Person

Richard C. Doty

Former AFOSI special agent, involved in disinformation about UFOs

1980–1988 · Historical figures (1933–2007) · Official

A former special agent of AFOSI, the investigative service of the U.S. Air Force, after the release of The Roswell Incident he approached Bill Moore and is among the Air Force officials who contacted Paul Bennewitz and, overall, misled him. According to Mark Pilkington he used information supplied by Moore to create false government documentation for disinformation purposes; in 1982 he worked with Bob Pratt and Moore on an unpublished manuscript, The Aquarius Project. His involvement is documented by historians and by Moore's confession; he is the protagonist of the documentary Mirage Men (2013), in which he acknowledges his role.

Key claims

• In 1983 he spoke of an “MJ-12” group to the attorney Peter Gersten and showed alleged documents to Linda Moulton Howe (Wikipedia, Majestic 12).

Controversies

• According to Pilkington (Mirage Men, 2010) he created false government documentation for disinformation purposes, using information received from Moore.
• He is among the Air Force officials who, according to the sources, deceived Paul Bennewitz.

Documented authority

It measures how documented and verifiable what the person claims is, not their honesty. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2.

Credentials 2/2

Former AFOSI special agent: role described by historians and acknowledged by himself.

Direct access 2/2

He took part directly in the contacts with Moore and Bennewitz, documented by historians and by Moore's confession.

Evidence provided 0/2

According to Pilkington, the documents he circulated were fakes created to spread disinformation.

Claims track record 0/2

The information he gave to Moore and Bennewitz is described by the sources as disinformation.

Conflicts of interest 0/2

He acted on behalf of AFOSI, the body that was conducting the operation.

Sources

1. Mark Pilkington, Mirage Men: A Journey into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs, Little, Brown Book, 2010 (book)
2. Mirage Men (documentary, 2013), English Wikipedia (other)
3. The Hollywood Reporter: review of Mirage Men (press)
4. Majestic 12, English Wikipedia (other)
5. Goldberg, Enemies Within, Yale University Press, 2001 (book, skeptical)

On this site

Timeline 2

• Dec 11, 1984: The “Majestic 12” documents appear, later declared fake by the FBI
• 1989: Bill Moore admits to having carried out disinformation for the AFOSI in the Bennewitz case

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