I saw this story on Gawker, and they have a more complete blurb about this speech here. There were so many unanswered questions about the lunar module's ability to take off from the moon, Nixon prepared a moving speech just in case. The tone of the speech is the most fascinating part.
IN THE EVENT OF MOON
DISASTER:
Fate has ordained that
the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest
in peace.
These brave men, Neil
Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But
they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are
laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and
understanding.
They will be mourned
by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will
be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth
that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration,
they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they
bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men
looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we
do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow and
surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were
the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being
who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some
corner of another world that is forever mankind.
PRIOR TO THE
PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT: The president should telephone each of the widows-to-be.
AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S
STATEMENT, at the point when NASA ends communications with the men: A clergyman
should adopt the same procedure as a burial at sea, commending their souls to
"the deepest of the deep," concluding with the Lord's Prayer.
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