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November 20, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Saturday, November 20, 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: Friday, November 19, 1971

Next Date: Sunday, November 21, 1971

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.

  • The Congressional Record is the official daily record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress.

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. IV, Foreign Assistance, International Development, Trade Policies, 1969-1972

    East-West Trade, 1969-1972

    Vol. V, United Nations, 1969-1972

    Chinese Representation in the United Nations

    Vol. VII, Vietnam, July 1970-January 1972

    Military and Diplomatic Stalemate, October 11, 1971-January 26, 1972

    Vol. XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971

    South Asia Crisis, 1971

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

    Nicaragua

    • 510. Telegram 2682 From the Embassy in Nicaragua to the Department of State, November 20, 1971, 1713Z., November 20, 1971, 1713Z

      Nicaraguan Archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo publicly indicated his intention to abstain from the scheduled 1972 Constituent Assembly elections. Nicaragua’s leading opposition newspaper, La Prensa, “welcomed the Archbishop’s apparent support for its position that voters should abstain because the Kupia Kumi and its elections are a farce.”

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 15–7 NIC. Confidential. Repeated to Guatemala, San José, San Salvador, Tegucigalpa, and USCINCSO for POLAD. In Airgram A–134, November 24, the Embassy reported that the opposition Partido Social Cristiano (PSC) had begun a petition campaign to force the Liberal and Conservative Parties to allow it to participate in the coming elections. (Ibid., POL 12 NIC)

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

    • 63. Memorandum for the Record, Paris, November 20, 1971, 11:30 a.m., Paris, November 20, 1971, 11:30 a.m.

      Military Attaché Walters met with Chinese Ambassador to France Huang Chen in order to deliver the messages Haig had transmitted the previous day. Huang provided Walters with a Chinese written message concerning a potential meeting between Ambassador to the United Nations Huang Hua and Kissinger in New York.

      Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Geopolitical Files-China, Chron, 1 September-29 December, 1971. Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Drafted by Walters. The meeting was held at the Chinese Embassy. Attached is the English-language version of the Chinese message, with the handwritten notation: “11/20/71.”

  • 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 of many of these transcripts can be found on the Yale University Library website.

Audiovisual Holdings

Context (External Sources)