In February 1973 President Richard Nixon took a trip to
Gleason was considered on of the foremost television comedians of the 20th century producing the Jackie Gleason Show for almost 20 years, and playing the character of Ralph Kramden on the top rated Honeymooners TV show in the mid 50's. He appeared in 21 movies, and produced 20 music albums from 1953 to 1969.
Jackie Gleason and President Nixon had a number of things in common and became good friends. Gleason was a strong supporter of the Republican party. Gleason lived in
One of the other things they had in common, according to Gleason, was a large collection of UFO books. Both were fascinated by the subject.
Gleason had long been a fan of UFOs. He was a subscriber to the newsletter of the group Just Cause (Citizens Against UFO Secrecy). Gleason had a collection of 1700 books on parapsychology, UFOs, and the unknown. These were donated to the
Biographer William A. Henry III in his book The Life and Legend of Jackie Gleason described his view of Jackie Gleason’s interest in the unknown:
Jackie Gleason had a lifelong fascination with the supernatural. Everything that Shirley MacLean was to explore in her exotic life and best-selling book had already been explored by Gleason...He would spend small fortunes on everything from financing psychic research to buying a sealed box said to contain actual ectoplasm, the spirit of life itself. He would contact everyone from back-alley charlatans to serious researchers like J.B. Rhine of
Gleason was a frequent insomniac. He would stay up high the night reading (or rereading) some of the hundreds of (UFO and paranormal phenomena) volumes in his library.
Gleason did not see a UFO till later in his life when he was living in
I have never seen a flying saucer anywhere personally but have read published flying saucer literature. Most of this literature is ridiculous, but amongst the trash there are some undeniable points that can not be refuted even by the
Gleason let the public know that he was interested in UFOs, but he was very secretive about how strong his belief was. While living in
There were a few people who Jackie trusted who he would discuss the subject with. One of these people was Bob Considine. Jackie Gleason’s publicist James Bacon, in his book How Sweet it Is: The Jackie Gleason Story, described how Gleason was "always arguing" about UFOs with Bob Considine, columnist for the New York Journal-American. These UFO debates took place in Gleason’s favorite watering hole - Toots Shor’s Restaurant and Bar in
Gleason would tell Considine how small UFOs had been seen by both sides during World War II, and that four Presidents of the
According to Gleason's second wife, Beverly McKittrick, Gleason apparently had done more than talk and golf with his friend Richard Nixon while in
Larry Bryant, the editor of Just Cause, the newsletter Gleason had a subscription to, filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with Homestead Air Force Base. Bryant requested documentation on the top secret repository and Gleason’s visit there to see the alien bodies. The Air Force Base replied that " no such records existed." Bryant also sent an advertisement to the Homestead Air Force Base Newspaper soliciting information anyone on the base could provide about the alien bodies or Jackie Gleason’s visit to see them. The public affairs officer at
At the same time Bryant wrote Gleason providing him with a draft affidavit. He asked Gleason to execute the affidavit so it could be used as part of a growing accumulation of evidence Bryant was collecting in preparation for taking the government to court to release all information on alien crash retrievals. Gleason did not reply.
About the same time as Bryant was approaching Gleason to provide an affidavit about his experience at
"Though I never did hear from Gleason," said Bryant, " I did learn that he had been contacted by a third party in the film industry. At this confrontation, Gleason chose to neither confirm nor deny the story, saying that he would prefer not to discuss it all . The way I see it Gleason easily could have set the record straight in reply to my proposal or in an explanation to the inquisitive film-industry representative. If the story was a fabrication or misinterpretation on the part of his wife, he now had every opportunity to say so. That he chose not to merely deepens the mystery."
