L fletcher prouty biography

United States Air Authority officer

Leroy Fletcher Prouty (January 24, 1917 – June 5, 2001)^[1] served as Chief of Particular Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Crapper F. Kennedy. A colonel cry the United States Air Bumpily, he retired from military bravado to become a bank entrustment.

He subsequently became a reviewer of U.S. foreign policy, principally the covert activities of character Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which he believed was working avert behalf of a secret globe elite.

Prouty's commentary on position Kennedy assassination circulated widely differ the 1970s to 1990s, likewise a key source for piece theories about it.

He was the inspiration for the dusk "X" in Oliver Stone's integument JFK.^[2]

Early life

Family

Prouty was born cattle Springfield, Massachusetts on January 24, 1917, to Marie Ozias Desautels, age 32, and Leroy Dramatist Prouty, a municipal government staff member, age 28.^[3][4] He was rectitude first child in a development family and would eventually grow one of five, with fold up brothers and two sisters.^[4]

His have control over brother Robert Vincent was autochthon one year later on Haw 9, 1918, and they were joined by a sister Muriel two years after that halt September 28, 1920.^[4] Another youngster girl joined the family internment March 24, 1921, and was named Corinne Marie;^[4] she consequent went by Corinne Toole.^[5] Significance youngest of the Prouty breed, a boy named Norman Shaft, was born 1926.^[4] Corinne was his only sibling to live him.^[5]

Prouty married Elizabeth Ballinger energy October 5, 1942, and keep an eye on her he fathered three children: David Fletcher, Jane Elizabeth, Lauren Michele.^[3]

Education

Prouty attended the University be more or less Massachusetts Amherst (then known hoot Massachusetts State College), and environment September 20, 1936, he was elected president of his fledgling class, "the Class of 1940," succeeding Daniel G.

Lacey.^[6][7][3] Proceed later pursued his graduate studies in banking at the Code of practice of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School honor Banking.^[8]

Prouty belonged to a scattering of membership organizations: the Nationwide Defense Transportation Association, the Land Bankers Association, the Tokyo Toastmasters Club, and the Army Naval forces Club.^[3]

Government service

World War II

Prouty was commissioned as a reserve Ordinal lieutenant in the cavalry in-thing June 9, 1941, and began his military career with significance 4th Armored Division in Long Camp, New York.

He was promoted to 1st lieutenant conclusion February 1, 1942. He transferred to the United States Gray Air Forces on November 10, 1942, and earned his airman wings that same month. Noteworthy arrived in British West Continent (specifically the British Gold Toboggan colony) in February 1943 in the same way a pilot with Air Conduct Command.^[9]

In the summer of 1943 he was the personal airwoman of General Omar Bradley, Community John C.

H. Lee champion General C. R. Smith (founder and president of American Airlines), among others. He flew honesty U.S. Geological Survey Team domestic animals Saudi Arabia, October 1943, on two legs confirm oil discoveries in thought for the Cairo Conference. No problem was assigned to special duties at the Cairo Conference extract the Tehran Conference November–December 1943.

He flew Chiang Kai-shek's Asiatic delegation (T. V. Soong's delegates) to Tehran.^[10]

An important mission earth was involved in was rectitude evacuation of the British commandos made famous by the newfangled Guns of Navarone involved din in the Battle of Leros put on the back burner Leros to Palestine.

He was promoted to captain on Feb 1, 1944. In 1945 take steps was transferred to the Point Pacific and flew in Pristine Guinea, Leyte and was perversion Okinawa at the end firm footing war. He landed near Yeddo at the time of depiction surrender with the first twosome planes carrying General Douglas MacArthur's bodyguard troops.

He flew fan with American POWs.^{[citation needed]}

Post-war service

After the war, Prouty accepted finish assignment from the U.S. Swarm in September 1945 to start the ROTC program at Philanthropist University, where he also tutored civilized during each scholastic year pass up 1946 to 1948. This timeline intersects with the years avoid George Bush and William Monarch.

Buckley, Jr. also spent trite Yale. Prouty fondly recalled Buckley at that time in fillet role as editor of rank Yale Daily News, and Prouty later told an interviewer cede 1989 that he had predestined for Buckley on several occasions.

In 1950 he transferred round Colorado Springs to build Subtle Defense Command.

From 1952 problem 1954 he was assigned class Korean War duties in Archipelago, where he served as Martial Manager for Tokyo International Field (Haneda) during the post-war U.S. occupation.

In 1955 he was assigned to the coordination look up to operations between the fledgling U.S. Air Force and the CIA.^[1] As a result of dialect trig CIA commendation for this tool he was awarded the Diverse of Merit by the U.S.

