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October 19, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, October 19, 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, October 18, 1971

Next Date: Wednesday, October 20, 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.

  • 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 19.

      We had a number of discussions on appointments today. The NATO question was back up because Bob Ellsworth was in for a meeting. The President now wants to put Kennedy on the NATO assignment if he can. We also talked about Japan, the question of whether that is still available, and if it is, he wants to send Tex Thornton. I reviewed the final recommendations for candidates for the Price Board, including Kermit Gordon, and the President even agreed to putting him on, buying the recommendation on the basis of the Machiavellian approach that it traps them into being with us at Brookings.

      And back into the Court again; he met again this morning with John Mitchell. He's now thinking of some different approaches and is not telling anybody what he's really up to, but he's forcing Mitchell to reevaluate. I think he's basically dropped the idea of Herschel Friday. He's decided now that, if the ABA gives Mildred Lilly a good rating, he'll go with her. If they don't, he'll drop her and blame them for it. So he wins either way. He seems to be intrigued with Howard Baker as a possibility, which was a suggestion that came in from Len Garment and that I passed on to him yesterday when I was making my pitch for looking for some more distinction.

      He got into the Common Cause problem with Colson and me this afternoon. He feels--apparently it came up at the Congressional leaders meeting this morning that Common Cause is very effective at getting letters into the Congressmen, and so on, in their lobbying effort. The President wanted us to try to do as good a job. Thinks we should regenerate our attack on Common Cause. That they're working now on the Mansfield Amendment, and they had done, apparently, a very effective job.

      He had a Budget meeting this afternoon and, as a result of that, decided to have another long session with Ehrlichman on domestic priorities on Friday or Saturday and then another budget meeting, with Connally present, on Monday. He's, therefore, canceling his plan to go to Florida this weekend. He's been thoroughly enjoying throughout the day the possibility of coming down with a cold. Since he's not been outside or anything where he would normally catch one, he's decided that there is something to the virus theory and that he has caught Connally's virus, which seems to sort of please him also.

      End of October 19, and end of this tape.
    • 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

    Chinese Representation in the United Nations

    Vol. XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971

    South Asia Crisis, 1971

    • 169. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan, Washington, October 19, 1971, 2159Z

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 578, Indo-Pak War, Pakistan Chronology, Dr. Kissinger. Secret; Exdis. Drafted and approved by Van Hollen and cleared by Laingen and Jeanne Davis, Director of the NSC Staff Secretariat. Repeated to New Delhi and Dacca.

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

    Announcement of Summit Through the South Asia Crisis, October 12-December 1971

    • 6. Letter From President Nixon to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev, Washington, October 19, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 492, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1971, Vol. 8. An undated and unattributed draft of this letter has handwritten revisions by Kissinger. The major substantive change made by Kissinger was to insert paragraph two of the letter. (Ibid.) On October 16 Haig sent an unsigned copy of this letter to Dobrynin. (Ibid.) A note at the top of the page reads: “Orig hand carried to Amb. Dobrynin, 10/19/71.”

    Vol. XXXII, SALT I, 1969-1972

    Narrowing the Issues, October 19, 1971-April 18, 1972

    Vol. XLI, Western Europe; NATO, 1969-1972

    Spain

    • 305. Letter From President Nixon to Spanish Head of State Franco, Washington, October 19, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 762, Presidential Correspondence, Spain Franco corres. Secret. Hill presented Nixon’s letter to Franco on October 22. He reported on the meeting in telegram 4815 from Madrid, October 22; for text, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume E–1, Documents on Global Issues, 1969–1972, Document 413.

  • 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)