CIA operations are known for being highly secretive, but it was rumored for years that this clandestine intelligence agency used (and still uses) psychics in some of their most secret projects. The CIA denied using psychics for decades, but the truth bomb on the subject landed with a big explosion about three and a half years ago, on January 18, 2017.
What exactly was this truth bomb?
The CIA was finally forced to formally admit that they were using psychics in their work when they released the papers on Project Star Gate and posted them on their official website for the whole world to see. The CIA also finally had to publicly admit that they had been researching the validity of paranormal abilities for decades. When these declassified top secret newspapers appeared on the website, the news media and others had a lot to digest. However, it soon became clear to the world that the CIA’s use of psychics was far more extensive than almost anyone could have ever imagined.
What is the CIA and why did it start?
To fully understand why psychics are useful to the CIA and why the CIA became interested in paranormal abilities, you need to know why this intelligence agency came into being and when exactly it did so. The CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency, was founded in 1947, in the early days of the Cold War with the Soviets. The formation of the CIA was in direct response to the dangerous and escalating tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union immediately following World War II. The Cold War with the Soviets was considered by most experts at the time to be the most pressing national security problem facing the United States and its international allies.
In a broader sense, the CIA was actually an outgrowth of an earlier “secret service” formed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II. This precursor to the CIA was modeled after the British Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, because President Roosevelt’s advisors witnessed the value of their closest ally having highly trained people on the ground collecting intelligence. It was believed that having this information was THE key to winning the war. Experts also considered it essential to have well-trained analysts at home who analyzed the data collected by CIA field agents so that the CIA could be considered two teams. Psychics could help both the ‘home team’ and the ‘away team’, so to speak.
What was Project Star Gate?
In the early 1970s, US military intelligence learned that the Soviets were devoting serious resources to research into telepathy and telekinesis. Moreover, they planned to use this in their espionage. It was also feared that the Soviets would use these psychic abilities as some kind of weapon. These were the days of the Cold War and the United States responded to the Soviet Union’s efforts with its own $20 million research project, which eventually became known to the world as Project Star Gate… but we’ll save at least a few decades ahead! This Cold War project was a hush-hush, top-secret project that could only be approved at the highest levels, so it naturally fueled many so-called “conspiracy theories” that actually turned out to be true.
Project Star Gate began in the early 1970s, with the precise start date/year disputed, although some pinpoint it as August 1973 based on certain funding allocations. It lasted at least twenty years and included not just one project, but many projects with one loosely defined goal: to study the effectiveness of telepathy and telekinesis and figure out how they could be used to expand traditional intelligence activities…. and to beat the Soviets at their own game! The project went far beyond just ‘research’ and actually focused on the use of psychics in some of the CIA’s most important missions.
Project Stargate was also known by several other code names, including Grill Flame, Gondola Wish, Sun Streak, and Center Lane. Presumably the project ended in 1995, but that is under discussion in many circles. Some of the earliest research began at the Stanford Research Institute and was paid for by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Later, at least some of the work involving “remote viewers” was conducted at Fort Meade, Maryland, and possibly other locations yet to be determined.
Has the CIA actually demonstrated paranormal abilities?
Joseph McMoneagle, a Vietnam veteran and psychic who worked for the CIA, reported to the Washington Post that the special powers of at least fifteen remote viewers, including himself, were put to good use. McMoneagle served in this capacity for fifteen years. He was reportedly one of the most talented psychics the CIA has ever used, and the fact that his remote predictions and paranormal intelligence helped save lives is certainly proof positive that the CIA has successfully demonstrated that paranormal abilities do exist . He is said to have helped locate submarines, hostages and specific “espionage” items, such as a shortwave radio disguised as a small calculator used by a KGB agent. He could even draw maps of places he had never been before. He also predicted the fall of Skylab with great accuracy.
