"CAPTAIN EDDIE" Rickenbacker was an American original--a celebrated racing car driver in the early years of the 20th century, the leading American fighter pilot in World War I, a pioneer of commercial aviation, and a generous, patriotic citizen in both war and peace.
Mrs. Nixon and I offer our condolences to Mrs. Rickenbacker on the passing of this great American, and our assurance that the life he lived and the example he set will long be cherished by his fellow citizens.
Note: Mr. Rickenbacker, 82, died in Zurich, Switzerland.
He was with Eastern Air Lines, Inc., for 28 years, serving variously as general manager, director, president, and chairman of the board until his retirement in 1963.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Edward V. Rickenbacker. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255680