Reprinted from The Galactic Press with permission.

The Amazing Kreskin is the world’s foremost mentalist and he has performed for Royalty, Presidents, dignitaries and audiences the world over.  Millions have watched Kreskin’s thought perception or suggestibility feats on major TV shows. He is truly awesome.   His ability ranges from the “reading” of a social security number in a wallet or purse two hundred feet away, to the chilling experience of extricating a man imprisoned in a safe by mentally perceiving the combination.  The Amazing Kreskin can tilt tables, lower the metabolic rate through auto suggestion, read a person’s mind, achieve automatic writing and even beat the black jack odds at Las Vegas.   He has been known to predict headlines; the length of the war, etc. Kreskin who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Seton Hall University has one of the largest collections of psychology books in the universe.

By Stephen Briggs

Question:  When did you first realize you had this extraordinary “gift?”

This took place around age nine when in 3rd grade a game of hot and cold was being played in which the class hid a beanbag while someone was out of the room.  On their return as the person searched for the beanbag, the class said “you are getting warmer,” “you are getting colder.” I ended up later after school, going to my grandparent’s house and finding a penny, which my brother hid in the upstairs of the house but forgot to ask my brother to say hot or cold.  There was no communication verbally at all.

Question:  Growing up, could you use this “gift” in school and with friends and family?

Growing up I was always experimenting with friends and a favorite teacher of mine, Ms. Galloway.  She taught fourth and sixth grade, and would set aside Friday during “show and tell” for me to practice with my fellow students.  It was a great foresight on her part, that she realized that this was an ability that needed to be cultivated.

Question:  From the time you were young, I understand you could tell who was on the phone before you picked it up.

When I was in my early teens and the phone would ring, I would often pick it up and say the person’s name before they spoke.  This was long before the technology of caller ID was available.  By my mid teens, I began to notice that this process often caused a pause on the part of my friends and I realized that it was not a comfortable experience for them to be aware that I was trying to read their thoughts at all times.  I gradually pulled away from doing this as the years have gone by.  Not one of my personal acquaintances or friends, at least that I am aware of, is uncomfortable around me, for it takes me an hour to get ready before a program that I do mentally. I have to discipline and prepare my mindset because it is not something that I turn on all the time.

Question:  Did you have a mentor?

The greatest public influence of my career was a broadcaster in the 1940’s and 1950’s in radio and television by the name of Arthur Godfrey.  While he showed no telepathic abilities, his persona was of communicating with the listener or viewer as if he was talking only to that one person. He changed the whole fabric of radio and TV broadcasting and was the most influential figure in the history of the media.  I was tremendously enamored and enchanted with this showman.

Question:  You have performed for royalty and dignitaries all over the world, what were some of your favorite experiences?

Perhaps if there was more time and you weren’t under a deadline, I would be able to recount in detail upon hundreds and hundreds of experiences.  With the passing of President Ford, I recall my performance in Washington when Ford was President. His daughter Susanne, was a fan of mine and for her birthday celebration, I was brought in.  I had her stand in front of me. Bear in mind at this point I had not met the President or his wife.  As she stood there I had her close her eyes. I told her that in a few seconds she would feel herself being pulled back by an invisible force. It was obvious that she was nervous and was attempting to maintain her balance, when suddenly she toppled over into my arms.  Six men suddenly surrounded me, they weren’t her suitors, they were secret service concerned about her welfare.  She was fine and President Ford jumped up and said out of the blue, “Kreskin, maybe you’re the one person that can handle my cabinet.”  I always found that an amusing quote.

Question:  You have worked with so many celebrities; once you were given a certain amount of time to find Robin Leach hidden somewhere in New York, and on national television, you told Carol Burnett, who was 3,000 miles away, what she was holding in her hand!  Is there anyone else in the world that can do what you do? 

