SAIC Letter on Remote Viewing Publicity Video (STAR GATE Program)

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Science Applications International Corporation
An Employee-Owned Company

13 May 1995

SG1I

Office of Research and Development
1820 N. Fort Meyer Drive
Rosslyn, Virginia 22209

SG1I Dear[]

I have put together a video tape of much of the project’s publicity. I apologize for the tape quality; much of it is
copies of copies, but it is quite viewable. Below, I will outline the “plot” of each segment and provide some back-
ground, Each segment is indicated by an hr:min:sec counter and the title. Some background first.

Some of the individuals who appear below have been part of the Cognitive Sciences Program at SRI International.

The program was started in 1972 with Dr. Hal Puthoff; Mr. Russ Targ joined a year later, and Dr. May joined in

1976. Hella Hammid and Pat Price (both now deceased) were viewers in the program and participated in research

and applications. Hella was a long-time friend of Russ. In the segments below, Russ describes that he left SRI to

be able to publish and educate. The fact is that] } an on-site representative from Jack Voro- SG1J
na’s shop, asked that Russ and Keith Harary (a project viewer) be removed from the project. The reasons are

complex, and, if you like, I would be happy to explain in detail the next time we meet. All of this publicity was

shortly after Russ, Keith and Hella left in 1982.

00:00:10 Good Morning America (ABC) — Approximately 1983

Russ Targ and Ron McCray are interviewed with regard to government support of remote viewing. Russ says that
he cannot go into it when asked direct questions about military involvement. McCray says that the classified re-
ports show miracles. [Ron McCray is a sometimes staff writer for Jack Anderson.] Russ describes that because of
remote viewing neither the Soviet Union or us can hide anything.

00:05:27 Phil Donahaue Show — Approximately 1982-3

Program starts in progress and includes Russ Targ, Hella Hammid, Keith Harary, and Professor Marcello Truzzi.
{Marcello was the co-founder with Paul Kurtz (secn below on Nightline) of the Committee to Investigate the
Claims of the Paranormal (CICOP). In a public lettcr Truzzi resigned when he discovered CICOP hiding data that
suggested the existence of an anomaly. He is an honest broker and middle of the road in his views about the phe-
nomena.] Most of the show is Q&A from the audience, who appear mostly to be skeptical. Marcello is a strong
critic on this segment. Lots of discussion about the military/intelligence applications.

00:28:24 Night Line (ABC)— Approximately 1983

The lead-in is the military psychic arms race. They discuss a CIA 1952 report. Paul Kurtz (CICOP skeptic), Mar- wer ee’

tin Ebon, a Soviet specialist, and Hella Hammid have short segments. DIA declassified documents about foreign. (1
assessment and CIA and Navy support of SRI are discussed. Russ says he left SRI because of the secret work.
Congressman C. Rose (D-NC) says “Most of what he has seen is classified.” There is a modest debate between
Targ and Truzzi; however, Truzzi says there is an anomaly worth studying and it should be supported.

00:46:28 NOVA The Case of ESP— Approximately 1983

In the usual NOVA way, they did an excellent and balanced review of the ficld. Russ Targ and David Marks, a
critic from New Zealand, are shown in counter-point. Charles Honorton is there with the Ganzfeld and Susan
Blackmore, a researcher turned skeptic describes how she can’t seem to obfain results. There is historical footage
of J. B. Rhine, the father of laboratory ESP rescarch. [I gave you a meta-analysis of 60 years of card guessing

