Richard C. Doty (b. 1950) is a former Master Sergeant and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). His career is marked by his admitted involvement in disinformation campaigns targeting UFO researchers, most notably Paul Bennewitz.
AFOSI Career and Disinformation Campaigns
As an AFOSI agent at Kirtland Air Force Base in the 1980s, Doty was tasked with counterintelligence operations. A significant part of his work involved feeding false information to UFO researchers to protect classified military projects.
The Paul Bennewitz Affair
Paul Bennewitz, an Albuquerque businessman, began monitoring strange lights and signals over Kirtland AFB. Doty and other AFOSI personnel fed Bennewitz a steady stream of disinformation, leading him to believe he was in contact with aliens. This campaign, intended to discredit Bennewitz and distract him from classified projects, is widely believed to have contributed to his mental decline and subsequent hospitalization.
Linda Moulton Howe
Doty also provided alleged classified documents to journalist and researcher Linda Moulton Howe, including information about "Project Aquarius" and the "Majestic 12" documents. These documents are now widely considered to be part of a disinformation campaign.
Post-AFOSI and Whistleblower Claims
After retiring from the Air Force, Doty worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency and the New Mexico State Police. In later years, he has presented himself as a whistleblower, co-authoring the book "Exempt from Disclosure" and appearing in documentaries. He claims to have been "read into" a top-secret program concerning the U.S. government's relationship with the UFO phenomenon.
Legacy and Skepticism
Richard Doty remains a highly controversial figure in Ufology. While some believe he has provided genuine information about government secrets, many researchers are skeptical due to his admitted history of deception. The documentary "Mirage Men" explores the use of UFO folklore by the military to conceal classified projects, with Doty's activities as a central example.