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May 5, 1971

Introduction

This almanac page for Wednesday, May 5, 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: Tuesday, May 4, 1971

Next Date: Thursday, May 6, 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. XIII, Soviet Union, October 1970-October 1971

    "One of Two Routes": Soviet-American Relations and Kissinger's Secret Trip to China, April 23-July 18, 1971

    • 201. Memorandum for the Record, Washington, May 5, 1971, 1 p.m.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 491, President’s Trip File, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1971, Vol. 6 [part 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive. Brackets are in the original.

    Vol. XVII, China, 1969-1972

    China,January-September 1971

    • 122. Extract of Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, May 5, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1031, Files for the President—China Material, Exchanges Leading up to HAK’s Trip to China, December 1969–July 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive. A full memorandum of conversation has not been found. This extract was apparently prepared by the NSC staff.

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

    Saudi Arabia

    • 149. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to President Nixon, Washington, May 5, 1971

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 629, Country Files, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Vol. II. Secret; Nodis. Sent for information. A notation on the first page indicates the President saw it. Rogers met with Nixon on May 10 to discuss his trip. According to a transcript of the tape recording of this meeting, Rogers discussed Faisal’s health, his interest in Jerusalem, and his “absolute obsession” with Zionism. According to Rogers, Faisal thought that “Zionism is the cause of all evil in the world,” and that it was “the father of Communism.” Nixon replied that Faisal’s obsession was “kind of like Hitler with the Jews.” Rogers also discussed Faisal’s innate intelligence, Fahd, the summer arrests, and Saudi Arabia’s “total support” for the United States “under all circumstances.” Paraphrasing Faisal’s remarks, Rogers continued, “Whatever we do on the Middle East—whether he likes it or doesn’t like it—he will support us.” Rogers was likewise impressed by the young Saudi government ministers and said, “Although they are related, they are strong looking, vigorous fellows, and a lot of them are quite interested in social improvement,” to which Nixon added, “A lot of them are training in the West.” The editors transcribed the portions printed here specifically for this volume. (Ibid., White House Tapes, Conversation 496–13)

    Vol. XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

    Germany and Berlin, 1969-1972

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

    International Cooperation in Space, 1969-1972

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

    • 5. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to President Nixon, Washington, May 5, 1971, Washington, May 5, 1971

      Haig reported on his meeting with Pakistani Ambassador Hilaly, who relayed PRC criticism of Secretary of State Rogers’ public statement about “two Chinas.” Hilaly indicated that the Pakistani Government had transmitted a message to the PRC that Nixon’s “hands would be tied,” if other American officials commented on U.S.-PRC relations.

      Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1031, Files for the President-China Material, Exchanges Leading up to HAK Trip to China, December 1969-July 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. A notation on the memorandum indicates that Nixon saw it. A handwritten notation reads: “Special File in HAK’s Office.”

    Vol. E-16, Documents on Chile, 1969-1973

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

    • 66. Telegram From the Embassy in Chile to the Department of State, Santiago, May 5, 1971, 2330Z

      Summary: In this telegram, Korry reported that in his meeting with Allende the President was cordial and stressed that he wanted to maintain ties with the United States. For his part, Korry emphasized to Allende that the United States had not tried to squeeze Chile economically.

      Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL CHILE–US. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Reference telegram 2353 from Santiago, May 4, is ibid., INCO 15–2 CHILE.

  • 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)