Len
Osanic (BLACK OPS RADIO) Eulogizes Col. L. Fletcher Prouty
I regret to announce the passing of
Fletcher Prouty June 5th 2001.
"Fletch" as most close friends called him was a man of rare qualities. I was
lucky enough to become one of his good friends. I treasured every conversation we had.
Fletcher was very hard working and to his wife's lament never knew the word
"Retirement". After his service in the Pentagon, by accident he stumbled into a
writing career that will keep his wisdom and spirit alive for years to come.
Fletcher wrote, lectured, spoke on Radio shows, and was on Television many times, often
regarding political intrigue from Watergate to the JFK Assassination. Of course he worked
with Oliver Stone, Jim Garrison, and Zachary Sklar on the film "JFK"
Fletcher Prouty was one of the most warm and amiable men you could ever meet. Almost
endlessly, people from around the world came to visit and interview him. All you had to do
was ask and he would give of his time. It will be his selfless and dogged effort to
educate and inform that I feel he will be remembered for. For there was much opposition to
the ideas Fletcher wrote about.
Whenever I was at his upstairs office at his home there was always a stack of letters that
he would be replying to. Not a few, but a stack!
He wrote two books and close to 100 articles for various publications. I know he was very
proud of everything thing he had written, but especially his two books, "The Secret
Team", and "JFK, Vietnam the CIA, and the plot to assassinate JFK".
He had a wisdom that inspired many to look behind the story. This came out in his writing,
the idea that things were so many times not what they were reported by news organizations.
In response (or retaliation) he had suffered personal attacks in the press, but told me
several times he was just "trying to level the playing field". He was truly a
man of his convictions. He will be remembered for his integrity and courage.
Fletcher Prouty was the most intelligent man I knew. He was always up on current events,
yet he had a strange habit these days. He never watched TV. And through a few phone calls
to his network of associates and friends thoughout the world, he seemed to be better off
and more informed than most which is a sad state for the news coverage today.
The power or articulation was another of Fletcher's gifts. He could speak at great lengths
without having to correct himself or backtracking, which made him very easy to listen to.
He was very organized with his thoughts and those of us who sat through long conversations
can attest to his attention to detail in describing events of the cold war period.
I consider myself a better person for knowing Fletcher Prouty. I am indebted to him for
all his time he shared so unselfishly. He will be sorely missed.
His Funeral will be at the Arlington National Cemetery July 6th 2001 1pm
In lieu of flowers the family has asked to make a donation to a local Humane society
Leonard Osanic
Col. L. Fletcher Prouty (USAF)
Born: Springfield, Mass., January 24, 1917. Attended
public schools. President, High School Student Government. Member, undefeated Golf Team.
Vocalist with Big Bands, sang in most large dance halls, hotels and colleges in Northeast.
Graduate: Mass. State College 1941, A.B. degree and 2nd Lt. Commission, U.S. Cavalry.
June 1941
Began military career with 4th Armored Division, Pine Camp, NY. At Communications Officer
School, Ft. Knox, KY, on December 7, 1941[Pearl Harbor]. Transferred to Air Force 1942.
Earned Pilot's wings November, 1942. Arrived British West Africa [Ghana], February 1943 as
pilot with Air Transport Command.
Assigned to V.I.P. flying, summer 1943. Personal pilot for Gen. Omar Bradley, Gen. J. C.
H. Lee and Gen. C. R. Smith (Founder and President - American Airlines), among others.
Landed U.S. Geological Survey Team in Saudi Arabia, Oct 1943, to confirm oil discoveries
for Cairo Conference.
Assigned special duties at Cairo and Teheran Conferences, November-December 1943. Flew
Chiang Kai Shek's Chinese delegation (T.V. Soong's delegates) to Teheran.
Chief Pilot (1,200 pilots), Cairo for Air Transport Command. Led special air mission into
Soviet Union, and others into Turkey, 1944. Evacuated "Guns of Navaronne"
British commandos from Turkey to Palestine. Assisted in capture of leader of German Gold
smuggling ring (The actor, Bruce Cabot) in Turkey and Cairo. Led large flight of transport
aircraft to Turkish-Syrian border to evacuate 750 American POW's and OSS-selected Ex-Nazi
Intelligence experts from the Balkans, September 1944. The first "overt" Cold
War mission.
1945
Transferred to SW Pacific, flew in New Guinea, Leyte and was on Okinawa at end of war.
Landed near Tokyo at surrender with first three planes carrying Gen. Macarthur's bodyguard
troops. Flew out with American POWs. Photographed Hiroshima, that date.
1946-49
Assigned by Army to Yale University to begin first USAF ROTC program. Taught
"Aeronautics" and "Evolution of Warfare". Transferred to U.S. Air
Force ROTC headquarters to write college text books. Wrote the college textbook on
"Aeronautics" and another on "Rockets and Missiles".
