Al Worden's personally-owned signed book: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. First edition. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. Hardcover with dust jacket, 6.75 x 9.5, 1120 pages. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page in black felt tip, "To Lt. Col. Alfred M. Worden, USAF (Ret), With appreciation for his service to the nation, from Richard Nixon, 7-15-79." Nixon, who was president for every Apollo moon landing, only makes direct mention of Apollo 11 in the book; however, he condemns lack of funding for NASA and opines: "Exploration of space is one of the last of the great challenges to the American spirit. Space is perhaps the last frontier truly commensurate with America's capacity for wonder." In fine condition, with a few minor nicks and creases to dust jacket edges.
In a 2016 interview with Jonathan Stroud, Worden recalled meeting President Nixon at the White House after the successful Apollo 15 flight. Asked, 'Who were you most excited to meet and who left the biggest impression on you during your 'Welcome Back' world tour in 1972?,' Worden replied: 'Richard Nixon was very good to us, he took us and our kids to the White House to have dinner. He grabbed all the kids and gave them a big tour of the White House, which I thought was kind of nice. He was very nice to us. He even had his butler go into the wine cellar and get his private stock of scotch so we could have a toast on the south porch. The butler said, 'You know, that’s your last one of those are you sure you want to use it?' and he said, 'Yep. Bring it up.''
From the collection of Apollo 15 CMP Al Worden, and accompanied by a letter of provenance from his daughter Alison (Worden) Penczak.
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