NSA-RDP96X00790R000100030056-4

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(b)(1)
(b)(3)
SUBJECT: Testing for the Cryptologic Aspects of ESP (an initial report)
I.
PURPOSE:
IN This AND subrement Reports
will be
The purpose of the ESP experiments hemein described i
threefold:
A. To determine what effect human extra-perceptive capabilities,
temporarily categorized as telepathy and clairvoyance, could
have on the COMSEC posture of the United States. The prime
target areas being considered are:
.
(1) Code and cipher keying materials and encrypted text
(2) Underlying plain text of. encrypted messages
(3) Knowledge of message originators or processors
B. To determine what factors enhance the phenomena known as
telepathy and clairvoyance and what factors detract from its
operation. Factors thought by researchers to contribute to
performance success are listed in appendix A. Those included in
preliminary tests and fully controlled tests are indicated by
asterisks. It is hoped that knowledge of such factors will
provide useful defensive security knowledge, should a CONSEC
threat be realized in this area.
C. To find talented subjects so that A and B above can be
determined.
II. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL:
It was decided at an early stage in the project that combinations of
code groups and their meanings would be used as target material for The art of
the tests. The reasons for their choice were:
.
A. It made the tests related to the Agency mission. And in particular to
The-ising & our most vormenaus systems, The two-part operations code.
B. By using combinations, it would be possible to obtain 100
guesses out of only 50 transmissions. It was considered that
the resulting abbreviation of each testing session would inhibit
the decline factor which has so often detracted from the results
of previous parapsychological tests.
C. Subjects could be convinced that the test involved a real
Agency problem which immediately increased interest and attention.
D. The material permitted flexibility. Symbols or meanings
having idiosyncratic significance for the subject could be
isolated, which permitted some tailoring of the test to the
personality of the subject.
-
.
BEERET
GROUP-1
Evaluere som autothatit
destatt . .
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....
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SECRE
2 JAN 1969
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E. Code group-moaning provided a constant context, a fixed
environmental condition or relationship.
F. It was not difficult to adapt the material to statistical procedures
already established in prior psychological and parapsychological
research.
III. PRELIMINARY TESTS - (Purpose. Method)
The purpose of the preliminary tests was to test the test, and
thereby, to ascertain if it were a useful tool. Those who acted as
percipients (receivers) in the preliminary tests were young college
graduates, about 40% of them male and about 60% female. The groups
tested were from virtually every state in the union. The attitude
toward the test was typically one of considerable interest combined
with an ambivalent hope-fear attitude of individuals toward exhibiting
the phenomena themselves.
A. Randommess - The order of the 50 transmissions was put into
a random matrix such as that in appendix Bl. The random pattern
itself was chosen by the tester from available Agency produced
crypto-material. (Since only 5 possible combinations of code
groups and meanings were used and each future combination was
automatically designated A, B, C, D, or E, these letters rather
than the actual combinations themselves were randomized). . The
randomized matrix was kept in a safe prior to the test to preclude
access by anyone, except the tester and the transmitter themselves.
The combinations were randomised at the last minute as a further
safeguard. (appendix B2).
B. Conditioning - The precipients were given an ESP pep talk
before the test to heighten their enthusiasn, and an attempt was
made to have the students verbalize their thoughts on the subject
in order to enhance the conditions of normal communications in
the hope that channels of unusual communications would thereby
also be enhanced. Students were encouraged to choose code group
meanings which had significance to them. Although in one session
the transmitter was permitted to establish the timing of the
transmissions, this was found to make the test too lengthy. It
was finally decided that transmitting at a steady 10 second interval
was most comfortable for all concerned.
C. Physical conditions and controls - During the best controlled
preliminary test, the percipients were located in a room about 40
feet away from the transmitter who was in an outside hallway in
an alcove (see appendix C). There was a monitor posted with the
percipients and with the transmitter. Timing was passed by word
of mouth from a monitor who was stationed with the transmitter.
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D. Experimental Controls - In order to separate those
have a more active ESP capability fron those who might
simple test was designed with no stringent controls. 1
are the same as those of the Rhine cards, but in this i
5 love-hate symbols (cross, swastika, heart, U.S. flag,
dove) were substituted for the usual symbols. It was ac
decided that any one who achieved 12 or more correct gue
9 or less correct guesses would be included in the exper.
group. It is interesting to note that the two symbols w.
received best, even by subjects who only guessed 5 or 6 c
. were the cross (22,2 of the correct guesses) and the U.S. :
(20% of the correct guesses), followed by the swastika (18.
the correct guesses).
