Richard Michael Dolan is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 historian, author and television personality, whose areas of expertise are in History

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 and Ufology

Ufology

Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...

.

Education

Dolan attended Alfred University

Alfred University

Alfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...

 and Oxford University prior to finishing graduate work in history at the University of Rochester

University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

. At the latter, Dolan was a finalist for a Rhodes scholarship

Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...

.

Written works

Dolan's first book, UFO's and the National Security State: Chronology of a Cover-up 1941-1973 was first published in 2000 by Keyhole Publishing Company and republished by Hampton Roads Publishing Company in 2002. The book has a cover endorsement by U.S. Apollo 14

Apollo 14

Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the American Apollo program, and the third to land on the Moon. It was the last of the "H missions", targeted landings with two-day stays on the Moon with two lunar EVAs, or moonwalks....

 astronaut

Astronaut

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....

 Dr. Edgar Mitchell ("... a thorough and monumental undertaking.")

The preface is written by noted scientist and author Jacques Vallee

Jacques Vallée

Jacques Fabrice Vallée is a venture capitalist, computer scientist, author, ufologist and former astronomer currently residing in San Francisco, California....

, Ph.D. Vallee's preface begins: "The important book you are about to read is the first comprehensive study of the U.S. government's response to the intrusion of UFO phenomena in American skies over the last fifty years." Other endorsements include best-selling author Whitley Strieber

Whitley Strieber

Louis Whitley Strieber is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his perceived experiences with non-human entities. Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the film about...

.

A follow-up to Dolan's book, titled UFOs and the National Security State: The Cover-Up Exposed, 1973-1991 was published in August, 2009.
In November 2010 A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact. was published by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

Television appearances

The 2006 Sci-Fi Channel television show Sci Fi Investigates

Sci Fi Investigates

Sci Fi Investigates is a six episode reality television series featuring skeptic Rob Mariano, forensic specialist Deborah Dobrydney, archaeologist Bill Doleman, and paranormal investigator Richard Dolan, as they look at paranormal and supernatural phenomenon and try to explain them...

featured Dolan as part of a team that looked into various paranormal and unusual events, including the alleged crash of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...

. Dolan has also appeared in other paranormal documentaries, including Sci-Fi Channel's UFO Invasion at Rendlesham.