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Stargate Project

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Template:Remote Viewing

This is an article on a purported United States government-sponsored psychic viewing operation. For other uses, see Stargate (disambiguation).

The Stargate Project was one of a number of code names used to cover "remote viewing programs." Others included Sun Streak, Grill Flame, and Center Lane, by DIA and INSCOM, and SCANATE by CIA, from the 1970s, through to 1995. It was an offshoot of research done at Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

The research program was launched partly because some intelligence officers believed a 'psi-gap' had emerged between America and the Soviet Union, for example the reputed abilities of Nina Kulagina. But it was also borne of the soul searching that took place in the American military post-Vietnam, and a willingness that subsequently emerged to 'think outside the box,' as exemplified by Jim Channon's 'First Earth Battalion' briefing.

The bulk of supposed remote sensing of places or events is normally performed in the present, but sessions have also been undertaken in the past and future. One of the outcomes from the funding was a set of protocols designed to make clairvoyance a more scientific process, and minimize as much as possible session noise and inaccuracy. The term "remote viewing" emerged as a generalised short hand to describe this more structured approach to clairvoyance.

The project was eventually terminated, according to the official report at the time, because there was insufficient evidence of the utility of the intelligence data produced. However, in the generalized intelligence and defense budget cuts of the period, many projects lost funding, and believers assert that the unit was terminated because of managerial failure. In 1989 new civilian administrators, unfamiliar with CRV protocols, had brought in "witches," tarot card readers, and channelers, thereby, it is argued, deteriorating the quality of the project's data.

In 1995 the project was transferred to the CIA and a retrospective evaluation of the results were to be done. The CIA contracted the American Institutes for Research for this evaluation. An analysis conducted by Professor Jessica Utts showed a statistically significant effect, whereas the noted long time CSICOP psychic debunker Ray Hyman concluded a null result. Based upon Hyman’s finding, the CIA followed the recommendation to terminate the 20 million dollar project.

Key Project Personnel

Firstly, it should be noted that due to the classified nature of the project, there is no comprehensive formal history of it, and there may well be key members who have chosen to remain anonymous. However, certain members of the project have come forward, and certain details of the personnel are available. As with any conspiracy theory, it must be remembered that some people may have ulterior motives in telling stories of the project.

