L. Fletcher Prouty

L. Fletcher Prouty
Birth nameLeroy Fletcher Prouty
Born(1917-01-24)January 24, 1917
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 2001(2001-06-05) (aged 84)
McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1941–1964
RankColonel
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsLegion of Merit
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Spouse(s)Elizabeth B. Prouty
ChildrenDavid F. Prouty
Jane E. Prouty
Lauren M. Prouty
Signature

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 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), which he believed was working on behalf of a secret world elite.

Prouty's commentary on the Kennedy assassination circulated widely from the 1970s to 1990s, as a key source for conspiracy theories about it. He was the inspiration for the character "X" in Oliver Stone's film JFK.