February 18, 1970

The Daily Diary files represent a consolidated record of the President's activities. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

• Original typewritten diary (PDF)

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.

Appointments and Nominations

• The Public Printer (6 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 240, February 18, 1970)
  Announcement of Intention To Nominate Adolphus Nichols Spence II.
• National Labor Relations Board (6 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 240, February 18, 1970)
  Announcement of Intention To Nominate Edward B. Miller To Be Member and Chairman.
• Office of Economic Opportunity (6 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 241, February 18, 1970)
  Announcement of Intention To Nominate Albert E. Abrahams To Be an Assistant Director.

Congress, Communications to

• United States Foreign Policy for the 1970's: A New Strategy for Peace (6 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 194, February 18, 1970)
  The President's Message to the Congress Transmitting the First Annual Report on United States Foreign Policy.
• United States Foreign Policy for the 1970's: A New Strategy for Peace (6 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 194, February 18, 1970)
  The President's Report to the Congress.

Checklist of White House Press Releases

The releases listed below, made public by the Office of the White House Press Secretary during the period covered by this issue, are not included in the issue.

• Text of letter from Bryce N. Harlow, Counsellor to the President, to Senator Hugh Scott, Minority Leader of the Senate on the Scott amendment on school desegregation.
• Press conference of Donald Rumsfeld, Director, Office of Economic Opportunity, and John Oliver Wilson, Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Evaluation, Office of Economic Opportunity, on report on New Jersey Graduated Work Incentive Experiment.
• Press conference of George P. Shultz, Secretary of Labor, and Edward B. Miller, Chairman-designate, National Labor Relations Board, on Mr. Miller's nomination to the Board.

Digest of Other White House Announcements

Following is a listing of items of general interest which were announced in the press but not made public as formal White House press releases during the period covered by this issue. Appointments requiring Senate approval are not included since they appear in the list of nominations submitted to the Senate, below.

• At a meeting of the Cabinet, Donald Rumsfeld, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, presented a report entitled, "Preliminary Results of the New Jersey Graduated Work Incentive Experiment."
• Lori Jean Bowen of Columbus, Ohio, National Easter Seal Child, visited with the President at the White House.

Nominations Submitted to the Senate

Does not include promotions of members of the Uniformed Services, nominations to the Service Academies, or nominations of Foreign Service Officers.

• FINDLEY BURNS, Jr., of Florida, a Foreign Service Officer of Class one, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ecuador.
• ADOLPIMS NICHOLS SPENCE II, of Virginia, to be Public Printer, vice James L. Harrison.

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.

• Remarks to Reporters at a Briefing on the Foreign Policy Report to the Congress
• Message to the Congress Transmitting the First Annual Report on United States Foreign Policy.
• First Annual Report to the Congress on United States Foreign Policy for the 1970's.

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.

• Federal Register of Wednesday, February 18, 1970

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

• Senate: February 18, 1970
• House of Representatives: February 18, 1970
• Extensions of Remarks: February 18, 1970

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)
• Handwritten diary entry (JPG)

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

• Text search for February 18, 1970
• Date search for February 18, 1970

All National Archives Units

• Text search for February 18, 1970
• Date search for February 18, 1970

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.

• President's Daily Brief of 18 February 1970

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. I, Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969-1972

Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1969-1972

• 59. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Buchanan) to President Nixon, Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 80, Memoranda for the President, Jan 4-May 31, 1970. No classification marking.

• 60. Report by President Nixon to the Congress, Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1970, pp. 116-190. The report, the first annual report on foreign policy, was transmitted to Congress under a covering letter signed by Nixon. (Ibid., p. 115)
  
  According to Henry Kissinger’s memoirs, the idea of preparing a comprehensive report on foreign policy originated with a memorandum Kissinger sent to the President-elect shortly before the new administration took office. Kissinger envisioned a document that would “serve as a conceptual outline of the President’s foreign policy, as a status report, and as an agenda for action.” He anticipated that it would “simultaneously guide our bureaucracy and inform foreign governments about our thinking.” (White House Years, p. 158) President Nixon approved the concept on January 30, 1969. (Chronology attached to a memorandum from Haig to Kissinger, February 12, 1970; National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 148, Kissinger Office Files, State-WH Relationship) On October 27 Kissinger sent NSSM 80 to the Secretaries of State, Defense, and the Treasury, and the Director of Central Intelligence directing on the President’s behalf the preparation of an unclassifed annual report on foreign policy. Kissinger indicated that the report to be submitted to Congress should be analogous to the Defense Posture Statement previously submitted to Congress by Secretary of Defense McNamara. (Ibid., Box 365, Subject Files, National Security Study Memoranda, NSSMs 43-103) Additional documentation on the preparation of the annual report is ibid., Boxes 325-326, Subject Files, The President’s Annual Review of U.S. Foreign Policy, and ibid., NSC Secretariat Files, Boxes 1303-1309, Richard M. Nixon Annual Review 1970-1974.

