One of Richard Nixon’s most eloquent speeches was one that he never delivered.
For that, we can all be thankful.
On Friday, July 18, 1969, White House speechwriter William Safire put the finishing touches on a statement the president would read to the world in case something went terribly wrong with the Apollo 11 moon landing scheduled later that weekend.
Looking back, it almost feels as if the safe arrival and departure of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was a foregone conclusion.
It was anything but.
Engineers fretted about the countless number of things that might go wrong with the Lunar Module. Some geologists speculated that the surface of the moon might be composed of fine powder that was several feet, maybe even several yards, deep. It would swallow the LM.
What if the LM crash-landed or failed to lift off? What if something catastrophic happened to the astronauts?
Here are the words that Safire composed for the worst-case scenario:
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 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 to 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 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.
Safire then recommended that a clergyman should adopt the same procedure as burial at sea, commending the souls of the astronauts to “the deepest of the deep,” followed by the Lord’s Prayer.
It was Safire at his best – a powerful, even lyrical statement that instinctively reached for hope and meaning for all of humanity.
The actual landing on July 20, it turns out, was not exactly like pulling into a parking space at Walmart. The computers on the LM were overwhelmed by the amount of data being received during the descent and began flashing warnings. When the astronauts realized they had overshot their designated landing area, Armstrong calmly took manual control of the odd-looking craft.
The LM drifted above boulders and craters, seeking a level stretch of ground, rapidly burning its irreplaceable fuel. NASA officials at Mission Control, who heard messages from the astronauts approximately 90 seconds after “real time,” held their collective breath. At the moment the lander finally came to rest, only 25 seconds of propellant remained.
Armstrong reported serenely, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Charlie Duke in Houston replied, “Roger, Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot.”
The whole world breathed again when the astronauts successfully walked on the lunar surface, rejoined the Command Module, and safely returned to Earth.
And just like that, Safire’s speech was relegated to the dust bin of history.
How do we plan for the future? We strategize for the best. We prepare for the worst. Creativity and courage are required not only to craft the best possible outcomes, but to anticipate the worst-case scenarios.
Humility must always be given a seat at the table. As the apostle James reminds us:
“And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, ‘Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.’ You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, ‘If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that’” (James 4:13-15, The Message).
To put it another way, we don’t trust in our own plans. We don’t trust in tomorrow. We trust in the God who transcends past, present, and future.
God’s call is to dream great dreams. And to shoot for the moon.
But always to keep in mind that he is the only one who really knows what tomorrow may bring.
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