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September 19, 1972

Introduction

This almanac page for Tuesday, September 19, 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, September 18, 1972

Next Date: Wednesday, September 20, 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)
      Tuesday, September 19.

      Mitchell called from New York because he couldn't come to the political strategy meeting today and had several ideas. In view of the polls at the present time, he thinks we ought to look at an alternate media plan, maybe build up the closer states, California, New York, Michigan, and so on, transferring from those states that are way ahead, like Texas. He thinks we should stay with the Democrats' negative commercial longer and hold up on the positive commercials for a while. If the leads hold, we should work out a plan for combined ads with Senatorial candidates. Flexibility is the key point. He thinks Buchanan's analysis piece is good, he especially likes the idea of Connally using Meany, Jackson, Humphrey quotes and thinks it would be good for Reagan to do an economic speech, especially at something like the Press Club. Feels we've got to get Dole, Finch and all to quit talking about the New Republican Majority. Feels there is some tendency of our troops to let up, so we shouldn't let the word out that we're cutting back on anything.

      We had a problem today on the press situation with Pat Nixon. She talked to the President and apparently was disturbed because of a Q&A that got very rough in her first day out. The President has thus issued orders that we knock off all of that, that she shouldn't be put through that, nor should any of the rest of the family.

      He's concerned about the grain deal and was asking about the staff analysis on that. Wants to be sure we keep the heat on on amnesty, and that we move out an amnesty commercial with the Democrats.

      He got into some speech analysis points, based on his address to the Drug Conference this morning, made the point that the phrases that were picked up on television were all the ones that the President put in. Each is one that people can see, a visual type thing. He wants the speech writers to look at how the President cut out the connecting words and used short sentences, keeping the heat on them. He continues to bemoan the fact that he doesn't really have a good speechwriter.

      We had our political strategy meeting with Connally, MacGregor, Colson and George Christian this afternoon. Agreed that we shouldn't let the line build up that we're going to sweep in all the Congressional candidates. Connally made the point that we shouldn't let Pat Nixon get out in front of the President. She can’t appear to be out ahead of him, so we should slow her down, not too long a tour, etcetera. Point was made on the necessity of getting the candidates to hang on the President, not the President going in for them. He decided to run the Russian five-minute-spot next week and then hold it up till after October 5, when we've finished the various Soviet announcements, but run the China five-minute the following week. Also going to run the Democrats national defense sixty-second spot next week, and go with Connally's foreign policy speech on Wednesday the 4th, keep everybody else clear on that day. Connally's point is that our strategy now must not be to do anything to become the issue. McGovern's the issue; we should keep it that way, and don't inject any issue. Also, keep Agnew at a low-key and don't let him become an issue.

      Got into some follow-up on this on the helicopter to Camp David. Connally wanted to do a Q&A at his Democrat deal at the ranch. President doesn't feel he should, and I've had to turn that off. We got into an additional concern about depoliticizing the family schedule, keep them out of partisan activities, keep them in just basic events, get them out of any press Q&A type things. Keep Agnew out of the line of fire. McGovern is now the issue, keep it that way. Don't let the President, or Vice President or family become the issue, be sure Connally understands this. Stop releasing the surrogate schedules, which look like we've got too many other people out. Then he wants to consider dropping the regional press conference idea and figure out something to substitute for them, we shouldn't let the press dictate what we do. We could have one in-office press conference to get rid of the pressure. Probably it would be worthwhile to get it out of the way. Then find other events in Atlanta and Boston. Honor somebody, visit something, do a regional reception of our people, drop a major statement, nonpolitical or nonpartisan, or do a radio speech on, basic subject of the next four years. He had me into Aspen when we arrived to chat about this a little further before he went to dinner with his family.

      End of September 19.
    • 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

    Committee of 24

    Vol. VIII, Vietnam, January-October 1972

    The Parties Move Toward Agreement, July 19-October 7, 1972

    • 263. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, September 19, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 855, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XVII. Top Secret; Eyes Only. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates the President saw it. Kissinger had earlier sent to Haig an untitled, shorter report of his meeting with Le Duc Tho in Hakto 33, September 15, 2005Z, which Haig provided to the President. A stamped notation on the covering memorandum indicates the President saw it. (Ibid.)

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

    Economic Normalization and Soviet Jewish Emigration, September-December 1972

    • 48. Memorandum From the President’s Special Counsel (Garment) to President Nixon, Washington, September 19, 1972

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 721, Country Files—Europe—USSR, Vol. XXVI. No classification marking. Sent via Haldeman. A stamped notation at the top of the memorandum indicates the President saw it. In a September 20 covering memorandum to Haldeman, Garment wrote: “I discussed this subject with Henry Kissinger, gave him a draft, and am sending him a copy of the attached memorandum to the President. He said I could cite his general concurrence.”

    Vol. XVII, China, 1969-1972

    China, March-December 1972

    • 253. Memorandum of Conversation, New York, September 19, 1972, 6:17-7:45 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 850, President’s File—China Trip, China Exchanges. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Attached but not printed were Kissinger’s talking points.

    Vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969-1972

    Thailand

    Vol. XXI, Chile, 1969-1973

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

    Vol. XXIII, Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1969-1972

    Proximity Talks and the Backchannel: Separate Department of State and White House Negotiating Tricks

    • 309. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, September 19, 1972, 3 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 131, Middle East. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text that remains classified. The conversation took place in Kissinger’s office.

    Vol. XXXIV, National Security Policy, 1969-1972

    Taking Stock

    • 224. National Intelligence Estimate, Washington, September 19, 1972

      Source: Central Intelligence Agency, NIC Files, Job 79–R01012A. Top Secret; [codewords not declassified]. The CIA and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State and Defense and the NSA participated in the preparation of this estimate. The Director of Central Intelligence submitted this estimate with the concurrence of all members of the USIB with the exception of the representatives of the FBI and the Department of the Treasury, who abstained on the grounds that the subject matter was outside their jurisdiction. According to a Post Mortem, approved by the USIB on December 13, NIE 11–12–72 resulted from an urgent request from the Director of the DIA for such an estimate. (Ibid.) The table of contents and four annexes are not printed. The full text of this NIE is in the CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room (www.foia.cia.gov).

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

    Iran 1972

  • 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)