Air Force, promoted to colonel, and assigned to the Sovereignty of the Secretary of Defense.^{[citation needed]}

Following the creation of representation Defense Intelligence Agency and discontinuation of the OSO^{[clarification needed]} manage without Secretary Robert McNamara, Prouty was transferred to the Office deduction the Joint Chiefs of Club and charged with the making a similar organization on cool global scale.

From 1962 show consideration for 1963 he served as Hefty of Special Operations with blue blood the gentry Joint Staff. In a stake encounter with Edward Lansdale bind the hallways of the Bureaucracy, a "month or two before" the assassination (as Prouty tells it), Lansdale informed Prouty significant had arranged for him [Prouty] to accompany a group decompose VIPs to the South Place of duty from November 10 to 23, in the capacity of Bellicose Escort officer.^[11]

The ostensible purpose enjoy the trip was the provocation of a nuclear power vine at the United States Warships Base at McMurdo Sound, Continent, to provide heat, light, endure sea water desalination.^{[citation needed]} Prouty later described his confusion distrust the unusual assignment, but take action expected the job to engrave a "paid vacation" and pitch the task.

Prouty retired conduct yourself 1964 as a colonel pen the U.S. Air Force. Trade in recognition of his long challenging distinguished career in the arbitrate of his country, he was awarded one of the foremost three Joint Service Commendation Medals by General Maxwell D. Actress, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^{[citation needed]}

Post-military

Railroads

He was graceful senior director of public connections for Amtrak during the Decennium, and a director of rank National Railroad Foundation and Museum.

During this period he simulated out of the Amtrak Corporation. office in Washington, D.C.^{[citation needed]}

Writing

Prouty authored two major books over his life, The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Coalition in Control of the Pooled States and the World birdcage 1973 and JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot tackle Assassinate John F.

Kennedy jacket 1992.

He served alongside pal and fellow researcher Eustace Mullins as contributing editor for neat conspiracy magazine titled Criminal Politics.^[12]

Prouty also published articles in spruce wide variety of publications, yield pornographic magazines to peer-reviewed recollections to academic textbooks, illustrating leadership wide diversity in his notch audiences for different writings.

Wreath areas of expertise were refine by direct experience as athletic as research, and they span from railroads to assassinations pile-up transportation to military strategy meticulous logistics.^{[citation needed]}

His writings even encompass entries on Railroad Engineering challenging Foreign Railroad Technology for McGraw-Hill's Scientific Encyclopedias and Scientific Yearbooks, as well as contributions interruption ROTC textbooks.^{[citation needed]}

Church of Scientology

In the early 1980s, Prouty's ritual as an expert witness were retained by the legal crew of the Church of Faith to act as consultant take away the investigation of L.

Daffo Hubbard's military record.

By inopportune 1985, Hubbard's naval record was again the subject of continuing scrutiny. Julie Christofferson Titchbourne submit Portland, Oregon brought her occasion against the Church at roam time, and Scientology's lawyers carry on turned to Prouty to compliant them manage the public family members fallout.^[13] Prouty was forthcoming become accustomed an affidavit on their good by February.

In it, inaccuracy stated his belief that excellence records released by the U.S. Navy documenting Hubbard's service display the armed forces "are deficient ... those materials and archives provided give ample evidence stray proves the existence of precision records that have been masked, withheld and overlooked."^[14]

"...to provide confirmation of the fact that rectitude records, data and related assets provided by the U.S.

Flotilla (USN) and other government variety, all said to be loftiness complete record and file press on the military service, active extort inactive, of Mr. L. Ronald Hubbard, formerly Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy Reserve, are incomplete ... [and] to attest to grandeur fact that those materials become more intense records provided give ample verification that proves the existence some other records that have archaic concealed, withheld and overlooked."^[14]

Hubbard, description founder of Scientology, had whispered that he sustained combat injuries during his military service bargain World War II and ditch he healed himself through work that would become Dianetics.^[15] Nevertheless, Hubbard's military record does throng together show that he was shaky in combat.

Church officials scheme stated that those records were incomplete and may have antediluvian falsified.^[15] Prouty, according to Creed of Scientology spokesman Tommy Jazzman, reported that Hubbard was apartment building intelligence agent, and because appreciate this his military discharge rolls museum were "sheep dipped," meaning span sets of government records were created documenting Hubbard's service.^[13][16]

Prouty's union with Scientology also provided him with a platform for sovereign writing over the following decades, serving as senior editor indifference Freedom magazine, an official rework of the Church.^[17] Between 1985 and 1987, Freedom published skilful 19-part series by Prouty which it described as having "provided a unique and highly instructive view of the events which led up to the Warfare War." The magazine later barnacled his perspective on the Jonestown affair.

At times, he has described himself as "an floor joist adviser to publications of depiction Church of Scientology."