1950-52
Transferred to Colorado Springs to establish Air Defense Command. There, Director,
Personnel Planning for Command (77,000 men) and first to put personnel records on
Computer. Attended Nuclear Weapons school, Sandia, N.M. Selected for Air Force Command and
Staff College, Montgomery, Ala.
1952-54 Assigned to Korean War duties in Japan. Military Manager, Tokyo International
Airport (Haneda) during Occupation. Commander, Military Air Transport Service, Heavy
Transport Squadron responsible for military and diplomatic flights from Toyko to Saudi
Arabia and back, in addition to daily flights to Korea, Honolulu and Pacific Islands.
Founder, Toyko Toastmasters Club. Attended, JCS operated Armed Forces Staff College,
Norfolk, 1955
1955-1964
Assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force and directed to create an Air Force world-wide
system for "Military Support of the Clandestine Operations of the CIA", as
required by a new National Security Council Directive, 5412 of March, 1954. Wrote this
policy in conjunction with Air Force General Counsel and CIA's General Counsel. Set up a
TOP SECRET world wide support force and communications system. Was sent around the world
by the Director, Central Intelligence, Allen W. Dulles, to meet the CIA Station Chiefs,
1956. Directed Air Force participation in countless CIA operations during this period. As
a result of a CIA Commendation for this work, awarded the Legion of Merit by the Air
Force, promoted to Colonel and assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense to carry
out this same type of work for all military services. Assigned to the Office of Special
Operations.
With the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency by Secretary McNamara and the
abolishment of the OSO, was transferred to the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to
create a similar, world-wide office and was the Chief of Special Operations, with the
Joint Staff all during 1962-1963.
Received orders to travel as the Military Escort officer for a group of VIPs who were
being flown to the South Pole, Nov 10 - Nov 28, 1963, to activate a Nuclear Power plant
for heat, light and sea water desalination at the U.S. Navy Base at McMurdo Sound,
Antarctica.
Retired as Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 1964 and was awarded one of the first three Joint
Chiefs of Staff Commendation Medals by General Maxwell Taylor, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
1964-1965
VP International Operations, General Aircraft Corporation... a company created by MIT and
Harvard specialists that designed and built aircraft that were used by the CIA and Army
Special Forces.
1965-1968
VP-Manager, Pentagon Branch, First National Bank, Arlington, VA, later VP-Marketing,
1965-1968. VP-Marketing, Madison National Bank, Washington, DC, 1968-1971.
Graduate, Graduate School of Banking, University of Wisconsin, 1966 - 1968.
Charter Member, American Bankers Association committee for Automation, Planning and
Technology to develop plans to convert all U.S. banks to automation, including the Federal
Reserve System.
President, Financial Marketing Council of Greater Washington, D.C.
Member, Advertising Club of Washington, D.C.
1971 AMTRAK, as Manager, created nationwide Government and Military Marketing
organization. Senior Director, Public Affairs, corporate speechwriter for Presidents and
members of the Board, 1972-1982. Retired.
Author, Public Speaker, radio and TV, 1950 to present. Book "The Secret Team",
Prentice-Hall, 1973, and paperback by Ballantine, 1974.
Worked with all major USA TV networks, and with BBC-TV, CBC-TV, Japanese, Australian
Broadcast Commission and others.
For McGraw-Hill Scientific Encyclopedia wrote "Railroad Engineering" section,
and for its "Scientific Yearbook-1982" yearbook, wrote "Foreign Railroad
Technology".
For Traffic Quarterly and Congressional Record, wrote "Transportation at the
Crossroads", July 1981.
Numerous magazine articles from New Republic to Air Force, Gallery, Genesis, and Freedom
magazines.
Recently - Consultant: Rail Transportation for Northrop Services Inc., Northrop Corp. and
for Ohio Rail Transportation Authority. Assisted Chairman, Joint Economics Committee of
the Congress to set up International Hearings and to write "Rail Passenger Services
Act of 1981".
At request of Oliver Stone, worked as Creative Advisor (1990-1991) on production of his
film "JFK" and was the original for "Man X" character played by Donald
Sutherland.
New Book, "JFK, the CIA, Vietnam and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy"
published by Birch Lane Press, 1992.
Memberships:
Director, National Railroad Foundation and Museum
National Press Club, and Foundation
Rotary Club of Washington, formerly a Director
Member, Society of Historians for American Foreign Relations
Family:
Wife: Elizabeth
Son: David
Daughter: Jane
Daughter: Lauren
Additional data:
a) By direction of the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, a Founder, of the
International Air Traffic Controllers Assn.
b) Founder, Tokyo Toastmasters Club
c) A Charter member, American Bankers Assn, Committee of Automation Planning and
Technology.
d) A graduate of the American Bankers Assn, Graduate School of Banking, University of
Wisconsin.
e) Guest Lecturer, American University.
f) Staff, Cairo Conference, 1943
g) Staff, Teheran Conference, 1943
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