Death of STAR GATE, resurrection of PHOENIX

GARY S. BEKKUM

Founder of STARstream Research and contributing writer to STARpod.us

   

(Spies, Lies and Polygraph Tape) — In September 1995, CIA effectively killed a twenty-plus year research and operational psychic intelligence collection effort known as the STAR GATE program. Years later, rumors spread that the psychic intelligence effort had been resurrected.

The 1995 CIA action was taken, in part, based upon a scientific review study:

What is often overlooked is that the key finding of the study remained unexplained: A statistically significant laboratory effort has been demonstrated in the sense that hits [identification of remote viewing targets] occur more often than chance.

In hindsight, and in light of rumored psychic-spy efforts continuing today, it is interesting to revisit the conclusions of that study, both pro and con. Here I present excerpts from that study which illustrate the input of both sides of the argument over whether or not to continue research and operation psychic spying.

What follows here is taken from the officially sanctioned report, as released by CIA in the STAR GATE Collection:

Studies of paranormal phenomena have nearly always been associated with controversy. Despite the controversy concerning their nature and existence, many individuals and organizations continue to be avidly interested in these phenomena. The intelligence community is no exception: beginning in the 1970s, it has conducted a program intended to investigate the application of one paranormal phenomenon – remote viewing, or the ability to describe locations one has not visited.

Conceptually, remote viewing would seem to have tremendous potential utility for the intelligence community. Accordingly, a three-component program involving basic research, operations, and foreign assessment has been in place for some time. Prior to transferring this program to a new sponsoring organization within the intelligence community [this refers to the transfer of STAR GATE from DIA to CIA], a thorough program review was initiated.

One interesting aspect of STAR GATE is missing from the official review: U.S. intelligence collection activity targeted against the paranormal intelligence and research taking place in foreign nations.

The report noted, “Evaluation of the foreign assessment component of the program was not within the scope of the present effort.”

To date, tens of thousands of pages of STAR GATE files remain classified, and redacted paragraphs in declassified documents appear related to major foreign paranormal efforts.

The study continues:

To evaluate the research program, a “blue-ribbon” panel was assembled. The panel included two noted experts in the area of parapsychology: Dr. Jessica Utts, a Professor of Statistics at the University of California/Davis, and Dr. Raymond Hyman, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon.

In addition to their extensive credentials, they were selected to represent both sides of the paranormal controversy: Dr. Utts has published articles that view paranormal. interpretations positively, while Dr. Hyman was selected to represent a more skeptical position. Both, however, are viewed as fair and open-minded scientists.

In addition to these experts, this panel included two Senior Scientists from AIR; both have recognized methodological expertise, and both had no prior background in parapsychological research. They were included in the review panel to provide an unbiased methodological perspective. In addition, Dr. Lincoln Moses, an Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, provided statistical advice, while Dr. David A. Goslin, President of AIR, served as coordinator of the research effort.

The study was limited to material deemed to be safe for release to the scientific panel.

Panel members were asked to review all laboratory experiments and meta-analytic reviews conducted as part of the research program; this consisted of approximately 80 separate publications, many of which are summary reports of multiple experiments. In the course of this review, special attention was given to those studies that (a) provided the strongest evidence for the remote viewing phenomenon, and (b) represented new experiments controlling for methodological artifacts identified in earlier reviews. Separate written reviews were prepared by Dr. Utts and Dr. Hyman. They exchanged reviews with other panel members who then tried to reach a consensus.

The primary focus was on the collection of intelligence using paranormal perception:

In the typical remote viewing experiment in the laboratory, a remote viewer is asked to visualize a place, location, or object being viewed by a “beacon” or sender. A judge then examines the viewer’s report and determines if this report matches the target or, alternatively, a set of decoys. In most recent laboratory experiments reviewed for the present evaluation, National Geographic photographs provided the target pool. If the viewer’s reports match the target, as opposed to the decoys, a hit is said to have occurred. Alternatively, accuracy of a set of remote viewing reports is assessed by rank-ordering the similarity of each remote viewing report to each photograph in the target set (usually five photographs). A better-than-chance score is presumed to represent the occurrence of the paranormal phenomenon of remote viewing, since the remote viewers had not seen the photographs they had described (or did not know which photographs had been randomly selected for a particular remote viewing trial).

And the review reported:

In evaluating the various laboratory studies conducted to date, the reviewers reached the following conclusions:

A statistically significant laboratory effort has been demonstrated in the sense that hits occur more often than chance.

It is unclear whether the observed effects can unambiguously be attributed to the paranormal ability of the remote viewers as opposed to characteristics of the judges or of the target or some other characteristic of the methods used. Use of the same remote viewers, the same judge, and the same target photographs makes it impossible to identify their independent effects.

Evidence has not been provided that clearly demonstrates that the causes of hits are due to the operation of paranormal phenomena; the laboratory experiments have not identified the origins or nature of the remote viewing phenomenon, if, indeed, it exists at all.