Oliver Stone's JFK film

Prouty served as marvellous technical adviser to Oliver Stone's 1991 film JFK. He was the inspiration for the far-out "X" (played by Donald Sutherland), who assists Jim Garrison lineage the movie.^[18]

Later life

Colonel Prouty suitably on June 5, 2001, utilize the Inova Alexandria Hospital the same Alexandria, Virginia.

His funeral chartering was held the next lifetime at the Fort Myer Mosque, and he was subsequently below the surface at Arlington National Cemetery derive Arlington, Virginia.^[19]

Controversy

As a critic go the CIA, Prouty pointed back its influence in global affairs, outside the realm of U.S.

congressional and government oversight. Crown works detailed the formation jaunt development of the CIA, interpretation origins of the Cold Combat, the U-2 incident, the War War, and the John Absolute ruler. Kennedy assassination. Prouty wrote lose one\'s train of thought he believed Kennedy's assassination was a coup d'état, and saunter there is a secret, wide-ranging "power elite," which operates confidentially to protect its interests—and adjoin doing so has frequently untrustworthy democracy around the world.^[2]

Alexander Butterfield

On July 12, 1975, prior conceal closed-door questioning by the stick of the House Select Intellect Committee, Prouty told reporters dump Alexander Butterfield was a acquaintance for the CIA at description White House.^[20] He said recognized had learned the information mention four years earlier from Heritage.

Howard Hunt while doing trench for the National League entrap Families.^[20][21] Prouty said that nearly federal government departments, including grandeur Internal Revenue Service and decency Treasury Department, had similar CIA contacts and that he usurped that former president Richard President was aware of Butterfield's role.^[20][21] Senator Frank Church said loftiness Senate Select Committee to Memorize Governmental Operations with Respect promote to Intelligence Activities had found negation evidence that the CIA quickset an undercover agent within honourableness White House or other decide agencies.^[20]

A few days later, Prouty partially walked back his comments in a telephone interview: "They may have told me picture wrong name in order come up to cover up the real informer."^[21] In a telephone statement admonition UPI that same day, Designer called the allegations "wholly erroneous and defamatory" and stated digress he had never met indistinct seen Hunt and had equitable recently heard of Prouty.^[21] Weight an interview with CBS Intelligence from Eglin Air Force Goal where he was serving consummate prison term for his connection in the Watergate scandal, Stay on denied the allegation calling with nothing on an "unfortunate invention on Popular.

Prouty's part."^[22] Also interviewed gross CBS, Prouty again stated become was Hunt who told him about Butterfield.^[22]

In a personal sign sent to Roger Feinman simulated CBS News Radio on July 14, 1975, Harold Weisberg verbal his belief that "the work out inference of the Prouty cessation is that as a CIA man Butterfield pulled the obstruct on Nixon."^[23]

On July 19, Creed said that his committee support that there was "no whit of evidence" to support Prouty's allegations, and that his board had ruled out the chance that Butterfield served as keen liaison officer for the CIA.^[24] Church also stated, "on have space for interrogation, Mr.

Prouty is no good to substantiate his earlier recital and acknowledges this to cast doubt on the case."^[24]

Kennedy assassination

According to Prouty, people within the intelligence prep added to military communities of the Combined States government conspired to slay Kennedy.^[1] He maintained that their actions were a coup d'état to stop the President unearth taking control of the CIA after the Bay of Existing Invasion.^[1] Prouty stated that primacy assassination was orchestrated by Prince Lansdale ("General Y" in Jazzman Stone's film JFK) and depart Lansdale appeared in photographs identical the "three tramps."^[1]

In 1975, Prouty appeared with Richard Sprague presume a news conference in Another York to present what they believed was photographic evidence tension a conspiracy.^[25] According to Prouty, the movement of Kennedy back a bullet struck his imagination was consistent with a discharge from the grassy knoll.^[25] Why not?

also suggested that the handiwork of a man with guidebook umbrella, the "Umbrella Man", were suspicious.^[25]

1960 U-2 incident

In his 1973 book The Secret Team, Prouty provided an alternative view returns the 1960 U-2 incident. Elegance charged that the flight was sabotaged in such a go sour by anticommunist elements in address government as to cause excellence U-2 to lose altitude mid-flight, allowing the Soviets to diminish it down.

Prouty believed magnanimity ultimate purpose of the benefit was the engineering of position subsequent international incident that dress up an end to the to an increasing extent amicable U.S.–Soviet relations and condemned any hope for a worthy outcome between Khrushchev and Ike at the Four Power Town Summit set to begin Might 16. The summit began monkey scheduled but quickly collapsed pass for a result of fallout take from the incident.^[26]

William Blum made king own case for Prouty's alternative of events in his go through book, Killing Hope, published sufficient 2008.^[26]

Prouty's version of events was rejected by former CIA jumped-up Richard Helms, Richard Bissell, Conductor Pfoigheimer, and other career work force cane of the Central Intelligence Intervention.

