People

Arthur Exon

Arthur Exon was a United States military officer who was assigned commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and whom Whitley Strieber has quoted describing a cover-up of nonhuman material recovered after the 1947 Roswell crash.

Air Materiel Command; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base · Brigadier General

Arthur Exon, also referred to by Ross Coulthart as Arthur Ernest Exon, was an officer associated with the 1947 Roswell crash and debris retrieval - an episode also known as the Roswell incident (1947) - and is discussed in research on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). According to Coulthart, Exon was allegedly heavily involved in the retrieval of the Roswell craft in 1947.¹ He was involved with the Air Materiel Command at Ohio Wright Field in July 1947,² and was officially assigned to the Air Materiel Command in 1948.³ In 1964 he was assigned as commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.⁴ Coulthart states that the Roswell wreckage was allegedly taken to Wright-Patterson, where Exon was a former commanding general.⁵

Exon was a family friend of Whitley Strieber.⁶ Strieber came to know Exon through his father’s brother rather than through his own father,⁷ and has described Exon as a friend of that uncle who later became a general and commanding officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.⁸

Strieber has said that Exon told him debris and bodies were brought in following the Roswell crash.⁹ Strieber has said that after he published Communion in 1987, Exon told him that everybody from Harry S. Truman on down knew within twenty-four hours of the material being found that it was not of this world,¹⁰ and Strieber has elsewhere given the same statement as a direct quote from Exon.¹¹ In a 1989 letter to Strom Thurmond, Strieber wrote that Exon had told him personally that there was a “completely unequivocal cover-up” of a retrieved craft at New Mexico Roswell that “went from Truman on down”.¹² Strieber has said that as late as 1988 Exon told him he was still consulting with groups at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on the question of nonhuman bodies,¹³ and that he was still going regularly to the base to brief staff there on matters from classified off-the-record briefings he remembered.¹⁴ Strieber has also said that Exon spoke privately about the existence of nonhuman bodies held by the United States Department of Defense (DoD).¹⁵

The record contains differing accounts of what Exon personally saw or handled. In one, Exon is quoted as saying that he had held one of the recovered bodies in his arms and that it resembled a large insect.¹⁶ Strieber has separately said that in 1988 he met Exon, who told him he had seen and held one of the bodies and likewise perceived it as insectlike.¹⁷ Elsewhere, however, Strieber has said that Exon told him he had held one of the bodies only while it was inside a body bag and did not see it,¹⁸ and that Nathan Twining and others did see the bodies, though Exon himself did not.¹⁹

Exon did not explain the motivations of the beings involved or why they were coming to Earth; Strieber did not press him, since both Exon and his uncle were constrained by their security clearances.²⁰ Neither Exon nor Strieber’s uncle said whether the beings were malevolent or benevolent,²¹ and neither made any value judgement about Strieber’s having written Communion, remaining totally neutral about it.²² Strieber has said that Exon told him a scientist within the group believed that if the public became aware of the phenomenon it would allow the beings to come in on what Strieber calls a tide of belief,²³ and that from what Exon said, he gained the impression - which he allows may be wrong - that someone on the Majestic 12 committee felt the same way.²⁴ Strieber has said he has a feeling that Exon and his uncle may have been told to communicate what they did.²⁵

Strieber has said that Exon supposedly later developed Alzheimer’s disease, but that he suspects Exon may not have, and that the United States Air Force (USAF) acted against him for talking too much.²⁶ Strieber has also said he considers it a mistake that he introduced Exon to Stanton Friedman.²⁷

References (27)

