Everything Gleason did, he did with great passion. Every script for the TV shows had to be just the way he envisioned it. No one was ever allowed to step out of character. Camera shots and angles were always set up the way he wanted them. The passion also extended into his personal life. Fascinated by Flying Saucers and the unexplained, he ultimately assembled one of the world’s greatest parapsychology, UFO and occult libraries. The bulk of it resides today at the University of Miami Library.

In 1982 I was a guest on a talk show at a Miami radio station. The subject was UFOs and the Paranormal. After the show, I was handed a note by the receptionist. This often happened when I did radio guest spots because some people preferred to share their own UFO or Paranormal experience with me off the air. While walking to my car, I took a quick look at the note. It said, “Please call Mister Gleason at….” When I arrived back at my hotel room, I called the number, asked for Mister Gleason and gave my name. An assistant got on the phone and informed me that Jackie Gleason wanted to speak to me, if possible, the next day at a Fort Lauderdale location. Needless to say, I accepted the invitation!

The meeting location was a bar at the Jolly Roger Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Now I don’t know if Gleason owned the hotel or merely had friends there, but after stopping by the front desk, I was escorted to a small bar that was closed to the public at that time of day. Gleason sat at a table like a king holding court, but looked older and weaker then I had imagined he would. I wondered why Gleason hadn’t met me in any one of his favorite Miami haunts, but it may have been that this was supposed to be a low profile event. Either way, I knew that Gleason was a serious guy who hated small talk and I wasn’t about to ruffle his feathers.

After a brief handshake, Gleason asked me a number of questions about my UFO and Paranormal investigations. We talked for about an hour and a half. Actually, he asked questions and I answered them. “You know I get your newsletter,” he said knowingly. “Good stuff!” He was especially interested in articles that covered the topic of crashed UFOs. At that time a lot of buzz had been created by former military officers who had begun to speak of their involvement with the cover-up of UFO crashes.

Out of the blue, Gleason told me how that Richard Nixon was a good friend of his. He had supported Nixon in every possible way during his successful bid for the Presidency in 1968. In 1971, Jackie Gleason attended a small White House dinner. After dinner, Gleason spoke privately with Nixon. He asked the President if there was anything that Nixon could tell him about UFOs? Were they real? Were they Alien Spacecraft? According to Gleason, Nixon told him, “Well Jackie, if you can arrange to arrive at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa sometime in the next few days, I’ll arrange to have you shown some things that may help answer your questions!”

Gleason arrived in Tampa, Florida, a day and a half later. After calling a phone number provided to him by someone on Nixon’s staff, he headed out to MacDill AFB. After arriving on the base, he was taken to a dark colored building that appeared to be some sort of storage facility. Once inside, he had to pass through several levels of security. Finally, Gleason was escorted into a large room where some strange debris lay on the floor. An officer told him, “This material is from Roswell.” No emotion, just a matter of fact statement.

The officer handed Gleason a small piece which seemed almost weightless and very flexible. Just then, a light came on in the center part of the room. Jackie was astonished to see what looked like a large piece of a broken disc just floating a few feet above the floor. Warned not to approach it, Gleason still got an eyeful. But the surprises weren’t over!

After just a few minutes, Gleason was escorted to another room. Three containers with glass plates for viewing greeted him. “These were the occupants found near the object you just saw.” Again, with little emotion, the officer gave Jackie a one sentence description that spoke volumes. The beings were about four to five feet tall. Two of the bodies were badly damaged, but one was in very good shape. As Gleason looked at it, the officer said, “This one died later.” It had large oval eyes, grayish skin and looked male. “Are they all males?” Gleason asked the officer. “Your guess is as good as ours.” He answered Jackie with a slight smile. It was time to go.

The experience of seeing the object and bodies affected Gleason more then he first realized. Although he had a hit variety show on CBS, Jackie walked away from everything for a few years to study more about UFOs and the Paranormal. It wasn’t until 1975 that he went back to work in a meaningful way.

If Gleason was affected by the experience he had, I was affected by his description of it! I met Jackie Gleason one more time at his New York estate. I didn’t bring a camera on either occasion because appearing with celebrities wasn’t what I was or am about. I was more interested in what Gleason, with millions of dollars to spend o the Paranormal, had learned about it. As things turned out, it was being owed a favor that brought him what he desired most. I just wish that he had brought a camera when he got to meet what may be the greatest celebrities on the earth, dead or living!

Note: When asked about it, Beverly McKittrick (Gleason’s ex-wife)gave information to the press about Gleason's experience which appeared in one or more magazine and tabloid articles. She was to have included it in a book about him, but she never completed the project.

NOTE: Some well-meaning researchers have said this event occured at Homestead AFB instead of MacDill and involved both Gleason and Nixon. Beyond the fact that the standing order and policy of plausible denial would never allow Nixon to accompany Gleason on such a visit, it's not the story that I heard from Gleason or others that claimed knowledge of the visit.

It's also important to understand that Beverly McKittrick (married to Gleason from 1970-1975) had her version of the story published in a tabloid during the 1970s. It was also to be told in a book she was writing that was never published. She never mentioned the Base involved in either the article or the manuscipt.