The search for Robin Leach was when he had his television show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”  The crew came to my house and it was my idea that he hide somewhere in New York. They picked me up and I was driven to New York City. We sat in the car at the Tavern on the Green. Meanwhile, Robin decided to hide somewhere in the huge city.  Cindy Adams, the New York Post Columnist became my subject, she and two other associates sat in the stretch limousine. Their job was to concentrate on where he was.  I ended up having the limo stop in front of a building with no particular name. It was not a prominent building and I was frustrated when I walked to the elevator, in fact, I finally left the building and then realized when I looked overhead, that there were more floors than the elevator went to.  I took Cindy Adams and the camera crew to the top floor the elevator could go to. We walked along a hallway and found another elevator, a private one, went up higher and ended up when the doors opened to a private club where there was a giant swimming pool which I kept looking at. I finally went into another room where there was a bar, someone was draped over the bar as if he were drunk with his head down, I went over and put my hand on the person and lo and behold it was Robin Leach.  

When I appeared on the Mike Douglas Show, Mike did not tell me who they were calling. As soon as the person picked up the telephone, the entire audience realized it was Carol Burnett.  Carol and I often talk about the time when I asked her to think of something when she was in Los Angeles and I was in the East Coast.   I wrote on a chalkboard an idea, which I handed to Mike.  She then told me she was at her agent’s office looking out the window at trees and I was very disheartened when I heard this because when the chalk board was turned around I had written a bronze statue - Carol screamed she said “Kreskin I am in my agent’s office and I am holding a bronze statue in my hand!”  So I had successfully read her thoughts.

Question:  Is it true that when you are performing, you will not accept a paycheck unless you find it yourself on someone or someplace in the audience?

To the best of my knowledge there is no one in the world who functions the way I do to this degree.  There may be similar abilities, but you need to bear in mind what I’ve done is done exactly as the audience sees it.   I have never used stooges or confederates in any way shape or form to aid me if I felt that there was a problem or difficulty. This is why I have offered $50,000.00 to anybody who can prove I employ a paid assistant or confederates in any phase of my program.  Demonstrations such as mine can be faked by magicians using electronic devices or hidden sensitivity pieces where someone can be telegraphing them from a distance what is correct and what is not correct but this is simply trickery and not what I’m into.

This becomes all the more significant when it comes to my paycheck.  I have succeeded in some 6,000 occasions, although I have failed 9 times and forfeited my paycheck as I do when I fail.  In New Zealand I lost $51,000.00 in one evening and yet a few weeks ago while touring Canada, in one show, I found my check hidden in the tubing of the stands that were built for the audience to sit in.  That was quite a challenge, to find a pencil that I could dig through an iron tubing to bring out a check.  It’s almost as crazy as the University of Alabama when amongst 3,000 students, I opened a gentlemen’s jacket, he was a plain clothes man. I took out his gun and turned the barrel towards my eyes, they had taken tweezers and stuffed the check down the barrel of a gun. 

Question:  You can tell a person their phone number, address, or social security number, as well as what they are thinking.  How do the gambling casinos feel about you?

Gambling casinos are generally comfortable if I play Blackjack because the dealer doesn’t know the cards; there are no thoughts to read.  Even though I do rather well at Blackjack and I have had some very dramatic successes.  It can never be blamed on my ability to read thoughts, otherwise I would not be allowed to play anywhere.  After all, casinos are not built by winners. 

One game I clearly cannot play anywhere is Poker.  Poker is a psychological game as well as a game of technical skill.  To know what someone is thinking or when they are bluffing would be a staggering advantage.  I know that I would win tremendous amounts of money but I also know that I would end up in concrete by angry losers.

Question:  Do you believe in UFO’s?

I do believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, my feeling is this: how could we be so presumptuous as to think we are the only intelligence in the universe? If that were the case it would be a sad commentary on humanity or the existence of life.  So who are we to doubt that there is other intelligence?  As far as UFO’s, I have respected the commentary of pilots and people who know aircraft and fly a great deal, including Arthur Godfrey all who have commented on some unexplained objects that were in the sky and some cases, next to their planes.  However as far as UFO’s landings or abductions, I see no real evidence of such. I think in many cases these are false memories that people have.  I can never figure out why so many UFO landings take place in marshes were there is hardly any people around.  Wouldn’t the extraterrestrial intelligence want to communicate with a larger number of people? The learning channel a few years ago, did a one week documentary on UFO’s and I was the consultant for the first two nights.