aed For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000100030062-7

SG1J 4s Unclassified ant |S S 12 June 95

SG1I MEMO FOR: CIA Public Affairs SG1I FROM: ORD

SUBJECT: CIA Remote Viewing Declassification

As you know from our conversation yesterday, I will be

meeting Wednesday (14 June) with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to begin CIA’s panel review of past CIA and DIA programs where remote viewing was investigated for intelligence collection. This is not a public meeting and AIR is not planning to meet with the media during the review. Since there is an ongoing media inquiry by ABC News, however, it is possible that ABC will learn of AIR’s activities in support of CIA and will attempt to contact them or us. For-professional reasons, AIR seems predisposed not to comment until the panel has completed its review. However, anticipating possible questions regarding the review, I have prepared some preliminary responses for you:

* Why is CIA studying parapsychology?

CIA is not currently developing or using parapsychology. CIA is conducting a panel review of past programs at CIA and DIA in response to a Congressionally Directed Action.

e What was the nature of these past programs?

These programs involved the investigation of parapsychological phenomena, mainly remote viewing, for intelligence collection.

* Did these programs produce positive results?

Until the panel review has been completed, we cannot comment on how effective past programs were. Parapsychology has always been an extremely controversial area. The National Research Council previously reviewed a US Army training program in 1988 and recommended that it be discontinued. The NRC did not evaluate past CIA or DIA programs at that time.

e When was CIA involved, and with whom?

CIA funded research and development activities at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) during about 1972 to about 1977. This activity was discontinued about 18 years ago. Much of the work performed by the investigators at SRI, however, was later published in the open literature.

¢ When was DIA involved?

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Since we have not completed the review, we can’t provide the exact time frame but primarily during the last ten years.

e Who is conducting the review?

The CIA’s Office of Research and Development with the aid of a blue ribbon panel of experts in the behavioral sciences at the American Institutes for Research.

* Will the results of the review be made public?

At this point, there is no reason why the results cannot be made public, when the review is complete, and when CIA has completed additional declassification of various program documents.

* How can we find out more about these programs?

The CIA is in the process of reviewing and declassifying it’s previous research and development activities. The results of the panel will be available before the end of the calendar year.

* How much was spent on this activity, and how many people were involved?

These were modest programs, involving few personnel and dollars.

* How were the CIA program results used?

The CIA program was never a major effort, nor as far as we know were its results used to influence any major intelligence assessments. CIA discontinued this program activity before it could be institutionalized. At the time it was conducted the program was considered to be speculative.

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