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As the USA celebrated the 30th anniversary
of the Apollo moon landing in 1999, the notion that the July 1969 mission
could have turned tragic seemed, in retrospect, inconceivable. But the
Nixon administration devised a contingency plan in case the two men
who stepped on the moon were stranded there, according to this July
18, 1969 memo discovered at the National Archives. The memo, entitled
"In Event of Moon Disaster," includes a speech drafted by
aide William Safire--that Nixon would have delivered saluting astronauts
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin. After making condolence calls to the
"widows-to-be," Nixon would have said,
"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."
-
Richard M. Nixon, 37th U.S. President, July 18, 1969 in "In Event
of Moon Disaster"
PRIOR TO THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT:
The President should telephone each of the widows-to-be.
AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT, AT THE POINT WHEN NASA ENDS COMMUNICATIONS
WITH THE MEN:
A clergyman should adopt the same procedure as a burial at sea, commending
their souls to "the deepest of the deep," concluding with
the Lord's Prayer.
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Human Factors in Global Contingency Planning:
A User/Management Perspective
All too often, enterprises
populate their disaster team with a blend of raw, inexperienced staffers
and burnout cases seeking easy duty. This is a critical mistake when
the very survival of the organization may rest on team's shoulders during
a time of crisis. Read full story...
Related
Resources
Seven
Key questions for surviving a disaster
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