Vol. II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969-1972

The NSC System

• 95. Report to the Congress on U.S. Foreign Policy by President Nixon , Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: Richard Nixon, U.S. Foreign Policy for the 1970’s: A New Strategy for Peace; A Report to the Congress (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970), pp. 17–23. Also printed in Public Papers: Nixon, 1970, pp. 122–126. Nixon’s 2nd and 3rd reports to the Congress, dated February 25, 1971, and February 9, 1972, respectively, also included sections on the NSC system: U.S. Foreign Policy for the 1970’s: Building the Peace (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971), pp. 226–232; and U.S. Foreign Policy for the 1970’s: The Emerging Structure of Peace (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972), pp. 208–212. Also printed in Public Papers: Nixon, 1971, pp. 341–344; and Public Papers: Nixon, 1972, pp. 341–345.

Managing the Department of State

• 315. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for Congressional Relations (Timmons) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) , Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Central Files, Subject Files, EX FG 11. No classification marking. Printed from an unsigned copy. A copy was sent to Harlow.

Vol. VI, Vietnam, January 1969-July 1970

Vietnam, January 1969-July 1970

• 188. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon , Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 144, Vietnam Country Files, Vietnam, March 1970. Secret. Sent for information. A note on the top of the memorandum reads: “ret’d, 2/20/70”

Vol. XII, Soviet Union, January 1969-October 1970

Expansion of the Kissinger-Dobrynin Channel and Further Discussions on the Middle East, December 11, 1969-July 28, 1970

• 135. Memorandum of Conversation , Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 489, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1970, [Part 2] Vol. I. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The meeting was held in the Residence Library.

• 136. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 711, Country Files, Europe, USSR, Vol. VI. Secret; Nodis. Sent for information. Drafted by Sonnenfeldt and Saunders on February 12. The draft contained the following concluding sentence that Kissinger deleted: “I believe we must continue to confront the Soviets with the risks of intervention while leaving open the possibility for genuine diplomatic negotiation.”

Vol. XXXII, SALT I, 1969-1972

Opening Round at Helsinki and Preparations for Vienna, November 17, 1969-April 15, 1970

• 52. Memorandum of Conversation , Washington, February 18, 1970

  Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 489, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1970, Vol. 1 [Part 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The luncheon meeting took place in the Residence Library at the White House. The full text of the memorandum of conversation is printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XII, Soviet Union, January 1969–October 1970, Document 135.

Vol. E-5, Part 1, Documents on Sub-Saharan Africa, 1969-1972

U.S.-African Policy

• 7. U.S. Foreign Policy for the 1970ʼs: A New Strategy for Peace: A Report to the Congress by Richard Nixon, President of the United States , Washington, February 18, 1970

  In this published report the President summarized his administrationʼs goals and policies regarding Africa. A major concern was “that the Continent be free of great power rivalry or conflict in any form.”
  
  Source: Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. No classification marking.

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

Nicaragua

• 490. Telegram 272 From the Embassy in Nicaragua to the Department of State, February 18, 1970, 2236Z. , February 18, 1970, 2236Z

  Ambassador Crockett reported that President Somoza urgently requested four helicopters for use in counter-guerrilla operations.
  
  Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 23 NIC. Confidential; Immediate. It was repeated to USCINCSO and USCINCSO for POLAD. In telegram 1991 from Managua, November 5, 1969, the Embassy reported that the FSLN had increased its activities and that it had demonstrated that it was a continuing threat. (Ibid.)

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.

The White House Photo Office collection consists of photographic coverage of President Richard Nixon meeting with prominent social, political, and cultural personalities; speaking engagements and news conferences of the President and various high-ranking members of the White House staff and Cabinet; Presidential domestic and foreign travel, including Presidential vacations; social events and entertainment involving the First Family, including entertainers present; official portraits of the President, First Family, and high-ranking members of the Nixon administration; the 1969 and 1973 Inaugurals; the President’s 1972 Presidential election campaign appearances (including speeches) and other official activities of the White House staff and the President’s Cabinet from January 20, 1969 until August 9, 1974 at the White House and the Old Executive Office Building; other locations in Washington, DC, such as The Mall; and the Presidential retreats in Camp David, Maryland, Key Biscayne, Florida, and San Clemente, California. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

Roll WHPO-2975 Photographer: Atkins, Oliver | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2975-01A-09A, Cabinet meeting. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House Cabinet Room. Members of Cabinet.