  • Major General Albert Stubblebine: A key sponsor of the research internally at Fort Meade, he was convinced of the reality of a wide variety of psychic phenomena, leading him to even attempt to walk through walls. In the early 1980s he was responsible for Army Intelligence, during which time the remote viewing project in the army began. Some commentators have confused Project Jedi run by Special Forces primarily out of Fort Bragg with Stargate. In fact General Stubblebine was poorly received when he visited Fort Bragg, and did not participate nor was aware of the goat lab and other psychic experiments being conducted there (Ronson).
  • Ingo Swann: Swann coined the term 'remote viewing' as a derivation of protocols originally developed by René Warcollier, a French chemical engineer in the early 20th century, documented in the book Mind to Mind. Swann's achievement was to break free from the conventional mould of casual experimentation and candidate burn out, and develop a viable set of protocols that put clairvoyance within a framework named “Coordinate Remote Viewing” (CRV).
  • Patrick Price: Price was a remote viewer during the early part of the program, allegedly with excellent results. In the words of CIA director Stansfield Turner at a news conference, "he died, and we haven't heard from him since." (Schnabel, page 211)
  • Joseph McMoneagle: In the early 1970's McMoneagle purportedly had a near-death Experience that bestowed him with exceptional psychic powers. Purportedly a "natural," McMoneagle has stated that remote viewing ability is predominantly determined by innate talent. While many disagree with this statement, it is notable none of his critics seem able to work to the same level as McMoneagle. McMoneagle's definition implies that remote viewing is any psychic undertaking that is performed under scientific protocols.
  • Lyn Buchanan: Buchanan was a sergeant brought in by General Stubblebine for two main reasons: firstly extraordinary telekinetic abilities, and secondly computer software expertise. These made him exceptionally well-qualified to be the database manager for the Stargate project. In this role, Buchanan had the opportunity to work with all the key members of the unit, and in possession of statistical analysis of the session data, was able to properly assess the accuracy of the session data obtained. After leaving the forces, Buchanan founded "Problems, Innovations, Solutions", contracted Mel Riley to work for his company, and continues to undertake private tuition.
  • Mel Riley: Riley is an army Sergeant who retired in 1991. Riley is reputedly another natural psychic, and was noted for being able to describe what lay under objects in aerial photography. This aroused inconclusive interest in the 1970s. In 1984, the CRV unit had only several trained remote viewers, and Riley was requested transferred to the unit. Based upon his innate ability, with training in the CRV protocols, Riley quickly became an impressive remote viewer. Riley was featured in the documentary released in 1995 by the BBC titled "The Real X-Files." He has recounted past life experiences as a Native American, and continues to be involved in native American culture, enjoying a quiet life with his wife.
  • Paul H. Smith: Smith is a retired U.S. Army Major and intelligence officer. Smith was one of the five people trained as a prototype test subject in Ingo Swann's psychic development of the CRV protocols in 1983. Smith was later assigned to work part time in the Defense Intelligence Agency’s remote viewing unit. He was the main author of what is known today as the “CRV Manual” which was written as an effort to describe CRV technology for the sole purpose to solicit continued annual funding for the unit from congress. The CRV manual was not written under the guidance of Ingo Swann, nor was it written for the purpose of teaching CRV. Smith, having natural artistic abilities, produced impressive CRV session sketches. He always preferred to remote view in the blind, being tasked with CRV coordinates by a project manager. Smith rarely took the initiative to perform CRV session analysis of his own work or to operate as the team project manager.
  • Ed Dames: Dames was one of the first five who were trained by Ingo Swann in the Coordinate Remote Viewing protocols. Quickly established a reputation for pushing CRV to extremes, with target sessions on Atlantis, Mars, UFOs, and aliens. Many in the unit despised him for this. Joe McMoneagle has expressed the opinion session feedback is required to learn CRV, and this could not be obtained when targeting such unverifiable locations. Eventually Mel Riley got so fed up with Dames, a fake session was arranged, when they described Santa Claus coming over the North Pole in his sleigh (Schnabel). With his ever active imagination, Dames immediately deduced an object over the north pole was a nuclear attack, and was set to call the highest levels of the military, before he was informed of the prank. Internally, his reputation never recovered.
  • David Morehouse: David Morehouse entered into the DIA's Remote Viewing unit in 1987. Despite being designated by his superiors as “Destined to wear stars,” he resigned his commission in 1995 after his decision to write Psychic Warrior—his resignation ended eighteen years of exemplary and honorable military service. He is the director of David Morehouse productions, and his company has trained 15,000 civilians in Remote Viewing Techniques.

Further reading

  • Morehouse, David, Psychic Warrior, St. Martin's, 1996, ISBN 0312964137
  • Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, ISBN 0440223067 The best history of the project; nonskeptical.
  • Ronson, Jon, The Men who Stare at Goats, Picador, 2004, ISBN 0330375474 —- written to accompany the TV series The Crazy Rulers of the World)
  • Buchanan, Lyn, The Seventh Sense: The Secrets Of Remote Viewing As Told By A "Psychic Spy" For The U.S. Military, ISBN 0743462688
  • Smith, Paul H, Reading the Enemy's Mind : Inside Star Gate — America's Psychic Espionage Program, Forge Books 2005, ISBN 0312875150
  • F. Holmes Atwater, Captain of My Ship, Master of My Soul: Living with Guidance, Hampton Roads 2001, ISBN 1571742476
  • McMoneagle, Joseph, The Stargate Chronicles: Memoirs of a Psychic Spy, Hampton Roads 2002, ISBN 1571742255
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