Scarce souvenir typescript of William Safire’s speech “In Event of Moon Disaster,” which he wrote as President Richard Nixon’s speechwriter in the event of an Apollo 11 tragedy, signed on the first page in black ink by Safire and signed at the conclusion in black felt tip by the second man on the moon: “Elegant Tribute — Fortunately unnecessary. President Nixon’s Lunar Phone Call Was Terrific, The Very Alive Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 LMP.” The speech, two pages, 8.5 x 11, originally written by Safire and sent to White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman on July 18, 1969, reads, in part: “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.” In fine condition.
Unbeknownst to the American people, one of the president's senior advisers and speechwriters, William Safire, was asked to write a statement that the president would make in the event of a disaster. This memo to the president's chief of staff includes Safire's poignant tribute praising the courage and sacrifice of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Nixon's speech would address Armstrong and Aldrin's widows as well as the American public.
In his autobiography, Before the Fall: An Inside View of the Pre-Watergate White House (Transaction Publishers, 2005), Safire recalls how NASA's liaison and Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman contacted him a month before the landing to suggest preparing for problems on the lunar landing. ‘You want to be thinking of some alternative posture for the president in the event of mishaps on Apollo 11,’ Borman is quoted as saying. When Safire hesitated, Borman continued: ‘Like what to do for the widows.’
Safire said he delivered the speech to then Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman two days before Apollo 11's moon landing. Although the original unsigned memo resides in the National Archives, this copy bearing the signatures of both Safire and Aldrin serves as a magnificent substitute and a poignant reminder of the bravery of the Apollo astronauts.
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