On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, and as the world watched, then-president Richard Nixon delivered the first call to the moon from a landline phone. At the time, President Nixon told the astronauts, “because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world." While the president was proud of the accomplishment, apparently he had a secret plan, in case the trip wasn’t a success.
According to Nixon’s speechwriter, William Safire, if Armstrong and Aldrin weren’t successful in returning to the Command Module, they would have been abandoned on the moon. “If they couldn't [do it>, they'd have to be abandoned on the moon, left to die there. The men would either have to starve to death or commit suicide," Safire said in a 1999 interview.
Had they not made it back, NASA would have been instructed to cut off communication and The Lunar Disaster plan included instructions on how the President should deliver the news, not only to the astronaut’s widows, but to the entire world.
In his speech, the President would have said “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." As the 50th anniversary of the moon landing approaches, let’s just be happy we didn’t hear this speech until now.
Via Live Science