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We don't like to think about "what if's". We don't like to imagine moments in history if they had played out any differently. We essentially like the way everything played out, for the most part. But, what we don't stop to realize is that the speeches we heard on days like D-Day and on the successful moon mission are just one draft. There were always two speeches written up for major events. One, that one we were often lucky enough to hear, was the good outcome speech. But a second speech was always prepared for those situations where things could clearly go in any direction. For example, what Nixon was prepared to say had the moon landing not ended well:
"IN THE EVENT OF MOON DISASTER:
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."
Sort of insane to think that, but yes, there seemed to be a pretty good chance those guys might die up there, and the President needed to be prepared to handle that. Read more about Doomsday Speeches here.
Just makes you even more grateful for how things played out.