Shortly before his death in 1987, one story says Gleason did finally confirm the story about seeing the bodies at
Larry Warren had been involved in events on the second night of sightings. He saw an object land in a clearing of the forest, and along with a number of other airmen saw three being come out of the craft. The case became known as the Rendlesham Forest Case, and was considered by many to be "the most significant military - UFO incident in the history of
Larry Warren’s encounter with Jackie Gleason occurred in May 1986, shortly before Gleason death in June 1987. CNN and HBO had been running stories on the 1980
Way back in the mid-1960s, I got a letter in the mail from Jackie Gleason Productions, Hollywood, Florida, ordering a copy of a mimeographed booklet I had put together relating to UFOs. This, to me, was confirmation of what I had heard rumors about for a long time ... that "the Great One" was personally involved in researching UFOs. Supposedly - and I've since found out that this is true - Gleason had one of the greatest UFO book collections in the world. This is where the tale gets a bit wilder. A story circulated by Gleason's ex-wife, Beverly, has Jackie actually viewing the bodies of several aliens who died when their craft crashed in the Southwest. The story was carried originally in the National Enquirer, and though Beverly Gleason later confirmed it to members of the press who were able to track her down, independent confirmation of Gleason's supposed experience could - for the longest time - not be certified. Now with the striking revelations of a young man who knew Gleason personally, it can safely be said that such an event did take place... Larry Warren was an Airman First Class stationed at Bentwaters Air Force Base in England (a NATO installation staffed mainly by US. servicemen) when an incredible series of events took place over Christmas week of 1980. A UFO was picked up on radar and subsequently came down just outside the perimeter of the base in a dense forest. On the first of several nights of confrontation with the Unknown, three security police ventured into the area across an eerie-looking object hovering just above the ground. One of the MPs was mesmerized by the UFO and was unable to move for nearly an hour. While in this mental state, he received some sort of telepathic message that the craft would return. For the next few nights, up to 80 US. servicemen, British bobbies, as well as civilians from some nearby farms, witnessed an historic event. According to Larry Warrenwho stood within feet of this craft from another world-three occupants came out of the ship and actually communicated with a high ranking member of the U.S. Air Force. This close encounter at Bentwaters has become the subject of several books (see "From Out Of The Blue", Jenny Randles, Inner Light Publications) and has been given wide publicity on CNN, Home Box Office and more recently "Unsolved Mysteries." "Jackie Gleason was interested in hearing my story first hand," But it wasn't till after According to Larry Warren's testimony (regarding Gleason's lengthy conversation about UFOs and space visitors), "I forget whether he said they had three or four fingers on each hand, but they definitely were not human...of this he was most certain!" For three weeks following his trip with Nixon to Homestead Air Force Base, the world famous entertainer couldn't sleep and couldn't eat. "Jackie told me that he was very traumatized by all of this. He just couldn't understand why our government wouldn't tell the public all they knew about UFOs and space visitors. He said he even drank more heavily than usual until he could regain some of his composure and come back down to everyday reality." Larry Warren is convinced that Gleason wasn't lying to him. "You could tell that he was very sincere - he took the whole affair very seriously, and I could tell that he wanted to get the matter off his chest, and this was why he was telling me all of this." And as far as Larry Warren was concerned, the Great One's personal testimony only added extra credibility to his own first hand experience with aliens while he was in the service. "Jackie felt just like I do that the government needs to 'come clean,' and tell us all it knows about space visitors. It time they stopped lying to the public and release all the evidence they have. When they do, then we'll all be able to see the same things the late Jackie Gleason did!" Hopefully this day may arrive soon.
Timothy Green Beckley, a
Well folks, I am just tickled pink to present this one! This article deals with the ole folklore of Jackie Gleason and President Nixon, who were not only supposedly good buddies but UFO believers as well. This one gets me because I remember not only the Honeymooners as a kid but also the Jackie Gleason Show in later years. Maybe UFOs had always played a part in the Great One's life ? If you recall, Ralph Kramden was always threatening to send
Jackie Gleason & The Little "Men From Mars"
by Timothy Green
The Director of the Secret Service under President Clinton, Lewis Merletti, claimed that the idea of a President escaping his secret service agents only happens in the movies. In response to a question by reporter Joan London about the possibility of the President escaping his protection to go out and secretly do something Merletti claimed, " all Hollywood, there’s no sneaking out. It has never happened."
Marty Venker, a Secret Service agent who worked with Merletti under Presidents Ford and Carter, however, tells a different story. In his book Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent tells that not only can the President disappear, but it has happened. Venker stated that in the exact year of the
Venker even recounted one occasion when Nixon was able to ditch his secret service guards while at his
Nixon always felt that he was overprotected. He felt that he couldn’t pick his nose without some agent taking notes. In 1973, he tried to cut his detail by a third. ‘I don’t like it and my family doesn’t like it.’ he said.
"I’d be warned of the lengths Nixon would go to elude us. One time he snuck out of the
Nixon was very familiar with Homestead Air Force Base which was only minutes from his
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Gleason, on the other hand, lived in nearby
There is no proof that Nixon escorted Jackie Gleason to view alien bodies at
This author wrote Gleason's third wife when Jackie Gleason died to ask for her assistance in clarifying the story. She wrote back one simple hand-written line, "So sorry we can not be of any help to you."
The late comedian Jackie Gleason's second wife, Beverly, tells a very strange story that she swears is the truth. One evening in 1973, she wrote in an unpublished book on their marriage, Gleason returned to her After first refusing to tell her why he was so upset, Gleason confided that earlier in the day his friend President Richard Nixon had arranged for him to visit Homestead Air Force Base in There, Gleason, who harbored an intense interest in UFOS, saw the embalmed bodies of four alien beings, two feet long, with small bald heads and big ears. He was told nothing about the circumstances of their recovery. He swore his wife to secrecy, but after their divorce In the mid-1980s, when ufologist Larry Bryant sued the
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