Roll WHPO-2976 Photographer: Schumacher, Karl | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2976-04-30, Vice President Agnew at Blair House. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. Blair House. Vice-President Agnew.

Roll WHPO-2977 Photographer: unknown | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2977-01, Photograph of picture of President Nixon with Congressman Rogers Morton. 2/18/1970, Washington, DC White House. President Nixon, Congressman Morton.

Roll WHPO-2978 Photographer: Kightlinger, Jack | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2978-02-29, Steve Bull and Ron Walker walking outside White House. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, exterior. Steve Bull, Ron Walker.

Roll WHPO-2979 Photographer: Kightlinger, Jack | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2979-03-17, A closeup portrait study of Ron Walker. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, exterior. Steve Bull, Ron Walker.
• Frame(s): WHPO-2979-03-30, A close-up portrait study of Steve Bull. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, exterior. Steve Bull, Ron Walker.
• Frame(s): WHPO-2979-26, A close-up portrait study of aide Steve Bull. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, exterior. Steve Bull.

Roll WHPO-2980 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2980-02-18, President Nixon standing with Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz and Edward B. Miller, Chairman, N. L. R. B. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, George Shultz, Edward Miller.
• Frame(s): WHPO-2980-09, President Nixon standing with Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz and Edward B. Miller, Chairman, N.L.R.B. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, Oval Office. President Nixon, George Shultz, Edward Miller.

Roll WHPO-2981 Photographer: Schumacher, Karl | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2981-02A-11A, Pat Nixon looking at a large painting or lithograph print at a reception for the National Council of Jewish Women. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House. Pat Nixon, unidentified Jewish Women National Council representatives.
• Frame(s): WHPO-2981-12A-20A, Pat Nixon meeing women in a receiving line at a reception for the National Council of Jewish Women. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House. Pat Nixon, unidentified Jewish Women National Council representatives.

Roll WHPO-2982 Photographer: Atkins, Oliver | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2982-00, President Nixon sitting at his Oval Office desk during a meeting with Henry Kissinger, Bryce Harlow, and H.R Haldeman. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House Oval Office. President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Bryce Harlow, H.R. Haldeman.
• Frame(s): WHPO-2982-00-02, President Nixon sitting at his Oval Office desk during a meeting with Henry Kissinger, Bryce Harlow, and H.R Haldeman. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House Oval Office. President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Bryce Harlow, H.R. Haldeman.

Roll WHPO-2991 Photographer: Knudsen, Robert L. | Color or B&W: B&W

• Frame(s): WHPO-2991-02-04, Secretary Melvin Laird walking. 2/18/1970, Washington, D.C. White House, exterior. Melvin Laird.

The White House Communications Agency Sound Recordings Collection contains public statements that took place between 1969 and 1974. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

H - White House Staff Member Recordings

• WHCA-SR-H-129
  Background briefing by Henry Kissinger. (2/18/1970, Roosevelt Room, White House)
  
  Runtime: 40:00:00
  
  Keywords: Briefings, public briefings, statements to the press (see also Press conferences, news conferences, interviews, media)
  
  Production credits: Audio feed supplied by "WHCA only"; Recorded by KAP (initials of WHCA engineer)
  
  Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

• WHCA-SR-H-130
  Press briefing by Ronald Ziegler, Donald Rumsfeld, and John Wilson concerning welfare studies. (2/18/1970, Roosevelt Room, White House)
  
  Runtime: 44:00:00
  
  Keywords: Press conferences, news conferences, interviews, media, press secretary
  
  Production credits: Audio feed supplied by CBS; Recorded by RRS (Bob Schroder, WHCA engineer)
  
  Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

• WHCA-SR-H-131
  Press briefing by Ronald Ziegler, George Shultz, and appointee Edward Miller. (2/18/1970, Roosevelt Room, White House)
  
  Runtime: 20:00
  
  Keywords: Press conferences, news conferences, interviews, media, press secretary
  
  Production credits: Audio feed supplied by CBS; Recorded by RRS (Bob Schroder, WHCA engineer)
  
  Original Format: 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape. Original source type: Original.

The White House Communications Agency Videotape Collection contains “off-the-air” recordings of televised programs produced between 1968 and 1974. Visit the finding aid to learn more.

• WHCA-3638
  Weekly News Summary.
  All networks
  Runtime: 0:30
  
  4. Report on President Nixon's State of the World Message. Time Code Start: 07:05. Keywords: Presidents, speeches, foreign policy, foreign relations. Network: ABC.

• New York Times of February 18, 1970

• AP Images photos from February 18, 1970
• Getty Images photos from February 18, 1970

The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is the world's most extensive and complete archive of television news. They have been recording, preserving and providing access to television news broadcasts of the national networks since August 5, 1968.

• February 1970 Broadcast Index

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

• February 18, 1970