Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-052
Nixon phone call with Haig on Foreign aid and Press conference
Thursday, September 16, 1971 · 9:17 PM–9:19 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon consulted with Alexander Haig to discuss the reception of his recent press conference, specifically regarding his sharp rhetoric against Senate efforts to cut foreign aid. Nixon defended his stance as necessary, arguing that the legislative threats were irresponsible and suggesting a broader policy of cutting aid to numerous African nations if the Senate persisted. The two evaluated the political fallout of the remarks and briefly touched upon contingency plans for compromise should their legislative position weaken.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 47% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On September 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:17 pm to 9:19 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-052 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 9-52
Date: September 16, 1971
Time: 9:17 pm - 9:19 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Henry A. Kissinger
-Location
Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
The President talked with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
Press conference
-Haig's view
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-African countries
*****************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 02/28/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[009-052-w001]
[Duration: 1m 10s]
Press conference
-Nguyen Van Thieu
-Media
-[First name unknown] McCord?
-Paris
*****************************************************************
Press conference
-Draft issue
-Senate
-F. Edward Hébert
*****************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 02/28/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[009-052-w002]
[Duration: 22s]
[Tape malfunction]
*****************************************************************Also recorded on September 17, 1971
- 009-048 9:06 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 9:06 pm to 9:12 pm.
- 009-049 9:12 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:12 pm.
- 009-050 9:13 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:13 pm.
- 009-051 9:13 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 pm and 9:17 pm.
- 278-039 9:17 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:17 pm to 9:20 pm.
- 009-053 9:19 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:19 pm and 9:22 pm.
- 009-054 9:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Maj. Maj. George K. Robinson talked on the telephone from 9:22 pm to 9:23 pm.
- 009-055 9:24 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:24 pm to 9:31 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 009-052, September 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-052 (accessed October 9, 2026).