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October 10, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, October 10, 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, October 9, 1972

Next Date: Wednesday, October 11, 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.

    No Federal Register published on this date

  • The Congressional Record is the official daily record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress.

  • Argued

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)
      Tuesday, October 10.

      Had our Cabinet Leadership breakfast meeting this morning. Ehrlichman did a pitch on issues state by state, with MacGregor giving a review of the political situation. It was deadly dull as any such thing would be. The President interjected from time to time as they were going through their poll results and so on. First to emphasize the turnaround of the blue-collar suburbs, that there's confidence in the country, morality, economy's up, and that especially the fringes of the great cities of the North now look good. That we should make the patriotism and morality issue and get above the material things. Emphasize the welfare issue, also, with these people, the work ethic and so on. Then he pointed out that you won't get this out of the polls. At another point he said that we can't go so far right as to give the economic issue to our opponents. If they're thinking economics, we lose, but we're in good shape on economics and the middle position. We have to move Helms and Scott and the right-wing candidates toward the middle.

      He wrapped up, telling them to hit hard, and also the wives, on the big vote theme. The "extreme-view voters" will come out anyway. Regarding the polls-- the spread can't be adequately shown. We can assume that the behind candidate will pick up. The gap will narrow. This will make a difference on the House and Senate races, so we have to get out the vote. Tell everyone to vote, not just our people. Issues are so important that all should vote and we should urge all voters, not just ours, because a big vote will help us. Regarding a tax and escalated rhetoric, we should stay right where we are, more in sorrow than in anger. Hit hard on the issues, stay on the facts, defense cut, welfare, and so on. It will get rougher toward the last. Don't react in kind. Don't have both sides getting personal. Emphasize the importance of the surrogates in local news coverage, which is enormous. That may make more difference than the national network stuff overall. Regarding the "most corrupt Administration" charge, Watergate, grain deals, etcetera, --in not one instance in four years has there been any personal corruption of the Cabinet, appointees, White House. We have the strictest rules we've ever had. You should have confidence. There may have been mistakes in judgment, such as Palmby, but we didn't know there was going to be a deal and neither did he. This is an honest Administration. We will not go down on the charge of corruption.

      Kissinger had me called out of the meeting on a phone call from Paris. Said that he just discovered there was a communication breakdown yesterday and that we hadn't gotten a cable from him reporting on the status of negotiations. He said there is a cable coming now, that I must understand that the situation is very complex, but they know what they're doing. We should get everybody to keep quiet and keep everybody steady. He said they were going into a meeting in about a half an hour, that if the appropriate point is reached they will leave tonight, late, getting in about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Otherwise they'll stay over. That he can't tell me a lot more than that right now.

      After the Cabinet breakfast, the President got into some analysis of it in his office. Made the point that in all the discussion the presenters, MacGregor and Ehrlichman didn't understand the key points. For instance, why are the Catholics turning around and coming to us? Not because of the domestic issues, but because of the key gut issues that the President has hit. His foreign policy, amnesty, and so on. Pollsters are talking in terms of our old constituency in the fashionable suburbs instead of the Colson hardhats and blue-collar types. There's a failure here to see the great undercurrents. They should talk to Labelle. We have to get across what the real issues are to our staff. The issues of this being a good country, patriotism and so on. Teeter's polling is the disaster. He's ignored the hardhats, the military, cuts, amnesty, busing and so on, because he doesn't understand this.

      He had Ziegler in to make quite a pitch about press philosophy. This came out of a problem with Tricia yesterday, where she was interviewed in New York and got no protection from our advance men or any press people on trying to fend anything off. Kaplow was by far the most vicious and the President makes the point that the leftist has complete contempt for sentimentality, i.e., his phone call when Kaplow's mother-in-law died, and so on. So he told Ziegler to quit trying to pander to those who are philosophically against us. Any generous move towards them only shows weakness from their viewpoint. He says the press liberals hate our guts. Not personally, but because they hate our beliefs, so we should not make any nice, personal gesture to an ideological enemy, like Sidey or someone like that, because they misinterpret it. On the Post Watergate story today, Ziegler should just stonewall it. But the President is concerned about whether there is a leak in Colson's office somewhere, that's causing this and he came back to that several times during the day, wanting it checked out. He pointed directly to Colson, who said absolutely not, but naturally that’s what he would say.

      He had some concern about the voter, get out the vote telegram we're sending and spent quite a little time working on it, to revise the wording and so on. He got quite interested in the whole thing. Raised some schedule points-- and with Alex in there-- that he doesn't want any more blacks, Jews, or DC government people. Wants to work out the Tower situation for a phone call. Did agree to see some Senators today and during the rest of the week for pushing for Senate action. Wants to set up a Senate or Congressional meeting on Thursday afternoon after he gets back from Atlanta and also do something in the morning before he departs -- to relate to business here in Washington, not just be campaigning all day. We went up to Camp David late afternoon in time for dinner.

      End of October 10.
    • 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. II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969-1972

    The Intelligence Community and the White House

    Vol. IX, Vietnam, October 1972-January 1973

    Breakthrough in Paris Blocked in Saigon, October 8-23, 1972

    • 5. Memorandum of Conversation, Paris, October 10, 1972, 4-9:55 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du General Leclerc in Gif sur Yvette. The tabs are attached but not printed. Brackets, with the exception of those indicating omitted material and italicized corrections to the text, are in the original.

    Vol. XXIX, Eastern Europe, 1969-1972

    Poland

    • 174. Memorandum for the Record, Washington, October 10, 1972, 11:55 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 699, Country Files—Europe, Poland, Vol. II 1972. Confidential. Drafted by Sonnenfeldt.

    Vol. XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Vol. XLII, Vietnam: The Kissinger-Le Duc Tho Negotiations

    Serious Negotiations and the October Settlement, July 1972-October 1972

    • 23. Memorandum of Conversation, Paris, October 10, 1972, 4-9:55 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam Negotiations, Sensitive, Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du Général Leclerc in Gif-sur-Yvette. All brackets except where noted are in the original. The tabs are attached but not printed.

      After the session, Kissinger sent messages to Nixon and Haldeman. To the President, he wrote: “The negotiations during this round have been so complex and sensitive that we have been unable to report their content in detail due to the danger of compromise. We know exactly what we are doing, and just as we have not let you down in the past, we will not do so now. Pending our return and my direct report to you it is imperative that nothing be said in reply to McGovern or in any other context bearing on the current talks.” Senator George S. McGovern, Nixon’s Democratic Party opponent in the upcoming election, was to announce his Vietnam program that evening. To Haldeman, he urged: “Please hold everything steady. I recognize the uncertainties there but excessive nervousness can only jeopardize the outcome here.” The two messages, retyped as memoranda, are ibid., Vol. XIX.

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

    Iran 1972

    • 222. Telegram 6127 From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State, Tehran, October 10, 1972, 1320Z

      Ambassador Farland observed that although rumors abounded that narcotics were being smuggled from Iran, the evidence needed to approach the Iranian Government was lacking.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, SOC 11–5 IRAN. Confidential. Repeated to Kabul, Islamabad, Manama, Kuwait, Jidda, Karachi, Dhahran, and BNDD.

    Vol. E-5, Part 1, Documents on Sub-Saharan Africa, 1969-1972

    Burundi

  • 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)