THE DEATH of John L. Lewis takes away from the American scene one of the giants of our time, a man who helped to shape modern America. His talents were great, his energies prodigious. Few men in contemporary American life have been as controversial; few men possessed the proud heart and the passionate mind to engage in such large-scale controversies. His impact on the coal-mining industry, on organized labor, and on the entire range of the American economy cannot be exaggerated. Mrs. Nixon joins me in extending deepest sympathy to his family.
Note: John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years, died on June 11, 1969, at the age of 89.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of John L. Lewis. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/239427