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Soviet Parapsychology Research
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I.
Mr. President, because the recent arrest and question-
ing of US newsman Robert Toth in Moscow has brought
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attention to Soviet parapsychology research, you may
be interested in our current evaluation of Soviet
activities in this field.
A. The CIA, among others in the intelligence community,
has sponsored research experiments in an attempt
to determine whether parapsychological phenomena
do exist and whether they might be applied usefully
in intelligence activities. This US research has
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been limited primarily to remote viewing -- the
acquisition of information about remote places and
events by paranormal means.
1.
The investigations indicate that certain individuals
exhibit an ability to describe details of a remote
scene which they have not seen directly, and
that this ability may be useful for intelligence
purposes.
2. Further US research is needed to determine if
it is possible to improve the reliability and
quality of information obtained by paranormal
means sufficiently to provide a cost effective
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or meaningful tool for intelligence
collection.
II. On the Soviet side, there is considerable evidence --
that the USSR has a classified parapsychology research
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program.
A.
This program started about 1960.
B.
It appears to be funded largely by the military
and to have substantial KGB involvement, possibly
including some KGB funding.
C.
The classified work is conducted by several hundred
scientists plus supporting staffs at several -- possibly
as many as 10 -- institutes.
Most of these institutes
are located in Moscow, but others are in Alma Ata,
Baku, Novosibirsk, and possibly Leningrad.
III.
The. Soviet program is broadly based and interdisciplinary.
The work is believed to emphasize the following areas,
which the Soviets may believe have potential usefulness
for intelligence and military purposes.
A.
Clairvoyance (remote viewing) to acquire intelli-
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gence about remote locations not accessible by
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other means.
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B.
Telepathy to influence remotely the physical
and/or mental state of targeted individuals,
and to establish covert communication.
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c.
Psychokinesis to cause the movement of remote
objects, such as switches in electronic circuitry.
IV.
A.
The questions asked of US researchers and para-
psychology enthusiasts by Soviet investigators
at international conferences suggest that the
Soviets may have acquired more experience than
US researchers, particularly in the area of remote
viewing.
There is little, however, to indicate
whether Soviet capabilities are significantly more
advanced than those of the US.
V. . In addition to classified research, a substantial
amount of unclassified, non-applied parapsychology
research is conducted in the USSR.
A.
This work is largely the part-time activity of
parapsychology hobbyists, many of whom are scientists
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trained in other, unrelated fields of research.
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B.
It is these scientists who usually maintain
contact with their Western colleagues.
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