L. Fletcher Prouty
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Leroy Fletcher Prouty (January 24, 1917 - June 5, 2001) was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, author, banker, and critic of US foreign policy, especially as regarded the activities of the CIA. His books include The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World and JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy. He had a 23-year military career rising to the rank of Colonel, including nine years in the Pentagon (1955-1964) serving with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense and the Air Force. He served as the liaison officer for the Pentagon with the CIA, where much of his inside knowledge for his books was gained. He was also a manager and a Senior Director of Public Affairs for Amtrak during the 1970s, and a director of the National Railroad Foundation and Museum.
As a famous critic of the CIA he pointed out its influence in global matters, outside the realm of US congressional and government oversight. His works detail the formation and development of the CIA, the origins of the Cold War, the U-2 incident, the Vietnam War, and the John F. Kennedy assassination. Prouty's book JFK ties all of these events together and argues that a secret "global elite" is at work. Although controversial, his time in the Air Force and holding upper-level government/military positions give his contentions some credibility.
Prouty served as an advisor to Oliver Stone's movie JFK and was the inspiration for the mysterious "X", played by Donald Sutherland, who assists Jim Garrison in the movie. In reality, Garrison did not meet Prouty until some years after the trial depicted in the film.
Prouty was the author of numerous articles on railroads including the entries on Railroad Engineering and Foreign Railroad Technology for McGraw-Hill's encyclopedias.