Richard Doty
Richard Doty is one of the most controversial figures in the history of UFOlogy. Doty had a 20-year career with the Air Force, including years as a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). During that time, he was assigned to conduct surveillance on a scientist, Paul Bennewitz, who had inadvertently acquired information about a classified Air Force program. Doty admits he fed disinformation to Bennewitz and to other UFO researchers. forged documents, and muddied the waters.[1]
Since leaving military service, Doty worked as a police officer and has been the subject of numerous articles and documentaries.[2]
Mirage Men (Documentary film)
Rick is probably most well known for the role he played in the 1970's and 1980's, when he was directed to orchestrate an information war against the broader UFO research community. The 2013 film Mirage Men documents these events.
Other Controversies
Linda Moulton Howe
Doty is alleged to have provided journalist and UFO investigator Linda Moulton Howe with disinformation during her investigation of the cattle multilation phenomenon. Moulton Howe, for her part, published a story based on this information which Doty then used to discredit her overall message. It was during this time she produced her film, A Strange Harvest, and introduced the world to the mysterious circumstances surrounding many of these incidents.
Raid on Bob Lazar
Although no longer working on behalf of the AFOSI, Doty was involved in a raid on whistleblower Bob Lazar while serving as a sworn member of the N.M. State Police.
SERPO.org Story
In the early 2000's, an elaborate series of stories about a supposed Project Serpo were loosely associated to Doty by researchers using headers discovered in e-mails.
UFO Disclosure
Richard Doty is now a private citizen that advocates for broad UAP disclosure.