The backup speech Nixon was prepared to give if Apollo 11 failed

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech assuring that America would explore the moon before the decade was over.

Seven years later, on July 20, 1969, that vision became reality when Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong was the first to step out of the spacecraft, famously declaring, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Pilot Buzz Aldrin followed. Their third crew member, Michael Collins, remained aboard the Command Module Columbia, serving as both photographer and communications link to Earth.

The mission was a sweeping success. The American flag waved proudly amid the craters, lunar samples were collected to further our knowledge of space, and the Apollo 11 crew returned home without so much as a scratch. But what if things had gone differently?

President Nixon had an entirely different speech prepared in the event of a "moon disaster."  

A SAFE RETURN TO EARTH

When Armstrong and Aldrin made contact with the moon, President Nixon called them from the Oval Office in what became known as "the most historic telephone call ever made." Addressing the astronauts, he said:

"Neil and Buzz, I am talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made from the White House. I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you have done. For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives."

The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, safely returning to Earth and immediately entering a three-week quarantine. It was during this time Nixon publicly addressed Armstrong and Aldrin. At the end of their conversation, the president remarked:

"I was thinking, as you know, as you came down, and we knew it was a success, and it had only been 8 days, just a week, a long week, that this is the greatest week in the history of the world since the Creation, because as a result of what happened in this week, the world is bigger, infinitely, and also, as I am going to find on this trip around the world, and as Secretary Rogers will find as he covers the other countries in Asia, as a result of what you have done, the world has never been closer together before. We just thank you for that."

IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER

The moon was uncharted territory, and what Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins accomplished had never been done before. The dangers, though less widely discussed, were numerous, and it was quite possible that the trio could have faced life-threatening challenges. Nixon's speechwriter William Safire even wrote a backup speech for the President to deliver, titled "In Event of Moon Disaster."

In 1999, on the 30th anniversary of the moon landing, Safire sat down with NBC's Meet the Press, revealing the contents of the backup speech buried in the National Archives, as well as the plan for a clergyman to "commend their souls" (referring to the Apollo 11 crew) in preparation for a "burial at sea" should tragedy occur. Thankfully, the draft was never needed, but it remains filed away as an eerie reminder of what could have been.

Below is the backup speech in its entirety, transcribed by Discover Magazine.

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.

More About Apollo 11 and the Moon Landing:

• Neil Armstrong's Famous Moon Landing Quote Has Been Misheard for Decades
• What the Apollo 11 Astronauts Actually Ate on Their Journey to the Moon
• 50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

This article was originally published on mentalfloss.com as The Backup Speech Nixon Was Prepared to Give if Apollo 11 Failed.