Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 277 › Conversation 277-005

Nixon & Haig on Foreign Aid and Africa

Wednesday, September 15, 1971 · 11:59 AM–12:01 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 59 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation277-005 on Tape 277 (tape position 00:10:31–00:11:33)StartWednesday, September 15, 1971 at 11:59 AMEndWednesday, September 15, 1971 at 12:01 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 277-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed Alexander Haig to conduct a detailed review of U.S. foreign aid programs provided to various African nations. The President specifically requested that Haig identify countries based on the status of their leadership and electoral legitimacy, emphasizing a preference for supporting regimes with contested, elected leadership. Haig acknowledged these instructions, setting the stage for a strategic reevaluation of how economic, military, and food assistance is distributed across the continent.

Audio

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Position in tape: 00:10:31 – 00:11:33

277a.mp3
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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I want you to pick out the countries...
We give aid to most of the African countries.
They're small programs.
A leader elected, and a contested elected, must be one of the things our senators do.
I have a number of countries, economic, military, point for, for food.
Okay.
Okay.

NARA Description

On September 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:59 am to 12:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 277-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 277-5

Date: September 15, 1971
Time: 11:59 am - 12:01 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

[See Conversation No. 9-15]

Also recorded on September 15, 1971

  • 009-015 11:59 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 11:59 am to 12:01 pm.
  • 009-016 12:01 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:01 pm and 12:18 pm.
  • 277-033 12:01 PM · 11 sec — Taft Schreiber met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:01 pm and 12:18 pm.
  • 009-017 12:18 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 12:18 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 277-006 12:18 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:18 pm to 12:20 pm.
  • 009-018 12:20 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:20 pm and 12:24 pm.
  • 009-019 12:24 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 12:24 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 277-007 12:24 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:24 pm to 12:25 pm.

All 57 conversations from September 15, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 277-005, September 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/277-005 (accessed September 30, 2026).