1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Almanac

October 31, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, October 31, 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 30, 1972

Next Date: Wednesday, November 1, 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

  • 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.

  • 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. XVII, China, 1969-1972

    China, March-December 1972

    • 261. Message From the Government of the People’s Republic of China to the Government of the United States, New York, October 31, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 850, President’s File—China Trip, China Exchanges. No classification marking. A handwritten notation on the first page reads: “Handed to J. Fazio by Mrs. Shih, 10/31/72, NYC.” According to Fazio’s memorandum for the record, at the October 31 meeting Mrs. Shih announced that Ch’iao and Huang would not be able to attend the November 1 dinner, “Since the invitation came on short notice, the Vice Foreign Minister had made other plans.” (Ibid.) See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–13, Document 167. Ch’iao and Huang attended a dinner with Kissinger and Rockefeller on November 13. (See footnote 6, Document 254)

    Vol. XXXIII, SALT II, 1972-1980

    SALT II, 1972-1980

    • 2. Minutes of a Meeting of the Verification Panel, Washington, October 31, 1972, 4:05-5:47 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–107, Verification Panel Minutes, Originals, 3/15/72–6/4/74 [1 of 5]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Codeword. All brackets except those that indicate text not declassified are in the original. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. Odeen and Sonnenfeldt sent Kissinger a briefing memorandum on October 24 in which they explained: “The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the major issues underlying SALT Two and to get views on how we should proceed in the first round of SALT.” (Ibid., Box H–12, Verification Panel Meeting, 10/31/72, 1 of 3)

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

    Oceans Policy

    • 443. National Security Decision Memorandum 196, Washington, October 31, 1972

      The President approved instructions for the U.S. delegation to the UN General Assembly regarding the timing, location, and program of work for the 1973 Law of the Sea Conference.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 364, Subject Files, National Security Defense Memoranda, Nos. 145-264. Confidential. Copies were sent to the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of Central Intelligence. The General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 18 that provided for an organizational session of UNCLOS III in November-December 1973 and a substantive session in April-May 1974. The resolution expressed the expectation that subsequent sessions of UNCLOS III would convene until an agreement was concluded. The General Assembly also called for an accelerated work schedule for the Seabed Committee during 1973 (UN Document A/RES/3209(XXVII))

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

    Iran 1972

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

    Dominican Republic

    • 295. Telegram 197500 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Dominican Republic, October 31, 1972, 1606Z., October 31, 1972, 1606Z

      Ramon Castillo visited Deputy Director INR/RAA Alfonso Arenales to ascertain State Department views on President Balaguer’s agrarian reform and his possible reelection to a third term. Arenales indicated that he was unaware of any changes in the Department’s favorable view of the Balaguer administration.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 DOM REP. Confidential. Drafted by Arenales; cleared for information by Burke; and approved by Hurwitch. Repeated to Santo Domingo and Saigon.

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

    • 167. Memorandum for the Record, New York, October 31, 1972, 3:30-3:55 p.m., New York, October 31, 1972, 3:30-3:55 p.m.

      Shih Yen-hua of the Chinese Mission to the UN informed Deputy Director of the White House Situation Room Fazio that Vice Foreign Minister Ch’iao Kuan-hua and Chinese Ambassador to the UN Huang Hua would not be able to accept President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger’s dinner invitation.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 850, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, Oct 24, 1972-Dec 31, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting was held at the PRC Mission at the UN.

  • 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)