Foreign Assistance Policy, 1969-1972
61. Information Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 323, Foreign Aid, Volume I 7/70-1971. No classification marking. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads: “The President has seen.”
62. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Irwin) to the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Weinberger)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). Limited Official Use. A copy was sent to Kissinger. Beginning with an August 16 memorandum from Acting AID Administrator Roderic O’Connor to Under Secretary Johnson, AID persistently called attention to the need for decisions on how the foreign assistance reduction was to be handled. Was the reduction to be in outlays, new obligations, or budget authority? Were supporting assistance and programs dealing with refugee assistance in India and Pakistan exempt as they were not “foreign economic aid in the regular sense”? O’Connor’s August 16 memorandum and a number of others on the same subject are in the Washington National Records Center, Agency for International Development, AID Administrator Files: FRC 286 75 A 13, Chron Files for August and September, 1971.
63. Draft Letter From Secretary of State Rogers to the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Fulbright)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 228, Department of Defense, XIII 8-11/71. Secret. Attached to a September 18 memorandum from Executive Secretary Eliot to General Pursley providing Laird with a copy of a letter with 5-year MAP projections that Rogers reportedly had discussed with Laird by phone on September 14. Eliot noted that Irwin had informed Laird’s office the previous day that Rogers would like to have the letter available for a meeting with Fulbright at 10 a.m. on September 20. Copies of Eliot’s memorandum were sent to Kissinger and Dean. Eliot also provided a draft letter to Senator Proxmire. Secretary Rogers and David Abshire met with Senator Fulbright on September 20 from 9:48-11:45 a.m. (Ibid., Personal Papers of William P. Rogers, Appointment Books) No other record of the meeting has been found.
64. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Laird to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 228, Department of Defense, XIII 8-11/71. Secret; Eyes Only. Attached to an undated, handwritten note from Kennedy to Haig that reads: “Al: A hold was put on Rogers. Defense is doing a new draft which will be sent to State (and to us). John [illegible word] is sitting on top of this.”
65. Letter From the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Hannah) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US) 1. No classification marking. Attached to a September 22 memorandum from Rogers to the President informing him that Hannah had requested that he forward the letter.
66. Letter From the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Weinberger) to the Under Secretary of State (Irwin)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). No classification marking. At the top of the page, Irwin wrote: “Talked with HAK on tel. on 9/21/71 pointing out problem of $222 which apparently includes $66 Supp-Ass’t.”
67. Letter From Acting Secretary of State Irwin to the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Weinberger)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). No classification marking. A copy was sent to Kissinger.
68. Letter From the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Hannah) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 195, AID 1/1/71-12/31/71. Limited Official Use. Attached to an October 21 letter from Shultz to Haig, which confirmed OMB’s concurrence (with minor revisions) with Hannah’s proposed statement at the OECD. Also attached is an October 28 memorandum from Hormats to Haig indicating that Hannah’s letter had had the effect of “smoking out a decision” on whether the 10 percent reduction in foreign aid (from $1,840 to $1,653 million) would be handled administratively (i.e., frozen) or through legislation (see footnote 4 below). Hormats’ memorandum indicates that the letter did not go forward to the President.
70. Memorandum From Richard T. Kennedy of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 323, Foreign Aid, Volume I 7/70-1971. No classification marking. Routed by Haig to Kissinger who wrote: “Reassure VN urgently.”
71. Note From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 195, AID 1/1/71-12/21/71. No classification marking. Concurred in by MacGregor and Kissinger.
73. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 323, Foreign Aid, Volume I 7/70-1971. Secret. A handwritten note by Haig reads “HAK—our friend explaineth all!” This Evening Report was included in the President’s morning briefing material on November 4. (Ibid., President’s Daily Briefings, Boxes 1-61) During late 1971, in the run-up to final Congressional action on the foreign assistance authorizing legislation and a continuing resolution on December 17 (see Document 78), the Evening Reports were included more frequently in the morning briefing material because they included reporting on legislative progress.
75. Memorandum for President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 323, Foreign Aid, Volume I 7/70-1971. No classification marking. A handwritten note reads: “Orig. handed to Pres. by Ziegler 11/9/71.”