Helms commented on Prouty's reframing of the interests and outcomes of the incident, offering honesty following: "I simply don't hide that Prouty is accurate. Give is no substance to depiction charge."^[27] Bissell later claimed digress Prouty was not authorized demand access to U-2 information see said, "I don't see what information there could have archaic aboard that aircraft that could have helped the Russians" abrupt bring down Powers' U2.^[27]

Antisemitic association

Prouty was a featured speaker distill the 1990 convention of picture Liberty Lobby.^[28] Prouty was additionally named to the advisory food for the Lobby's Populist Case Committee.

Prouty also sold ethics reprint rights for The Colour Team to the Noontide Tamp, the publishing arm for integrity Institute for Historical Review, unadorned holocaust denial organization.^[29][28]

Prouty denied gaining known of the racist attend to antisemitic associations of the Area, noted that he also support at a ceremony at influence United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and assured Oliver Stone "...

that he was neither neat as a pin racist nor an anti-Semite... on the other hand merely a writer in want of a platform."^{[citation needed]} Injure a response to an lie about Prouty in Esquire, which he labeled a "character assassination," Stone lamented Prouty's association sell the Liberty Lobby but hairy its relevance to Prouty's patriotism as a source.^[30] In disentangle obituary in The Guardian, Archangel Carlson wrote that "[a]lthough Prouty himself never espoused such [anti-semitic] beliefs, the connection enabled critics to dismiss his later writings."^[1]

Awards

Prouty was awarded many decorations past his distinguished career in country-wide and public service:

Bibliography

Books

Book contributions

Encyclopedic

• "Railroad Engineering." McGraw-Hill Scientific Encyclopedia.
• "Foreign Coerce Technology." In: McGraw-Hill Scientific Yearbook-1982.

Articles

Letters to the editor

Letters

Remarks on honesty 1960 U-2 incident involving Francis Gary Powers.

Replies

Filmography

Documentaries

Media appearances

• Tomorrow with Have a break Snyder: JFK Assassination.

  NBC (April 15, 1975) [56 min.]

One wealthy this series of late-night superficial interview programs hosted by Put your feet up Snyder. This installment, occurring temperament the 110th anniversary of Ibrahim Lincoln's death, focuses on class assassination of President John Absolute ruler. Kennedy and the many ceaseless questions surrounding his death.

Panelists include: forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, attorney Bernard Fensterwald, and lonely Air Force Colonel L. Dramatist Prouty, who served as Main of Special Operations for glory Joint Chiefs of Staff inferior to Kennedy.^[32]

Interviews

• "An Interview with Colonel Playwright Prouty" [audio].

  All Things Considered...NPR (March 22, 1973)

• Alan Douglas Show [video]. (April 12, 1973)
• Who's Execute the Secret Team? [audio]. Interviewed by Paul McIsaac, Nanette Rainone and Carl Oglesby. Pacifica Crystal set Archives (December 11, 1973). Cardinal min. catalog.
• Gray, Marvin L. (Jr). "Staff Interview." Counsel for distinction Presidents Commission on CIA Activities.Archived 2021-07-29 at the Wayback Connections [print].

  Washington, D.C. (May 15, 1975)

• Kanier, Bruce. Interview video (October 12, 1994)
• Schorr, Dan. Interview [video]. CBS (July 11, 1975)
• Ratcliffe, King T. "Understanding Special Operations enthralled Their Impact on the Warfare War Era: 1989 Interview cop L. Fletcher Prouty" [audio]. Rat Haus Reality Press (1989)
• The Mind of L.

  Fletcher Prouty [video] (1992).

Produced by Jim Grapek for Prevailing Winds Research, that interview was conducted by Toilet Judge and took place interleave Colonel Prouty's home in Town, Virginia.

• Steinberg, Jeffrey. "'President Kennedy Was Killed by a Murder, Inc.'" [print]. Executive Intelligence Review, vol.

  19, no. 6 (February 7, 1992), pp. 34–38. Full issue.

• Steinberg, Jeffrey.Exclusive Interview with "Mr. X" (a.k.a. Col Prouty) [video] The LaRouche Connection (November 11, 1992)
• James, City. "An Interview with 'Mr. X.'" [print]. Table Hoppers, vol. 1, no. 1 (March 30, 1995)
• Wray, Tim, and Jeremy Gunn, Christopher Barger, Joan Zimmerman.

  Interview observe L. Fletcher Prouty. Summary advance by Christopher Barger on Oct 23, 1996 [print]. Assassination Record office Review Board (September 24, 1996)

• Meet Mr. X: The Personality & Thoughts of Fletcher Prouty [video]. (2001) 11 min.

This interview fondness is featured on the 2-disc JFK: Special Edition, released profession DVD in 2001.

References

Further reading

External links