US President Richard Nixon sent Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin a telegram in advance of the launch of Apollo 11. A selection:

“On the eve of your epic mission, I want you to know that my hopes and my prayers-and those of all Americans-go with you. Years of study and planning and experiment and hard work on the part of thousands have led to this unique moment in the story of mankind; it is now your moment and from the depths of your minds and hearts and spirits will come the triumph all men will share. I look forward to greeting you on your return. Until then, know that all that is best in the spirit of mankind will be with you during your mission and when you return to earth.”

He later telephoned them and told them that “. . . as you lift off to the moon, you lift the spirits of the American people as well as the world. . . . You carry with you a feeling of good will in this greatest adventure man has ever taken. . . .”

US President Richard Nixon sent Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin a telegram in advance of the launch of Apollo 11. A selection:

“On the eve of your epic mission, I want you to know that my hopes and my prayers-and those of all Americans-go with you. Years of study and planning and experiment and hard work on the part of thousands have led to this unique moment in the story of mankind; it is now your moment and from the depths of your minds and hearts and spirits will come the triumph all men will share. I look forward to greeting you on your return. Until then, know that all that is best in the spirit of mankind will be with you during your mission and when you return to earth.”

He later telephoned them and told them that “. . . as you lift off to the moon, you lift the spirits of the American people as well as the world. . . . You carry with you a feeling of good will in this greatest adventure man has ever taken. . . .”