.
E. Results - In this test, each combination of code group .
code meaning was counted as two guesses. The nean chance ex
(MCE) for 100 guesses where the possibilities are 1 in 5 is
correct (although it developed that the actual mean for 35 s:
and 3500 guesses was less than 18%). The expected standard c
(SD) is plus-or-minus 4. All of this indicates that those su
who scored more than 24 correct guesses show a deviation in fa
of the ESP hypothesis. Correct combinations were also studied
statistically. The same laws apply; however, the expectancy i:
this case is for the MCE to be 2 correct with an SD of 1 in eit
direction.
(1) The 12 members of the experimental group showed a tota
positive deviation of 26 hits above the expected SD of 60 for 12
people.
(2) The 10 members of the control group showed a total posit
deviation of 5 hits above the expected SD of 50 for 10 people. Th
control group also showed double the total negative deviation of
the positive group below the SD -- a minus 8.
(3) Within the experimental group there were 4 individuals who
scored double or more the number of correct hits expected. One of
these individuals was
who scored 29 correct guesses
on the code groups or meanings -- more than two times the standard
deviation: This subject also scored an unusually high number of
hits on guessing combinations -- 6 instead of the expected 2.
(4) Within the control group no extraordinary positive deviation
- occurred except where one subject guessed 5 combinations correctly;
however, 5 fairly significant negative deviations from NCE were
scored: two of minus 7 and three of minus 5.
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(3) Timing was provided by using synchronized electric clocks
activated by a single short phone call from the tester who stayed
with the transmitter (under monitoring). The ten second interval
was maintained by the monitor at each end verbalizing each numbered
· interval.
(4)
The tests were marked by
or another monitor
at the receiver site.
(5) 5 or 10 warm-up questions were used at the insistence
.of the receiver.
(6) In test two the receiver was know to be having a
personal disagreement with the transmitter but the test was allowed
to continue in order to observe the effect this might have.
(7) In test three another transmitter was added to the first
transmitting in hopes that this might offset any negative attitudes
that might have carried over from the conditions existing under
test Nr. 2. Note that this transmitter was retained because
Miss
had such good rapport with her during the preliminary
tests. The receivers room was subjected to jackhammer-like noises.
The transmitter site was also subject to temporary disruptive noise
(door knocking).
(8) Test three was conducted under extremely adverse conditions.
The receiver was under constant scrutiny by 2 guest observers.
CONTROLLED TEST RESULTS:
A. Under preliminary test conditions where test conditions were not
strictly controlled, Miss
scored a total of 80 correct
guesses of code groups and code meanings (individually tabulated)
out of a total of 300 guesses. With a standard deviation from HCS
being 60, Miss
scored more than 4 times the expected deviation.
Similarly the subject scored correctly on 19 combinations where MC3
is 6 and the 50 2 or more than 6 times the expected rate.
B. Under fully controlled conditions, Kiss
still continued
to score significantly but lower than under the preliminary tests.
With the same number of total guesses involved as in the preliminary
'ests liss
rade 77 correct guesses for individual code group
nd meaning on about 2.4 times the expected rate. The subject also
tessed 10 combinations instead of the expected 6 or twice the
pected rate.
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C. It should be noted that Miss
scored highest in both
categories on the last test (the most difficult in terms of conditions).
On this occasion she was asked if she thought she had gotten any one
combination correct more often than any other. She correctly replied
SCO-attack which constituted 4 of the 6 correct combinations which
she guessed on the third test. (In two preliminary tests
Miss
had duplicated this feat. In both instances the code
meaning had been the word retreat. In the first such instance
Miss
guessed 6 combinations correctly, 5 of which contained
. the meaning "Retreat". The total combinations involved were the
usual 50. Under similar conditions Miss
again guessed 5
.combinations correctly, 4 of which contained the meaning "Retreat").
D. It should be noted that on the occasion of her final test,
· Miss
was asked if anything disturbed her during the test.
(The transmitters had estimated that around question 24 there had been
a disturbing series of knocks on the door of their room. This
question was checked off on the answer sheet). Miss
replied
that around question 20 she felt like giving up -- an intriguing
coincidence, the exact same thoughts were going through the trans-
mitter's mind at that time.
