The worst speeches never made: Leaders’ secret drafts for disaster were written but, thankfully, not delivered
Secret documents reveal the words, written but mercifully unspoken, explaining how it all went wrong
Theywere the words intended to help us face the tragedies that never were.
The failure of the D-Day landings, the death of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and the outbreak of World War Three were events that thankfully never came to pass.
The speeches written in case the unthinkable happened have survived, however. All have now been gathered together in Speeches of Note, a collection of some of the greatest orations of all time.
The unspoken speeches provide a fascinating and chilling look at an alternative history, according to Dr Fabian Hilfrich, who teaches contemporary history at Edinburgh University.
“These read almost like obituaries. Like those, they’re written in advance because once the event happens, it’s almost too late to send someone away to write a heartfelt speech,” he said. “When you look at Eisenhower’s words [to be read in the event of failed D-Day landings], it is a typical soldier’s speech. He very clearly takes responsibility and it suggests the next step he might have taken may have been to step down.”
The speeches also reveal the thinking of world leaders at the time, according to Dr Hilfrich. “Nixon’s speech is much more lyrical, reflecting the large speech-writing staff a US President has,” he added. “This one is very soft and he probably employed a more lyrical writer, perhaps a former journalist.
“Nixon was enjoying a honeymoon period at the time, and he wanted to keep the attention away from the unpopular Vietnam War. His speech was an attempt perhaps to preserve that honeymoon period even in the event of the moon landings failing.”
The Queen’s speech, to be delivered if The Cold War turned into a full-scale nuclear conflict, is especially chilling, in Dr Hilfrich’s eyes.
“What I find interesting is that it tells us something about this period of the Cold War,” he explained.
“Some historians consider 1983 to be the Second Cold War, when tensions were rising again after a period of détente in the 70s. We now know the Soviets believed NATO’s Able Archer military exercise was cover for a real attack and were preparing to respond.
“Tensions were high and the Queen’s speech was written in response to this. It maybe shows just how serious the threat of World War Three actually was.
“There’s an otherworldliness to this speech,” explained Dr Hilfrich. “The writer is trying to do their best to convey the same feeling of previous British conflicts, and the spirit of The Blitz.”
Others will follow and surely find their way home, man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first President Richard Nixon never had to deliver the speech. In fact, he never even saw it after it was drafted by officials. However, it was there to be read if the unthinkable had happened and the first men on the men, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, were lost
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.