Alexander M. Haig, Jr. (White House Central Files: Staff Member and Office Files)
The Presidential Historical materials of Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff, are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration under the provisions of Title I of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-526, 88 Stat. 1695) and implementing regulations. In accordance with the Act and agency regulations, archivists reviewed the file group to identify personal and private materials and non-historical items. These items have been returned.
Materials covered by the Act have been archivally processed and are described in this register. Items that are security classified or otherwise restricted under the Act and regulations have been removed and placed in a closed file. A Document Withdrawal Record (GSA Form 7279) with a description of each restricted document has been inserted at the beginning of each folder from which materials have been removed. A Document Control Record marks the original position of the withdrawn item.
Employees of the National Archives will review periodically the unclassified portions of closed materials for the purpose of opening those which no longer require restriction. Certain classified documents may be declassified under authority of Executive Order 13526 in response to a Mandatory Review Request (NA Form 14020) submitted by the researcher.
Cubic feet of materials: 4.5
Number of boxes: 13
Approximate number of pages: 10,200
Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. was born on December 2, 1924 in Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He is the son of Alexander Meigs Haig, an assistant city solicitor of Philadelphia, and Regina Anne Haig. Haig attended the University of Notre Dame for two years before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy in 1944. Upon graduation in 1947, Second Lieutenant Haig served in Japan with the First Calvary Division, then as an aide to Lt. General Edward "Ned" Almond in Europe. He also served on General Douglas Macarthur's staff in Japan before and during the Korean War. After the Korean War, Haig left the military for two years to study business administration at Columbia University. Soon thereafter, Haig returned to the military and he was a student at the Naval War College from 1959 to 1960. He then studied at Georgetown University for a master's degree in international relations, which he received in 1962.
In 1962, General Haig was selected as a staff officer to the deputy chief of staff for military operations in the Pentagon. Soon Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance named Haig his military assistant. In 1964, he was appointed deputy special assistant to Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara. In 1965, he left the Pentagon to attend the Army War College for a year. After graduating, Haig was deployed to Vietnam. When his tour of duty ended in 1967, Haig was appointed regimental commander of cadets at his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy.
In January 1969, Haig became the senior military adviser to Henry Kissinger, the assistant to the President for national security affairs. General Haig became deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon for national security affairs in 1970. Haig was promoted to full general in 1972 and, a year later, left the White House to become the vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army. In May 1973, Haig was brought back to the White House to replace White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, who had resigned on April 30, 1973. After President Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974, Haig stayed on temporarily as chief of staff under President Gerald Ford.
President Ford appointed Haig to the post of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in late 1974. Haig left the military in 1979 to become the president of United Technologies Corporation, a defense contractor. On January 22, 1981, Haig was sworn in as President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of State. He left the position after serving for 18 months. In 1984, Haig founded Worldwide Associates Inc., a global consulting firm. In 1988, Haig was a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination. He pulled out of the race after the Iowa caucuses. In 1992, he wrote his autobiography, Inner Circles: How America Changed the World.
The materials of Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. cover the period from December 1968 to August 1974 when General Haig served as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff for President Richard Nixon. The materials are arranged into two series, personal correspondence and President's activities.
The materials in the personal correspondence series begin in December 1968 during the transition period of President-Elect Richard Nixon. The subjects of these correspondences are primarily congratulatory letters to General Haig on his promotion to the rank of General in the United States Army and on his initial position with the Nixon Administration as senior military adviser to Henry Kissinger. The series also contains congratulatory messages to General Haig when he obtained his positions as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff. Additional subjects of this series consist of correspondence to General Haig from individuals seeking positions with the Nixon Administration, requests for speaking engagements by General Haig, and requests for autographed photographs. When General Haig becomes Chief of Staff for President Nixon in 1973 through when President Nixon resigns from office in August 1974, the materials in this series contain letters from acquaintances and the general public indicating their support or disapproval of President Nixon. The series also contains General Haig's responses to these inquiries.
The materials in the President's activities series consist of a date book maintained by General Haig of President Nixon's daily activities. The date book covers the period January 1, 1973 to July 28, 1974 and portions of the date book appear to contain General Haig's handwriting. The subjects in the date book pertain to either meetings that President Nixon was involved with or indicating President Nixon's location on a particular day. Locations include the White House, Camp David, the Western White House in San Clemente, California or trips abroad.
[See Also: Haig's White House Special Files]
Boxes: 1-12
Series: Personal Correspondence
Spans: December 1968 - August 1974
Description: Contains correspondence sent to General Haig and his responses. Subjects include congratulatory letters on General Haig's promotions and positions obtained within the Nixon Administration, speaking engagement requests, inquires on possible White House employment, and opinions both favorable and negative about President Nixon. This series is arranged chronologically.
Boxes: 13
Series: President's Activities
Spans: January 1973 - July 1974
Description: Calendar of President Nixon;s daily activities from January 1, 1973 to July 28, 1974. The calendar was kept by Alexander Haig while he served as White House Chief of Staff for the Nixon Administration. This series is arranged chronologically.
Congratulatory Letters (September 1969 - December 1969) (1 of 13)
Congratulatory Letters (September 1969 - Dec. 1969) (6 of 13)
Congratulatory Letters (September 1969 - December 1969) (10 of 13)
Personal (December 1968 - May 1969) (1 of 7)
Personal (June 1969 - December 1969) (1 of 11)
Personal (June 1969 - December 1969) (10 of 11)
Miscellaneous – 1969 (1 of 2)
Miscellaneous – 01/01/1970 - 04/30/1970 (1 of 7)
Personal – 02/01/1971 - 04/10/1971 (1 of 12)
Personal – 2/1/71 - 4/10/71 (6 of 12)
Personal – 2/1/71 - 4/10/71 (10 of 12)
Personal: Miscellaneous – 4/12/71 - 5/20/71 (1 of 8)
Miscellaneous – 5/21/71 - 5/31/71 (1 of 6)
Miscellaneous – 6/1/71 - 6/30/71 (1 of 6)
Miscellaneous – HEALY CORRESPONDENCE (Rush Ash working with originals as of 05/04/1972)
Miscellaneous – 07/01/1972 - (1 of 4)
Miscellaneous – 09/01/1972 to (1 of 8)
Newspaper/Magazine Articles re General A.M. Haig
DAY-AT-A-GLANCE 1972
1973 – Personal Correspondence (1 of 3)
January and February 1973
Fugitive File # 33 (May 1973)
May & June 1973 (1 of 8)
July 1973 – Personal (1 of 4)
August 1973 – Personal (1 of 4)
September 1973 – Personal (1 of 5)
October 1973 – Personal (1 of 3)
November 1973 – Personal (1 of 8)
December 1973 – Personal (1 of 6)
January 1974 – Personal (1 of 6)
President's Activities: 01/01/1973 – 10/31/1973