VII. CONTROLLED TEST CONCLUSION: .
A. The test methods used, if used carefully, are probably effective
for the isolation and further testing of some persons who have a
measurable ESP capability.
B. Since Miss
scored more significantly under conditions
which were more competitive and encouraged greater intragroup communi-
cation, these conditions should probably be given more emphasis in
future tests.
C. On three tests (two preliminary and one fully controlled)
Miss
seemed to display an affinity for a particular code
meaning. If such an affinity should prove to have any durability,
it could be of measurable benefit to cryptanalysis.
D. Since Miss
scored more significantly when there were two
transmitters, the possibility of enhancing percipient performance by
using groups of transmitters should be given greater emphasis. In
this connection, it might also be beneficial to score groups of
receivers in a collective manner, i.e., if 3 out of 5 people guess
combination A, it is considered the group answer.
E. It is considered that other test methods involving more realistic
situations might measurably enhance test results. It appears that
personality clashes between transmitter and receiver tend to cause
a lack of interest on the part of the persons concerned, which may
result in a near average performance by even talented subjects.
--
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F. Miss
ability to produce near random guesses of
target material appeared to be considerably above average.
.
G. The above test results indicate that the human ESP capability
could be a significant threat to U.S. COMSEC in all of the
categories indicated in paragraph 1A. For this reason the National
Security Agency cannot afford to remain ignorant of the scientific
advances in utilizing or developing this field.
VIII. RECOMMENDATION:
A. It is strongly recommended that the Agency seek to acquire all
available information on the subject of ESP research and that our
· own modest testing effort be permitted to continue and even to
expand slightly in the direction of. greater subject detection and
testing.
B. It is recommended that the Agency's psychological testing
program be amended to include a test such as that reported above
which would serve two purposes.
(1) To isolate "super guessers" or persons who have a knack
for cryptanalysis.
(2) To isolate persons who have a high ESP potential.'
C. It is recommended that future ESP tests concentrate on the
collective testing and scoring of groups of receivers and
transmitters.
D. It is recommended that some real material be included for
ESP targeting in future tests.
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APPENDIX A
Factors Considered to Benefit the Operation of ESP Tests:
xxx 1. Creating a realistic situation.
1
:+
xxx 2. Getting transmitter and receiver to concentrate on sending and
receiving with each person considering the other as the intended target.
xxx 3. Conditioning the subjects to react to the material properly -
to consider the test important.
x 4. Testing subjects who have demonstrated an ESP capability by some
degree.
xxx 5. Give feeling of success to sender and receiver by praising positive
and negative deviations.
xxx: 6. Transmitting of targets in some sort of context or natural
environment.
xx . 7. Limiting each testing session to a short period.
.
xxx 8. Building on success by eliminating unsuccessful materials or
conditions and conserving successful ones.
xxx 9. Trying to open as many channels of normal human communications
as possible - and opening them wide!
xx 10. Synchronization of sender and receiver.
: 11. Using groups of transmitters.
12. Testing groups of receivers in some collective way so as to
scover even slight trends in responses which dafy chance.
Included in preliminary tests x
Included in controlled tests xx
.
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APPENDIX B
I. Initial Random Matrix of code group-code meaning combination
positions derived from Agency Random sequences.
Position of Transmitted Group
Agency Random Sequence
1
A = WTA - Women and
Children
E
B
-
.
C
5
A
6
A
A
7
·
·
50
B
II. Combinations receive their A, B, C, D, and E designations by means
two more random sequences used to mate the members of the combination,
below.'
II. After an arbitrary A, B, C, D, or E designator is appended to each
group and meaning, a random sequence is used to determine how they are
e mated. A separate random sequence is used to rearrange the order of
ode groups and code meanings. If for example, E should be the first of
ive letters to occur in the random sequence assigned to code groups,
'elow) would be the first partner of combination A. Similarly, if 3
O be the first letter to occur in the random sequence assigned to the
zanings, then Women and Children would be the code meaning assigned to
tion A. The same method is used to determine the remainder of the
tions to be transmitted.
SCO
Attack
A
Code. Combination A =
WTA Women and Children
MRV
Target
B
BXY
Killed
C
PIK
Women and Children
D
WTA
Intelligence
E
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Participants of the AD/HOC testing group
include:
Mr.
Dr.
Miss
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Mrs.
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APPENDIX C
PRELIMINARY TEST ARRANGEMENT :
XSENDER
: 1
×
GUARD
-
DOOR
Percipients
Guard
GUARD
×
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