Statement For President Nixon To Read In Case The Astronauts Were Stranded On The Moon, July 18, 1969

So this is pretty incredible.

Unbeknownst to the American people, one of the President’s speechwriters, William Safire, was asked to write a statement that the President would make to the American people in the event of a disaster. Though never delivered, it remains an eloquent tribute to the bravery and pioneering spirit of the astronauts. When the astronauts of Apollo XI returned safely to earth, their mission was hailed around the world as an achievement of epic proportions, and this statement was quietly tucked away into the record. National Archives and Records Administration, Nixon Presidential Materials Staff.

What could have been.