Nixon had speech ready in case of moon landing failure

ALMOST 40 years since the successful Moon landing, a document has emerged that contains former US president Richard Nixon’s speech, which would have been read out to the American public in the case the mission had ended in failure.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the typed document, entitled: “In the event of Moon disaster,” was consigned to an archive until now.

It is dated July 18, 1969, — two days before the landing was due — and was prepared by Nixon’s speech writer Bill Safire and sent to White House chief of staff Harry Haldeman.