Of particular interest to the intelligence community was whether or not the STAR GATE programs had provided useful intelligence.

Operational Evaluation

The second component of the program involved the use of remote viewing in gathering intelligence information. Here, representatives of various intelligence groups “end users” of intelligence information – presented targets to remote viewers, who were asked to describe the target. Typically, the remote viewers described the results of their experiences in written reports, which were forwarded to the end users for evaluation and, if warranted, action.

This confirms that intelligence reports based upon remote viewing were presumed able to provide information deemed to be “actionable intelligence.”

The report continues:

To assess the operational value of remote viewing in intelligence gathering, a multifaceted evaluation strategy was employed.

• First, the relevant research literature was reviewed to identify whether the conditions applying during intelligence gathering would reasonably permit application of the remote viewing paradigm.
• Second, members of three groups involved in the program were interviewed: (1) end users of the information; (2) the remote viewers providing the reports, and (3) the program manager.
• Third, feedback information obtained from end user judgments of the accuracy and value of the remote viewing reports was assessed.

The multifaceted evaluation effort led to the following conclusions:

The conditions under which the remote viewing phenomenon is observed in laboratory settings do not apply in intelligence gathering situations. For example, viewers cannot be provided with feedback and targets may not display the characteristics needed to produce hits.

The theory that “psychic data” may involve backwards time or “human time machines” requires feedback about the requested target information after the remote viewing session, to allow that information to be channeled from future to past in the memory of the remote viewer. It is therefore a reasonable assumption that the secrecy involved in intelligence gathering operations effectively interferes with remote viewing of sensitive intelligence targets.

The end users indicated that, although some accuracy was observed with regard to broad background characteristics, the remote viewing reports failed to produce the concrete, specific information valued in intelligence gathering.

Psychic intelligence is weak, at best, but remains a mystery that seems to violate accepted laws of probability.

The information provided was inconsistent, inaccurate with regard to specifies, and required substantial subjective interpretation.

And so, although quite intriguing and certainly worthy of continued investigation, it was pointed out:

In no case had the information provided ever been used to guide intelligence operations. Thus, remote viewing failed to produce actionable intelligence.

Our present operational paradigm here at STARstream Research is that “remote viewing” may be related to “backwards time” signal flow, and as such is best used as a precision threat assessment technique. In other words, if one begins to report passenger aircraft as missiles against tall buildings in New York City, one should also plan on operation responses to such threats. The United States government failed to do so in spite of warnings prior to the attack on 9/11.

9/11 Dream Notes (Chris Robinson)

As a result of the review, the following conclusions were presented to the U.S. government:

The foregoing observations provide a compelling argument against continuation of the program within the intelligence community. Even though a statistically significant effect has been observed in the laboratory, it remains unclear whether the existence of a paranormal phenomenon, remote viewing, has been demonstrated. The laboratory studies do not provide evidence regarding the origins or nature of the phenomenon, assuming it exists, nor do they address the important methodological issue of inter-judge reliability.

Considerable theoretical progress has been made since this study was commissioned, in the areas of quantum information, quantum teleportation, and other exotic physics effects. Indeed, so much progress has been made in conventional science that a reevaluation of the data is advised. It is possible that a deeper understanding of the mechanism involved in psychic perception would allow for enhancement of psychically collected intelligence.

Further, even if it could be demonstrated unequivocally that a paranormal phenomenon occurs under the conditions present in the laboratory paradigm, these conditions have limited applicability and utility for intelligence gathering operations. For example, the nature of the remote viewing targets are vastly dissimilar, as are the specific tasks required of the remote viewers. Most importantly, the information provided by remote viewing is vague and ambiguous, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the technique to yield information of sufficient quality and accuracy for actionable intelligence. Thus, we conclude that continued use of remote viewing in intelligence gathering operations is not warranted.

Among the older STAR GATE files are warning notices predicting an attack using aircraft to destroy buildings in New York City and Washington, D.C. Although the predictions were made in the early to mid-1980s and were filed away and forgotten, they clearly predict that the greatest terrorist threat facing the future (from the perspective of the 1980s) would be the use of aircraft as Weapons of Mass Destruction against buildings (World Trade Center, the Pentagon, The White House, The U.S. Capitol Building). It is our opinion that such predictions provided by remote viewing sessions conducted by the United States Government are examples of the successful use of the technique for threat assessment. Had these threats been acted upon, it is possible that the events of 9/11 may have been prevented or greatly reduced in scale.

In 2012, former senior NSA official Tom Drake went on the record and confirmed that psychic intelligence warning of airplanes to be used as weapons of mass destruction against the twin towers in New York City was shared with American intelligence agencies, prior to the September 11, 2011 attacks.

Unconfirmed reports following 9/11 claimed that a new psychic intelligence effort was underway, inside deep black compartments of the U.S. government. Was this the ressurection of PHOENIX?