In addition to the specific practical tasks of remote viewers, the CIA has gone to great lengths to design scientific experiments to determine whether psychics actually have the gifts they claim to have. They also wanted to know how predictable and accurate these gifts could be and how they could use them to give effectively. Perhaps the most famous psychic tested in the early days of the project was Uri Geller. Geller was also a magician, already known for his ability to bend spoons and read the minds of others. It was this last talent that the CIA was most interested in.
Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ were parapsychologists who worked at the CIA. They designed experiments to test Geller’s ability to create a drawing seen by someone else, that is, read their minds and provide evidence. The pictures were drawn and selected in another room and Geller was asked to draw what he saw in the mind of the person who had seen the picture before it was sealed in the envelope. Although not a perfect representation, he was able to draw an uncanny likeness of many images, such as smiley faces, cars, airplanes, grapes, stars, glasses, boots, UFOs, symbols, and geometric abstractions. Often these images were displayed as the mirror image of the original. This lasted five weeks and the parapsychologists said he had demonstrated his abilities in a “…convincing and unequivocal manner”.
Unfortunately, controversy arose over the design of the Uri Geller experiments, which has tarnished the reputation of Project Stargate overall. This is a shame, because most of the work done as part of Project Stargate has never been seriously questioned internally or externally. In fact, the research conducted and real-world information provided by psychics gave great value to the gifts of the psychics involved. However, the detractors always seem to focus on the problems found in the work with Uri Geller, so it remains a cloud on the project to this day.
Regardless of whether or not you believe in Uri Geller’s abilities, and whether or not he really proved his psychic abilities to the CIA, there are several other, lesser-known people with extraordinary psychic talents who have indeed become valuable resources for the CIA. Angela Dellafiora Ford was another exceptionally talented medium who was able to remotely pinpoint the location of wanted fugitives, including a customs broker guilty of fraud. She was given his name and based on this she was able to give them the state and city where he was avoiding them…. and he was captured!
How does the CIA use psychics?
The extraordinary sixth sense that psychics possess is very useful to the CIA. When tracking down fugitive criminals, psychics can provide valuable information about where the criminals are hiding and where they intend to go. Psychics can help undercover CIA agents infiltrate international terrorist groups and gather much-needed information about their activities and future plans. Paranormal abilities can be very helpful in locating the whereabouts of hostages and providing valuable information that can help carry out a successful hostage rescue mission. Psychics can also help find items that are vital to the security of the United States and its allies. For example, psychics have helped find many Scud missiles and various spy tools used by KGB agents. The information that psychics provide is always used in conjunction with traditional intelligence gathering methods, but in some cases, psychics provide the ‘clue’ that solves the case!
Do other federal agencies also use psychics?
Yes indeed and quite extensive! Other federal agencies known to have paid paranormal consultants include the Navy, Coast Guard, Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Psychics do not get the credit they deserve for the valuable services they provide to the government. This may be due to the negative publicity the government believes it would receive if it publicly thanked psychics for their valuable role. But as public perception of psychics is changing, with more than seventy percent of the public now believing in paranormal abilities, perhaps this will change in the next decade.
What prompted the CIA to finally release proof that they are using psychics?
The CIA was not at all transparent about its use of psychics, even after several leaks arose and reporters let the “cat out of the bag,” so to speak. It actually took a barrage of FOIA requests (Freedom of Information Act requests) and a serious lawsuit from a nonprofit that promotes transparency in government to finally force the CIA to hand over papers on the Stargate Project and other projects involving psychics. This is a great example of how people can make a real difference by speaking out and never giving up.
Final thoughts
Psychics are the unsung heroes of the CIA and other federal agencies. Perhaps given the sensitive nature of what they are helping with, it will largely have to remain that way. However, we should all be grateful for the psychics who work behind the scenes to help us stay safe and respond to the most serious crises facing our country. Is Project Stargate really over? Many doubt it…just like this author! The project may continue under a different name and in a different facility, but in this author’s opinion, the value of psychic abilities to the CIA is far too valuable to end it. What do you think?