Coulthart: Exon allegedly heavily involved in the 1947 Roswell retrieval
“General Art Exon, who was allegedly heavily involved in the retrieval of the Roswell craft in 1947”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:37:46.4-00:37:55.8
Exon involved with Air Materiel Command at Wright Field, Ohio, July 1947
“General Arthur Exon, a family friend who was involved with the Air Materiel Command at Wright Field in July 1947, and was officially assigned to it in 1948”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9254-9405
Exon officially assigned to Air Materiel Command in 1948
“and was officially assigned to it in 1948”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9368-9405
Exon assigned commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1964
“In 1964, he was assigned as commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9436-9504
Coulthart: Roswell wreckage allegedly taken to Wright-Patterson, Exon a former commanding general there
“you were reached out to by a former commanding general of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where the Roswell wreckage was allegedly taken”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:45:09.7-00:45:16.6
Exon was a family friend of Whitley Strieber
“General Arthur Exon, a family friend who was involved with the Air Materiel Command at Wright Field in July 1947”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9254-9362
Strieber knew Exon through his father's brother, not his father
“And it was not through my dad. It was through my dad's brother.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:38:04.9-00:38:07.4
Exon was a friend of Strieber's uncle, later general and commanding officer at Wright-Patterson
“his friend Art Exon, who had then later become a general and become commanding officer at Wright-Patt”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:39:48.4-00:39:54.2
Strieber: Exon said debris and bodies were brought in following the Roswell crash
“he told me that there was debris brought in and there were bodies brought in.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:43.6-00:40:50.3
Strieber: after Communion (1987), Exon said everyone from Truman down knew within 24 hours it was not of this world
“General Exon told me after I published Communion in 1987 that “everybody from Truman on down knew that what we had found was not of this world within twenty-four hours of our finding it.””
The Fourth Mind ch11:795-978
Strieber gives the same Truman/24-hour statement elsewhere as a direct quote from Exon
“And he said that he said, and this is a direct quote, everyone from Truman on down knew that what we found had found was not of this world within 24 hours of our findings.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:41:05.6-00:41:18.8
Strieber's 1989 letter to Thurmond: Exon described an 'unequivocal cover-up... from Truman on down'
“Strieber told the Senator in his letter that US Army Brigadier General Arthur Exon had told him personally in 1989 that there was a 'completely unequivocal cover-up' of a retrieved alien craft at Roswell and 'it went from [President Harry] Truman on down'.”
In Plain Sight ch25:22926-23176 View the source record →
Strieber: as late as 1988 Exon still consulting on the question of nonhuman bodies
“and as late as 1988 told me that he was still consulting with groups there working on the question”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9510-9600
Strieber: Exon still briefing Wright-Patterson staff on classified matters in 1988
“General Exon told me that in 1988, he was still going to Wright regularly to fill them in on things that had been discussed in the early days in pencils up meetings that he remembered.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:03.6-00:40:20.4
Strieber: Exon spoke privately of nonhuman bodies held by the DoD
“spoke of them privately”
The Fourth Mind ch8:9411-9425
Exon quoted saying he held a recovered body, resembling a large insect
“He also said that he had held one of the bodies in his arms and “it was like a big insect.””
The Fourth Mind ch11:983-1066
Strieber: 1988 meeting, Exon said he saw and held a body, insectlike
“Only later, in 1988, would I meet General Exon, who saw and held one of the bodies, and perceived it the same way.”
The Fourth Mind ch11:6164-6274
Strieber: Exon held a body in a bag but did not see it
“And he had held one of these bodies. It was inside a body bag. He said he didn't see it, but he held it.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:50.8-00:40:59.3
Strieber: Twining and others saw the bodies, Exon did not
“But he said that General Twining did see them and others saw them, but not him.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:59.9-00:41:04.2
Exon did not explain the beings' motivations; Strieber did not press, citing security clearances
“He did not, not to my knowledge, no. I didn't really question him. I really let him talk because he had a certain group of things he wanted to say to me. And I knew that they were both very constrained by their security clearances.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:41:44.9-00:41:59.8
Neither Exon nor Strieber's uncle said whether the beings were malevolent or benevolent
“They did not talk about, neither my uncle nor general excellently talked about that. In other words, they didn't say it was malevolent or malevolent.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:44:48.1-00:44:57.0
Neither Exon nor the uncle passed judgement on Strieber having written Communion
“No, they were totally neutral about it. I don't remember either of them making any kind of a value judgment about it at all.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:47:51.2-00:47:58.8
Strieber: Exon said a scientist believed public awareness would let the beings in on a 'tide of belief'
“He said something along the lines of there was a scientist in the group who thought that if we I asked, I did ask him about the secrecy. He thought that if the public became aware of this, it would enable these beings to come in on a He didn't say these words, he was no poet, but on a tide of belief is how I would describe what he was trying to say.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:43:31.7-00:43:58.2
Strieber's impression that a Majestic 12 committee member held the same view
“Art Exon said to me, I gained the impression, and I may be wrong about this, that someone on that committee felt that there would come a, the more people knew about this, the more able this presence would be able to come into our physical reality.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:51:39.6-00:52:00.4
Strieber's feeling that Exon and his uncle may have been told to communicate what they did
“They were just communicating basically what I think, I have a feeling they may have been told to communicate to me.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:44:57.4-00:45:04.0
Strieber: Exon supposedly developed Alzheimer's; Strieber suspects the USAF acted against him instead
“He later supposedly got Alzheimer's, but I think He may not have. I think the Air Force really went to town on him because he was talking too much.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:21.5-00:40:28.6
Strieber considers introducing Exon to Stanton Friedman a mistake
“I made the mistake of introducing him to Stanton Friedman”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:40:29.4-00:40:31.7

Arthur Exon

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