Sy,

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experiments, There is a highly statistically significant but very small anomaly—effect size of 0.02, about the
same level as was seen in the large aspirin versus heart attack physician study.] Mark Hansel is shown as a critic
from England. Dr. Gertrude Schmeidler shows the sheep/goat effect in which “believers” score better than do
“skeptics.” This result was some of the strongest evidence (in the clear) for an anomaly in the field to that date.
Ellen Messer (now one of our people) is shown in a real-time Ganzfeld hit on Las Vegas. [I gave you a meta-analy-
sis on this database.] Ray Hyman is in this segment as a rational critic. [He docs not say that he and Honorton
published a communique about how to do a Ganzefeld experiment; Honorton and others did just that and the effect
did not vanish.] Professor I. Child, then chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Yale University adds strong
support for an anomaly. [I gave you his published criticism of the critics of the dream telepathy studies at Maimo-
nedies Medical Center.] Helmult Schmidt, a physicist, presents his work on random number generators. [Yet
another meta-analysis I gave you from the Foundations of Physics.| Oddly enough, Hyman defends the research
from Hansel. Dean Radin (UNLV), Bob Morris (Edinburgh University), and Robert Jahn (Princeton University)
have replicated Schmidt’s work. [So have May et. al, but it is just now being published. ]

The program shifts to SRI International and Russ Targ again. They recreate the Pat price example with an actor
and do a good job of showing the procedure that was in place at that time. Professor Marks points out valid criti-
cism of the Price series, but Charles Tart, a noted Professor of Psychology from UC-Davis, rebuts his remarks.
Elizabeth Rouscher (a consultant to our project at SRI) is shown doing an RV trial, and Marlyn Schlitz, a post-doc
with our program at SAIC, is shown in a long-distance RV trail. Mr. Steven Schwartz has done some of the most
credible applications (criminal investigations and archeology) in the clear of RV. [A good fellow and well con-
nected to Congress and the Navy.]

The program shifts again to military applications, and DIA is shown in their interest in forcign assessment. Profes-
sor Tart has published on military applications and talks about it on camera. Project SCANATE (RV by coordi-
nates) is discussed primarily from Puthoff and Targ’s book Mind Reach. Hella describes her work with binary
CRV and says that Price could “read” psychically. [I actually conducted the binary experiments with her.] Tart
suggest that open and unclassified research should continue. Keith, Hella, and Russ restate that they left the classi-
fied research to be able to publish and educate. The program closes with a few reenacted precognition trials with
Hella.

01:41:38 KIRO: PSI-Teck — Approximately 1992

SG1A | [This
short segment is by a local and very sympathetic reporter and 1s the most up-front about government involvement.
[I attended a marketing meeting in Santa Clara where PSI-Teck pitched themselves as former intelligence officers
who did remote viewing for a classified program in the government. They flashed SRI reports and highly exagger-
ated the findings. In the Q&A section I identified myself as the project director'since 1985 and was the author of
many of the reports they were pushing. Unless I had forgotten what I had written, what they ascribed to the SRI
research bore no resemblance, at all, to what they were claiming. The back-pedaling was a sight to behold! [|] SG1J

asked me for a formal write-up, and it was given to the proper people...nothing happened.] Some official is
credited with saying the DIA used psychics in the Gulf War. Adm. Turner is shown saying that the CIA used a
psychic once. The Secretary of the Navy is shown with coy answers to direct question about psychics in the Navy
and Congressman Norm Dicks (HPSCI) says that some of the classified intelligence applications are quite impres-
sive, Among these segments is Ray Hyman claiming it is all bunk. [Ray was not given access to our records in part
because he is on record as saying there is no evidence that could get him to change his mind. ]

SG1J

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01:48:48 Now it can be Told (Geraldo) — Approximately 1993

This piece is mostly ridicule of the above piece and of General B. Stubbelbine, former commander of INSCOM.
Russ Targ is not in this piece since it focuses on PSI-Teck. Ray Hyman, Robert Jahn, and Brenda Dunne of Prince-
ton, make short appearances. The program closes with Keith Harary ridiculing PSI-Tech and military involve-
ment. .

SG1I [here is substantial information behind these video pieces. Perhaps we can discuss them in person. Regard-
less of the current views about sensitivity, we had very clear directions in those days. Please notice that neither Hal
nor I are on camera or hardly discussed. There was a continuing issue within the project about publicity, Russ
wanted more, SRI and the customers did not want any. Maybe this will provide some insight into the pending
FOIR request.

Please let me know if you need additional material.

Regards,
Edwin C. May, Ph.D.
Director, The Cognitive Sciences Laboratory

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