Year of publication of this paper: 1963, as a result of work done in the Gemmy-nee program.
Apollo 7 (first crewed Apollo mission): 1968
Apollo 11 landing on the moon: 1969
I would suggest that Buzz was being quite sincere in this statement, with some hint of confidence that he actually would participate in the Apollo missions. The Gemini and Apollo programs were expected to be dangerous. There was no guarantee that people who participated in Gemini would even be alive for the Moon missions, much less physically capable of participating, much less the best people for the job.
Apollo 7 (first crewed Apollo mission): 1968
Apollo 11 landing on the moon: 1969
I would suggest that Buzz was being quite sincere in this statement, with some hint of confidence that he actually would participate in the Apollo missions. The Gemini and Apollo programs were expected to be dangerous. There was no guarantee that people who participated in Gemini would even be alive for the Moon missions, much less physically capable of participating, much less the best people for the job.