L. Fletcher Prouty
| L. Fletcher Prouty | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Leroy Fletcher Prouty |
| Born |
January 24, 1917 Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Died | June 5, 2001 (aged 84) McLean, Virginia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1964 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Legion of Merit Joint Service Commendation Medal |
Leroy Fletcher Prouty (January 24, 1917 – June 5, 2001) served as Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F. Kennedy. A former colonel in the United States Air Force, he retired from military service to become a bank executive. He subsequently became a critic of U.S. foreign policy, particularly the covert activities of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about which he had considerable inside knowledge. Prouty was the inspiration for the character "Mr. X" in Oliver Stone's film JFK.
Prouty was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Prouty was a graduate of Massachusetts State College in 1941 with a bachelor's degree. He later graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School of Banking in 1968.
Prouty was commissioned as a reserve 2nd lieutenant in the cavalry on June 9, 1941 and began his military career with the 4th Armored Division in Pine Camp, New York. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on February 1, 1942. He transferred to the United States Army Air Forces on November 10, 1942 and earned his pilot wings that same month. He arrived in British West Africa in February 1943 as a pilot with Air Transport Command.
In the summer of 1943 he was the personal pilot of General Omar Bradley, General John C. H. Lee and General C. R. Smith (Founder and President of American Airlines), among others. He flew the U.S. Geological Survey Team in Saudi Arabia, October 1943, to confirm oil discoveries in preparation for the Cairo Conference. He was assigned to special duties at the Cairo Conference and the Tehran Conference November–December 1943. He flew Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese delegation (T. V. Soong's delegates) to Tehran.
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