When I spoke to her on the phone in the 1990s, she said that she assumed it was Homestead because they lived closer to that base, but had no way of knowing for sure. She told me that she couldn't recall if Jackie mentioned a specific Base to her. She said that he had very little to say about the experience.

MORE:

Before you email or write for more information about this article, please read the additional material below designed to answer the many inquiries received. Thank you.

Greetings from the world of the Unexplained!

Thanks for your questions regarding the Jackie Gleason incident involving the viewing of UFO crash materials and allegedly alien bodies mentioned in my seminar, on my video presentations or in articles I have written about it. I offer this prepared answer with the hope that it will help to satisfy your curiosity and apologize in advance for not personally responding to your inquiry. I do this because I have received thousands of letters and emails about this subject over the years, continue to receive them and find that this is the best way to respond in a timely manner.

I have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time when it came to obtaining information about UFOs and the paranormal over the years. I think that has happened partly because I traveled to most U.S. States, Canada and overseas to present over 100 seminars a year for nearly twenty years before cutting back. This has given me access to a number of rare opportunities. I consider the Gleason meeting one of the rarest.

While I knew he had interest in the paranormal, I was unsure what position he took toward the subject. I got the distinct impression that he wanted to believe, but I also felt that he looked to people like me to confirm his belief. I also felt that he wanted to find out if I had seen anything like he had, either through my investigations or because my father had been an Air Force Officer at one time. Sadly, the majority of that time occurred before I was born. I had never had the opportunity to view what Gleason claimed that he saw.

My impression of Gleason was that he had a very hungry mind, was extremely intelligent and an avid reader despite having little formal education. During our first discussion in person while I was in Florida, he asked me about several books that only a true UFO Buff would have any interest in. It was obvious that he had read those and many more. He also mentioned articles he had read in various almost obscure publications that most people would not know about. That could mean he knew enough to make it all up, but it also meant he had a strong interest in the phenomenon. His almost skeptical comments made me believe that he would have no interest or agenda in making up such an experience.

Now as far as his experience itself goes, Gleason was able to give me a lucid, play-by-play recall of the events leading up to his visit to MacDill AFB and subsequent viewing of the material and bodies. Having spoken to thousands of paranormal witnesses over the years, I know that there is a difference between people who are relaying what they remember as it happened, giving me a description of what they think happened, making it up as they go along or embellishing what really happened. I would rate Gleason's explanation of the events as play by play.

Like me, Gleason tended to have a better than average memory. I'm not speaking about someone's intelligence or of a photographic type memory. It's just that I tend to recall many things in detail. At one time I presented four different seminars that ran two hours in length, each with over 150 slides and video, all from memory. Likewise, Gleason tended to be able to memorize scripts and multitask when it came to his television work. He was the first TV Performer to own and control every aspect of a television show he starred in, from production to screen. He managed all that despite suffering from insomnia and an infamous alcohol addiction.

At the time Gleason told me the story, I felt that it was probably something he had hoped would never become public knowledge. He told me for his own reasons and I am still uncertain of his motive. However, I am certain he never discussed it with his professional associates (other actors, managers, etc). I have contacted a few people who worked with him over the years and none had heard the story or even seemed to have any knowledge about it. Most didn’t know or care that he was interested in the paranormal. But when I asked them if they felt it might have been the booze talking, all said NO. None of them seem surprised that Jackie had lots of pull with Nixon. Apparently, it was common knowledge that Gleason had a close friendship with Richard Nixon and enjoyed common interests. Gleason did not elaborate on that with me, so I have no way of knowing if one of those common interests included UFOs or unexplained phenomenon. However, Nixon was Vice President to Eisenhower.

I'm sure you have heard the famous story of President Eisenhower vanishing from sight for a few days during an alleged dental surgery. As the story goes, an aide initially said he was off golfing, then said he was having dental surgery and finally admitted that the president had been taken to a secret military location to view the remains of a Flying Saucer and its occupants.

I have never been able to fully verify that story, but I know that statement did briefly go out to the press. There's also enough correlating evidence to indicate that Eisenhower did vanish from the eyes of the mass media for 24-48 hours. He did not go to the dentist (as later verified by his dentist) or escape for a few days of undisturbed golf games (according to his spokespeople). Eisenhower, Nixon and Gleason were all avid Golfers and that may have helped establish some sort of bond between them, but I do not know for sure. You know the old saying about telling your golf partner what you wouldn’t tell your family; well maybe it’s partly true.

Despite all the photo opts with his family, I have heard and read that Nixon was an intensely private man who did not easily share himself. He was inwardly strong, self-conscious and intensely secretive. Of all the presidents, less is probably known about what really went on in his white house most others with the possible exception of Truman. It's interesting to note that 1947 is the one year missing most from the collection of papers and exhibits at the Truman Library, despite the fact that it was a very important year for the Truman Presidency and was allegedly the year that the UFO cover-up began. Regarding Nixon, even those conducting the Watergate Hearings had trouble finding a paper trail for anything. It was all about what people said or claimed.