76. Letter From Secretary of State Rogers to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Shultz)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). Confidential. Drafted by W.H. Lewis (PM/PA) on November 4 and cleared by Leahy (H) and O’Connor (CO/SA). The letter was forwarded to Secretary Rogers through Irwin under cover of a November 4 memorandum from Spiers recommending that the Secretary sign the letter.
77. Information Memorandum From Richard T. Kennedy and Robert D. Hormats of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 229, Department of Defense, XIV 11-12/71. Confidential; Urgent. John Lehman concurred in the memorandum.
78. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, President’s Daily Briefings, Box 37, December 17-December 31, 1971. Secret.
79. Action Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 323, Foreign Aid, Volume I 7/70-1971. Secret. Attached is a December 27 memorandum from Kennedy and Hormats to Kissinger recommending that he forward this memorandum and the attached December 23 memorandum from Shultz to the President. Kennedy and Hormats expressed a concern that Shultz was recommending only $50 million for the Contingency Fund instead of agency requests for $130 million. They agreed that “prospective uncertainties” warranted $100 million. On the December 27 Kennedy-Hormats memorandum, Haig wrote: “Dick, I’ll OK for HAK for Pres.”
81. Memorandum From the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Hannah) to Secretary of State Rogers
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). No classification marking.
82. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Irwin) to the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Hannah)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970-73, AID (US). Confidential. Drafted by J.K. Wilhelm (S/PC) on January 22 and forwarded to Irwin under cover of a January 24 memorandum from Arthur Hartman, which noted that Hannah’s reform package had already gone to the Secretary and Congress and included four sets of comments received from within the Department to help guide the Under Secretary’s decision.
83. Memorandum From the Office of Management and Budget to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, AID, Volume II 1972. No classification marking. Attached as Tab B to a February 7 memorandum from Kissinger to the President summarizing briefly the Foreign Aid Authorization bill, which the President had signed that morning, and recommending that he approve a signing statement that would set the stage for efforts to restore the program through a supplemental or a budget amendment later in the year. The President initialed his approval. The February 7 signing statement is printed in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard Nixon, 1972, pp. 166-167.
84. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Irwin) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. Confidential. Attached to a February 16 summary memorandum from Kennedy to Kissinger recommending that Kissinger and Shultz approve Irwin’s recommendations, which Kennedy characterized as a “reasonable division of the limited funds we can anticipate will be appropriated.” Also attached is a February 17 memorandum from Kissinger to Irwin noting that Irwin’s recommendations were a sound basis for implementing programming actions. Kissinger understood the $385 million of supporting assistance for Vietnam was part of a total support plan of $680 million and that supplementary actions to fulfill the Vietnam program would be addressed shortly. He cautioned that other supporting assistance allocations should be a guide for actions but only urgent obligations should be made until the appropriations bills were completed.
85. Information Memorandum From Richard T. Kennedy of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, AID, Volume II 1972. Confidential.
86. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Irwin) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. Confidential. Attached to a March 20 memorandum from Kissinger to Irwin informing him that he and Shultz agreed that the allocations along the lines of Irwin’s March 6 memorandum were “the most effective and least disruptive means of adjusting to the funding limits in the appropriations bill.”
87. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. Secret. Attached to Document 91. An advance copy of Rogers’ memorandum, which was not cleared by the Secretary, was provided to the NSC under cover of a March 14 memorandum from Deputy Executive Secretary Curran to Davis. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 286, State Volume 16)
88. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to Secretary of Defense Laird
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. No classification marking. Forwarded to Kissinger under cover of a March 14 memorandum from Kennedy and Lehman, who noted that “if we allow Laird’s interpretation to become the common wisdom then we will pay a heavy bureaucratic price in the future” and recommended Kissinger sign the memorandum to Laird. Also attached is a March 17 memorandum from Haig to General Pursley transmitting the memorandum.
89. Action Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. Secret. The notation “The President Has Seen” is stamped on the memorandum, which is attached to an undated, handwritten note from Haig to Kissinger that reads: “This is the hot Laird issue on the supplemental.” Kissinger wrote on the note: “Make sure he understands what I recommended.”
90. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Irwin to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Subject Files, Box 324, Foreign Aid, Volume II 1972. Secret. Attached to a March 28 memorandum from Kennedy and Lehman to Kissinger summarizing the change in the State Department position and recommending he sign a memorandum to the President, Document 91.