Dear President Kimball:
Mrs. Nixon and I were deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Harold B. Lee. All Americans mourn the loss of this dedicated President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we send our heartfelt sympathy to the members of the Church and to President Lee's family.
As President of the Church, and as an educator, missionary, businessman, and public official, President Lee's influence for good has been deeply felt. The Church's successful welfare program that began in the 1930's gives just one example of how President Lee's administrative and organizational skills combined with his faith and courage to bring hope and inspiration to millions in our Nation and in our world.
For my own part, I knew him as a warm and generous friend whose counsel and prayers I have valued greatly. While we will miss his presence among us, the greatest tribute we can pay to his life will be to carry on his mission of concern and compassion for mankind. Mrs. Nixon and I know the sadness that you and the members of the Church must feel at this time, but we also feel a warmth and pride in the life that President Lee has shared with us, and the knowledge that his good work will surely live on.
Sincerely,
RICHARD NIXON
[President Spencer W. Kimball, The Council of the Twelve, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 47 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111]
Note: Mr. Lee, 74, died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 26, 1973.
The text of the letter was released at San Clemente, Calif.
Senator Wallace F. Bennett of Utah, James C. Fletcher, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and J. Willard Marriott were designated to represent President Nixon at the funeral services for Mr. Lee which were held in Salt Lake City on December 29.
Richard Nixon, Letter of Sympathy About the Death of Harold B. Lee Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255901