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October 18, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Wednesday, October 18, 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: Tuesday, October 17, 1972

Next Date: Thursday, October 19, 1972

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.

  • 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, October 18th. The principal concern today was the debate about the schedule. The President had me in at 8:15 and wanted to get started talking about it right away, so I missed the staff meeting. He feels that the key argument on getting out is the problem next week on television, the momentum story for McGovern and the coverage of him, which will mean that we'll be blamed for losing the House and Senate, and we have the problem of having to live with those people. So we have to do what we have to do in order to avoid being a loser. He raised the idea of going back to a one event stop rather than helicoptering in to three places, wondered if there was one place out in the country that would work out. He just feels Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, with no outside schedule will not wash, so we've got to do a one shot on Wednesday or Thursday. He suggested Kentucky for Louie Nunn, and we expanded that to doing it, instead of Saturday after Ohio, do it as a Kentucky, West Virginia stop on Wednesday or Thursday evening as a night rally. He feels that we've got to decide on a plan now and not change, and at first wanted to just add Kentucky to Ohio on Saturday, then, the more he thought about it, got to the idea I mentioned above, doing it Wednesday night with some good statements dropped in conjunction with it.

      Colson was panic stricken about the idea of expanding the schedule and argued strongly all kinds of points, trying to avoid it. Ehrlichman raised the point of some other ideas, most of which the President shot down as he shot down most of Colson's ideas for activities at the White House. He still feels the real need is for one thing in the middle of the week, and so that's where we're ending up and try to work that out.

      He got into juggling the radio speeches around, and also the final week he's going to move Chicago up to Tuesday, because we’ve learned McGovern's going to be in Chicago Wednesday night and Thursday. And then will do his TV Thursday night, with a radio speech Wednesday, in-between.

      The only other item today is Henry and his Vietnam negotiations. The President called Haig in first thing, said he's very concerned about Henry's plan to go to Vientiane for a second meeting with Le Duc Tho, because he feels he's got to come back here after the meeting with Thieu for consultation. Although, as the day went on, the thing looked better, and Rogers even reviewed the political settlement...

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      DECLASSIFIED - E.O. 13526, Sect. 3.4: by MS, NARA, June 12, 2013
      Audio Cassette 25, Side B, Withdrawn Item Number 23 [AC-25(B) Sel 19]
      Duration: 57 seconds

      …felt that it was a complete capitulation by the other side and better than we could have possibly hoped for. He had Haig in later this afternoon again talking about the same thing, but giving Haig some advice to give Henry on how to handle Thieu. His point was that he should not go in with the full details of the settlement right at the beginning. He should hold out a little; make, build it up some. Make the point that the President laid down the conditions that there be no coalition government. And don't show him paper on what we do have, and don’t give him the dope on the political settlement. Go first into the military, and go through all that, and then give him part of what we've got, and let him argue about it. Then step back to what we actually have, which he, by this time, would be delighted to buy.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      The President is still not fully sold, I don't think, on whether he should push for the deal before the election, but the way Henry is going now, it looks as if it will be inevitable, and the President later today relented and said he could go to Vientiane if he had the full deal worked out... 

      [End of tape reel AC-25(B)]

      [End of October 18th]
    • 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. V, United Nations, 1969-1972

    Special Meetings of the Security Council

    Vol. IX, Vietnam, October 1972-January 1973

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

    Vol. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972-August 1974

    Economic Normalization and Soviet Jewish Emigration, September-December 1972

    Vol. XIX, Part 1, Korea, 1969-1972

    Republic of Korea Troops in Vietnam and Force Modernization, April 1971-December 1972

    • 163. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Korea, Washington, October 18, 1972, 1436Z

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 543, Country Files, Far East, Korea, Vol. V, 1 Jan–31 Dec 1972. Confidential; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Kriebel on October 17; cleared by Green, Ranard, Sneider, and in S/S; and approved by Johnson.

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

    November 1971-December 1972: Toward a New Equilibrium

    • 137. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, October 18, 1972, 10 a.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 538, Country Files, Japan, Vol. VIII, May-December 1972. Secret. On October 20, Holdridge sent this memorandum of conversation to Haig for approval. Haig approved it with no further distribution. (Ibid.) Nixon had rejected an earlier request to meet with Ohira, but Holdridge, citing support from Rogers, appealed this decision in an October 17 memorandum sent under Kissinger’s name but signed by Haig. According to an attached routing slip, Haig and Nixon discussed this matter by telephone, and Haig approved the memorandum on behalf of the President. (Ibid.) Ericson produced a briefing paper for Nixon’s meeting with Ohira. (Memorandum from Mueller to Kissinger, October 17; ibid., RG 59, POL 7 JAPAN)

    Vol. XXIX, Eastern Europe, 1969-1972

    General Policy

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

    Nigerian Civil War

    • 216. Telegram 8136 From the Embassy in Nigeria to the Department of State, Lagos, October 18, 1972, 1346Z

      Ministry of External Affairs Permanent Secretary Joe Iyalla presented Ambassador Reinhardt with a lengthy list of alleged calculated U.S. attempts to downgrade Nigeria which, Iyalla believed, all added up to a pattern of U.S. indifference and a penchant to take Nigeria for granted.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL Nigeria-US. Confidential. Repeated to Ibadan and Kaduna.

    Vol. E-16, Documents on Chile, 1969-1973

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

    • 122. Intelligence Note Prepared in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Washington, October 18, 1972

      Summary: This INR Intelligence Note reported that the surge in strikes in mid-1972 was politically and economically motivated. It concluded that the unrest would not lead to the unseating of Allende.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 15–1 CHILE. Confidential. Drafted by Jorgenson, Arenales, and Misback; approved by Summ; and released by Mark.

  • 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)