Nixon hated staff meetings and often conducted business with one or two people at a time in the oval office. Somewhat like Reagan, he delegated authority and expected results. Unlike Reagan, he hated repeating himself, despised follow up meetings and disliked hands-on situations that he might have considered beneath his responsibilities. He preferred to have most everything handled by Staff members and hated assisting subordinates to complete their assignments. Henry Kissinger was often frustrated with Nixon and said so (in a civil and even nice way) in various interviews. He claimed the president was too rigid and would rarely compromise any position he felt strongly about.

Nixon hated taking NO for an answer and brought a reasonably quick close to the Vietnam War by simply bombing the daylights out of North Vietnam anytime they walked out of peace talks or didn't respond to his offers in a timely manner. Nixon kept a very close relationship with U.S. and NATO Commanders and none ever questioned or second-guessed his use of the military the way they did whenever President Johnson was in office.

I suspect these high ranking military officers knew more than any of his personal staff or even cabinet members about any secrets Nixon had access to and were probably the ones who told him. Given Reagan's statements about Alien life, it's fascinating to note that many of his staff members had roots that went back to the Nixon Presidency. I cannot find any record of Reagan ever expressing interest in or making statements about Aliens prior to his presidency.

Nixon obviously had an IN on a lot of secrets and I am sure he had no trouble selectively sharing them with Gleason, although I doubt his own family knew any. For example, he became very interested in cable TV. It's rumored he approved the development of a chip that would allow the government to spy on cable viewers in the sense of knowing everything they watched and when. On the positive side, they would be able to vote using their cable box. Another chip was supposed to be placed in every color TV manufactured after 1972. These stories came from former GE employees who allegedly had a part in the whole thing. Who knows? But I'm certain that Nixon believed in the Big Brother concept because he had closed circuit cameras placed all over the White House and in other Government Buildings. Gleason became very interested in cable TV around the early 1970s. It could have been due to Nixon, or just the fact that cable was turning into a viable entertainment entity with pay per view experiments involving movies in several locations by that time.

Gleason once sat with Nixon in the White House, talking and drinking for over six hours. That is documented along with other meetings. Both loved to drink, but Nixon's body chemistry was weird and allowed him to consume massive amounts of alcohol without getting too drunk. Staff members said he always felt 'over-heated' and kept the a/c well below normal temperatures when he was in the White House offices or resident areas. Maybe he was an alien? Just kidding. I think Nixon and Gleason were two pees in a pod and very much alike.

Unfortunately, Jackie Gleason was not the kind of person who spoke much about or shared his private life with co-workers. In other words, I would not describe the working environment for actors, crew or staff members of his TV or other entertainment projects as a family. That limits what they might know about his personal life off camera. Most of his friends have long passed away and family members are guarded about any relationship they might have had with him. It doesn't seem that he was very close to anyone. His brother died as a child and he didn't seem to have much of a relationship with his daughters. It’s noted that he disliked working with child actors. Perhaps that’s because his own childhood was so hard.

Beverly McKittrick was his wife for just four years and, from all accounts, these were turbulent ones. I got the impression that his description to her of what he saw at MacDill was probably offered during a drinking binge or a moment of emotional confusion. Otherwise, I doubt he would have even mentioned it. She tried to write a book about her years with him and the MacDill incident, but seemed unable or unwilling to complete the project. I suspect she hoped for some cooperation that never materialized from Gleason on the project.

I also get the distinct impression that he probably did not tell his third wife, Marilyn, about it, although it is said this was his happiest marriage. If he did, she has never talked about or acknowledged it. I have never been able to discuss successfully the story wit her. It does seem that she has been very careful to guard Jackie Gleason’s reputation and the memory of his life and work. I doubt she would acknowledge anything regarding Gleason that seemed out of the mainstream or that might violate some personal confidence.

As far as the military goes, they are not as inept at keeping secrets as people might believe. My father was an officer and I can tell you that there were definite levels of information and trust within the military. They have carefully designed profiling methods to decide who gets access to the most sensitive information. Any one who has ever served as an officer knows that you can spend your whole life serving in the U.S. Military and still feel like an outsider who was never a part of the actual hierarchy. The same goes for those in government service. If you have ever met an Astronaut, you know what I mean.

I have met a number of astronauts through radio and television interviews and speaking venues and I can tell you there are two types. Those in the know, and those well outside of the circle. Not that they have told me anything, but speaking with one in the know is easily discerned by their amazing ability to sidestep UFO questions and provide carefully scripted answers. The others are mostly disbelievers and skeptics by virtue of their association with the scientific community and offer their own prefabricated objections. But with the NASA outsiders, you do not get the distinct impression that they are holding something back and any question you ask will be a waste of time.

As I mention in my UFO COVER-UP and UFOs AROUND THE WORLD seminars (DVDs available), I did meet a person who has proof that they served at MacDill around the time of Gleason's visit. His personal knowledge of the visit was allegedly limited, but he did know about the building and claimed to have seen the wreckage, but was purposely vague to me about the bodies. He was also careful to say that the wreckage might have come from the crash of a secret aircraft (just an opinion).

I hope this additional information has been helpful and provided you with answers to any questions you had for me.

Thanks, Bill Knell

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