strategy re: residual force. We got into quite a discussion of it with the President, and it was decided I should call Laird and hit him on this, which I did, not getting to him until quite a bit later in the day. Laird finessed the whole thing, blaming it on all sorts of other people, and ranting and raving about how he's really clamping down on the Joint Chiefs, etcetera. Obviously it was not the Joint Chiefs who leaked it, it was Laird.

      The President made the comment this morning that he wondered whether he had made a mistake on Butz, this arising from the Congressional opposition to him, and the big battle against him by the Farmers Union and the National Farmers Organization. I think, once we get past confirmation, he'll turn out to be a darn good appointment.

      Had a flap with Rose on dinner lists, the usual disagreement between her and Alex, which is really ridiculous. The President decided this noon to break the ice with Peterson on Commerce and tried to call him to get him in to tell him. He, Peterson was out to lunch with Schriver, of the IMF, which made the President a little bit upset. He later got him in at 3:30 this afternoon with Shultz, Ehrlichman, and me and did an absolutely terrible job of telling him he had decided he was going to move to Commerce. He didn't even offer the job to him or give him the chance to discuss it; he just said that's what we've decided and didn't even do that in a very enthusiastic fashion, but I guess Peterson swallowed it all right.

      A lot of discussion during the day on whether or not to do the A-F of L Convention. The President's gut reaction this morning was not to, because he feels that we can't let Meany have it both ways. He's been kicking us around, especially on foreign policy, and the President doesn't feel he should go down. Colson, on the other hand, feels very strongly that he should. That the atmosphere is not wrong, a lot of the delegates support the President, he could score a smash hit, and that he shouldn't let Meany scare him off. We discussed it some with Ehrlichman and Shultz this afternoon after the Peterson meeting and still haven't arrived at a final conclusion. That will be the main item up tomorrow.

      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      DECLASSIFIED - E.O. 13526, Sect. 3.4: by MS, NARA, June 12, 2013
      Audio Cassette 16, Side A, Withdrawn Item Number 3 [AC-16(A) Sel 3]
      Duration: 40 seconds

      Henry met with Rabin this morning to the President's consternation and he came in with a report that Golda Meir is going to be here the first week in December. And recommending that the President see her, get her in, and tell her we're going to give her the Phantoms. To avoid Rogers and Laird teaming up on a deal they've got going with an invitation they've extended to Moshe Dayan. In which they're going to try to pressure the President into giving her the jets. Henry's argument is that we're going to get stuck with it anyway, might as well get credit for it, which the President bought and agreed to meet with her.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      End of November 16th.
    • 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. 

    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. III, Foreign Economic Policy; International Monetary Policy, 1969-1972

    International Monetary Policy, 1969-1972

    Vol. V, United Nations, 1969-1972

    Chinese Representation in the United Nations

    Vol. XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971

    South Asia Crisis, 1971

    • 188. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, November 16, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 627, Country Files, Middle East, Pakistan, Vol. VIII, Nov–Dec 71. Secret. Sent for information. Drafted by Saunders and sent to Kissinger under a November 12 covering memorandum. A stamp on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.

    • 189. Letter From Indian Prime Minister Gandhi to President Nixon, New Delhi, November 16, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 755, Presidential Correspondence File, India (1971). No classification marking. An advance copy of the letter was sent to the White House on November 18 by Ambassador Jha. (Ibid.) Chargé dʼAffaires Rasgotra delivered the signed letter to the White House under a covering memorandum to Kissinger on November 24. (Ibid.)

    Vol. XIX, Part 2, Japan, 1969-1972

    November 1971-December 1972: Toward a New Equilibrium

    Vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969-1972

    Thailand

    Vol. XXI, Chile, 1969-1973

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

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

    • 58. Memorandum for the Record, Paris, November 16, 1971, Paris, November 16, 1971

      Unable to arrange a meeting for November 15, Military Attaché Walters met with Chinese diplomat CHAN YUNG CHIEH the next day. Walters informed him of President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger’s upcoming visit and handed him the note expressing Kissinger’s desire to meet with the Chinese in New York. Chieh indicated that he would transmit the note to Peking via “electrical means.”

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, Oct 20, 1971-Dec 31, 1971. Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Drafted by Walters. The meeting was held at the Chinese Embassy.

  • 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)