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October 26, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Thursday, October 26, 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: Wednesday, October 25, 1972

Next Date: Friday, October 27, 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.

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)
      Thursday, October 26.

      Kissinger called me at 3:00 this morning to say that the North Vietnamese had gone public on their peace proposal and he was in a state of very great concern at that time. He called again at 7:00 and had simmered down considerably, as I thought he would, as he found that their thing didn't really look as bad as he was afraid it was going to.

      The President got cranking on it this morning, but first was concerned about adding West Virginia in at the last minute to the Kentucky trip since Archmore wasn't going to be there in Kentucky tonight. So we had quite a hassle trying to tie something up with Archmore, but ended up adding a quick stop at the Huntington, West Virginia Airport, before we landed in Ashland. It worked out very well. It was a very good trip, great enthusiasm in both West Virginia and Kentucky. The peace move obviously had a lot to do with that, as it was featured in the papers and on TV tonight after Kissinger's briefing today. The President wanted a quick poll made, to see what the public reaction was to the Peace Plan, as it now stands-- mainly the question of whether he should order a bombing halt while we're negotiating, or if he should continue the bombing. He made the point that we've got to attack McGovern on his peace-by-surrender plan and all the Vietnam-related issues-- abandoning the POW's and so forth. He makes the point, that only great events can change things in the campaign now, and Vietnam is the only great event happening. We've got to be sure that if it changes anything, it changes it our way. He emphasized the need in the last two weeks to keep down the jitters with the staff and said we ought to get all the surrogates in on Saturday and have Henry brief them. He told me to work with Haig on the PR on this thing, all that matters now is what the press says, that it's a political battle of the first magnitude, that we have to keep Scali clued in, get him on the road, get Rogers and Laird on salvo next week. Kissinger plays an enormous and important part now and we've got to watch every development and make the most of each of them. The question that concerns him is whether it appears we're playing politics with Vietnam. He emphasized the need for Henry to see the good press people, and then he came up with the idea that he ought to have a press conference before the election, maybe do it on the plane, with an expanded pool on the way out.

      He also wanted to expand the schedule to do Michigan at some point as an airport stop, and he got into the McGovern attack thing, which got an awfully good rating last night. He thinks that MacGregor should issue a white paper refuting the charges one by one -- charge the big line smear at the last minute, the most vicious personal attacks on the President, repeat his earlier charges, say this is a shocking performance, not worthy of a Presidential candidate, and so on. We should keep the VP and Ziegler and so on, off of it, because it's not our issue. On the Vietnam thing, he wants to be sure we get talking papers out to the surrogates and all. Ziegler felt that he was very disturbed when Ron reported to him on Kissinger's briefing. And Ron read it that the President felt that we were getting the wrong twist on this, and that Kissinger was getting the play, and that the announcement now had been blown, where the President had hoped that he could go before the nation and make the announcement. Now, it had been made by the North Vietnamese and briefed by Henry, which kind of pulled the President out of it. He was uptight when he talked with me about the Kissinger thing too, but on the basis that Henry hadn't gotten our points over, the anti-McGovern points. And so the President wants that followed up, making the point primarily, our peace with honor versus his peace by surrender. I said that I thought this break by the North Vietnamese would turn out to be the best lucky break of the campaign for us, not because of the substance or that we'll win votes by moving people over on Vietnam, but because it takes the corruption stuff off the front pages, totally wipes out any other news.

      End of October 26.
    • 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. IX, Vietnam, October 1972-January 1973

    Paris Negotiations Collapse, October 24-December 13, 1972

    Vol. XXIV, Middle East Region and Arabian Peninsula, 1969-1972; Jordan, September 1970

    Middle East Region

    • 34. Airgram From the Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to the Department of State, Abu Dhabi, October 26, 1972

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL6 UAE. Confidential. Drafted on October 10 by W. Nathaniel Howell, Jr., Economic and Commercial Officer, and approved by Philip J. Griffin, Chargé. Passed to Commerce and Treasury. It was repeated to London, Luxembourg, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Tehran, Beirut, Karachi, Islamabad, and Dacca.

    Vol. XXXIV, National Security Policy, 1969-1972

    Taking Stock

    • 225. National Intelligence Estimate, Washington, October 26, 1972

      Source: Central Intelligence Agency, NIC Files, Job 79–R01012A. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]. The CIA and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense, the NSA, and the AEC participated in the preparation of this estimate. The Director of Central Intelligence submitted this estimate with the concurrence of all members of the USIB except for the representatives of the FBI and Department of the Treasury, who abstained on the grounds that the subject was outside their jurisdiction. The table of contents is not printed. The full text of this NIE, excluding the appendix, glossary, and annex, is in the CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room (www.foia.cia.gov).

    Vol. E-1, Documents on Global Issues, 1969-1972

    Oceans Policy

    • 441. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, October 26, 1972

      Kissinger recommended that Nixon approve a NSDM dealing with questions arising from preparations for the 1973 UN Law of the Sea Conference. Nixon approved the recommendation.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H-237, NSDM Files, NSDM 196. Confidential. Sent for action. A notation on the memorandum indicates that Nixon saw it. Nixon initialed his approval. For Tab A, see Document 443.

    Vol. E-2, Documents on Arms Control and Nonproliferation, 1969-1972

    Conferences on Nuclear and World Disarmament and Soviet UN Initiative on Non-Use of Force

    • 348. Telegram 195162 From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations, Washington, October 26, 1972, 2317Z

      The telegram provided guidance to U.S. delegation at the UN on the ways to respond to the Soviet proposed UN resolution on non-use of force and the prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–1973, DEF 18–6. Confidential. It was repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, and USNATO. Drafted by McIntyre (IO/UNP); and cleared in IO, L, EUR/RPM, INR, UNP, L/UNA, ACDA, and EUR/SOV.

    Vol. E-10, Documents on American Republics, 1969-1972

    Panama

    • 561. Telegram 4843 From the Embassy in Panama to the Department of State, October 26, 1972, 1859Z., October 26, 1972, 1859Z

      Ambassador Sayre reported that General Torrijos requested a meeting with President Nixon after the U.S. election. Sayre sought authorization to tell the Panamanian head of state that he would not recommend a meeting until he was confident it had a good chance of success.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 791, Country Files, Latin America, Panama, Vol. 3, January 1972. Secret; Exdis. No record of a meeting between Torrijos and Nixon has been found. Torrijos’s comments to Finch are in Document 560. Anderson’s October 5 letter to Tack and Tack memorandum of August 3 have not been found.

  • 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)