Origins and Context
The CIA initiated Project Stargate in 1972 to investigate potential military and intelligence applications of psychic phenomena, particularly remote viewing.1 The program emerged from concerns that the Soviet Union was developing psychic capabilities for espionage purposes.2
Program Structure
The program operated under various codenames including GONDOLA WISH, GRILL FLAME, CENTER LANE, DRAGOON ABSORB, and finally STARGATE.3 Research was conducted at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) under the direction of physicists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ.4
Key Findings
Remote viewers claimed successes in various operations, including locating downed aircraft and describing Soviet facilities.5 However, scientific evaluation of the program's results showed that while some trials produced interesting results, most were inconclusive or could not be reliably replicated.6
Legacy and Declassification
The program was terminated in 1995 after a CIA-commissioned report by the American Institutes for Research concluded that remote viewing had not proven useful for intelligence operations.7 Documents were declassified in 2000-2004, revealing extensive research into parapsychological phenomena during the Cold War.8
References
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Defense Intelligence Agency. "Project STARGATE." Declassified documents, 1972-1995. ↩
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Puthoff, H.E. "CIA-Initiated Remote Viewing Program at Stanford Research Institute." Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996. ↩
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May, E.C. "The American Institutes for Research Review of the Department of Defense's STAR GATE Program." Journal of Parapsychology, 1996. ↩
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Targ, R. "Remote Viewing at Stanford Research Institute in the 1970s and 1980s." 2003. ↩
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US Congress, House Committee on Intelligence. "Remote Viewing Program Report." 1995. ↩
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American Institutes for Research. "An Evaluation of Remote Viewing: Research and Applications." 1995. ↩
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CIA. "Project STARGATE Termination Report." 1995. ↩
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National Archives. "STARGATE Collection RG 341." Released 2004. ↩