C. Richard D'Amato
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C. Richard D'Amato | |
---|---|
United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission | |
In office April 2001 – December 31, 2007 | |
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 30th district | |
In office January 13, 1999 – January 8, 2003 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Operation Desert Shield | September 28, 1942
Charles Richard D'Amato (born September 28, 1942) is an
He received a
A member of the
In this role, D'Amato allegedly investigated the funding structure of a purported "black budget" (and potentially extra-governmental) Unacknowledged Special Access Program tasked with studying UFO phenomena, possibly encompassing "crash retrieval" artifacts stemming from the Roswell incident and analogous events. According to researcher Timothy Good, D'Amato "amassed a great deal of hearsay evidence [...] but was never able to gain access to the most sensitive information being withheld in the military and intelligence communities."[1] In the course of his research, D'Amato liaised with a litany of prominent figures in ufology, including venture capitalist Jacques Vallée (as recounted by Vallée in his diaries)[2] and alleged "experiencer" Whitley Strieber.
However, circa 2013, D'Amato issued a statement about the UFO inquiry on his now-defunct website in which he asserted: "[A] senior Senate Committee chairman asked me to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations that came to his attention regarding unidentified aerial crashes in the 1940s in New Mexico. I met with a number of people who had made public statements on the matter. I reported my conclusion to the Senator that the basis for such allegations did not appear to merit any further Senate investigation. Beyond this inquiry on behalf of the Senator, I have no personal opinion on the matter and consider the inquiry to have been closed for over 20 years."[3]
While serving as chief counsel to the Appropriations Committee, D'Amato also played an integral role in funding the Stargate Project, the Defense Intelligence Agency's remote viewing research program, until its dissolution in 1995.[4] According to Paul Smith, D'Amato was in a romantic relationship with "Robin," a remote viewer and former DIA Freedom of Information Office administrative assistant employed by the program, although it is unclear if their involvement prompted his support. Smith has postulated that "Robin" (who objected to military oversight of the research) enjoined D'Amato to "[grease] the wheels" in facilitating its transfer to the Central Intelligence Agency, which soon elected to terminate the program.[5]
D'Amato also served as senior foreign policy counsel for Byrd. In this capacity, he drafted the resolution that set Senate standards for international global climate change treaty negotiations. He worked on a wide array of issues affecting U.S. international economic and political interests, such as World Trade Organization review legislation and burden-sharing agreements during the Gulf War.
Between 1980 and 1987, D'Amato was Byrd's director of political, economic, and national security policy during his tenure as
Throughout his political career, D'Amato served in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of captain. Among other posts, he served as attache to the U.S. Embassy in
After leaving the Senate staff, he held elected office as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1999 to 2003, representing an Annapolis, Maryland-based district. He served on the House's Appropriations Committee.
He was reappointed to the
References
- ISBN 9780330442961.
- ISBN 9781949501056.
- ^ "Senate Staffer, Dick D'Amato's Statement On UFO Crashes in New Mexico".
- ^ "Senators Kept Psychic Intelligence Program Alive, Staff Aides Say - The Tech". tech.mit.edu.
- ISBN 9780812578553.
- ^ Lohr, Steve (14 July 2005). "Secretive U.S. panel at center of Cnooc's Unocal bid". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
External links
- "C. Richard D'Amato, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. December 19, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Richard D'Amato, MSA SC 3520-2771". Biographical Series. Maryland State Archives. December 17, 2002. Retrieved March 27, 2020.