In 1981, the Naval Investigative Service launched a massive hunt for a mysterious figure known only as "Dorothy." Agents went undercover in clubs and interrogation rooms across the country, convinced they were tracking a powerful operative who controlled a vast network of infiltrators deep within the U.S. military. The more they searched, the more her name appeared. Every door opened at the mention of being her "friend." To the NIS, Dorothy was a national security threat operating sleeper cells right under their noses.
But Dorothy wasn't a person at all. She was a character from The Wizard of Oz, and "friend of Dorothy" was code language gay men used to identify each other safely during an era when being discovered could destroy your life. The investigation became one of the most embarrassing intelligence failures of the Cold War—a witch hunt that exposed nearly 2,000 service members while completely missing what they were actually hunting.
This episode explores how a beloved film became a lifeline for a marginalized community, and how misunderstanding a simple cultural reference led to one of the military's most shameful purges.
Subscribe to Hometown History for forgotten American history stories every week. New episodes release Tuesdays.
Show Notes: In This Episode:
Key Figures:
Timeline:
Tags: Friends of Dorothy, 1981 military investigation, Naval Investigative Service, gay military history, Wizard of Oz history, LGBTQ American history, Cold War witch hunt, military purge 1980s, forgotten history, Judy Garland, code language, American military history, LGBT rights history, military discrimination, cultural history
Category: History
Chapter Markers: 0:00 - Introduction: The Hunt for Dorothy 1:15 - 1981: A National Security Threat 3:30 - The Wizard of Oz Becomes a Phenomenon 6:00 - Why the Film Resonated with Gay Americans 9:00 - "You Have Some Queer Friends, Dorothy" 11:30 - Friends of Dorothy: The Code Revealed 13:45 - The Investigation's Embarrassing Conclusion 15:00 - Conclusion: Dreams of Acceptance
