The Experiment of the Remote Viewers at SRI Exploring the Origins and Significance of Psychic Research
The experiment of the “remote viewers” at SRI involved attempts to use individuals’ psychic abilities to gather intelligence information during the Cold War. Researchers at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) collaborated with the U.S. government, testing whether people could describe and report information about locations or objects hidden from physical view.
Over two decades, various tests and evaluations were conducted to determine if remote viewing could produce actionable results. Most official assessments concluded that, while some individuals reported striking observations, the overall findings did not consistently deliver reliable intelligence. Interest in these experiments remains high among those curious about government-sponsored parapsychology and the limits of human perception.
Overview of the SRI Remote Viewer Experiments
The remote viewing experiments at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) represented a major attempt to investigate psychic phenomena under controlled conditions. These studies focused on the ability of individuals to describe or draw distant or unseen targets, which they could not access through normal sensory channels.
Origins of Remote Viewing Research
The research into remote viewing at SRI began in the early 1970s, driven by interest from the U.S. government and intelligence agencies. Physicists such as Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff led the program, seeking to scientifically investigate claims of psychic functioning.
Funding was provided by organizations like the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency. Their support stemmed partly from concerns about similar research reportedly being conducted by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The early experiments often involved individuals, sometimes called “remote viewers,” attempting to describe objects, locations, or imagery sealed in envelopes or viewed by another researcher at a distant site. Results were documented and evaluated for accuracy.
Purpose and Objectives
The main aim at SRI was to determine if remote viewing could produce actionable information, particularly for use in intelligence operations. Researchers wanted to understand if remote viewing was a real phenomenon or a product of chance and psychological factors.
They also hoped to identify characteristics of successful remote viewers, assess the reliability of their reports, and explore if remote viewing could be taught or enhanced through training.
Objectives extended beyond parapsychology, as the experiments became a method for potential operational value. Reports generated by remote viewers were forwarded to intended users, who assessed their practical utility.
Key Phases of Experimentation
The SRI experiments unfolded in several key phases:
Initial trials (early 1970s): Focused on proof of concept, with researchers and selected “gifted” individuals providing target descriptions under blinded conditions.
Development of protocols: The team established standardized procedures to reduce bias, such as using double-blind setups to hide target details from both participants and experimenters.
Operational tests: As the project advanced, remote viewing sessions addressed real-world intelligence targets, with mixed results on accuracy and usefulness.
Throughout its 20-year duration, the program shifted focus from basic parapsychology research toward the practical application of anomalous cognition for government purposes. Formal evaluations in the mid-1990s ultimately concluded that while some successes occurred, remote viewers generally failed to consistently produce reliable intelligence information.
Foundational Figures and Contributors
The SRI remote viewing experiment brought together physicists, psychics, and military personnel. Each played a specific role in the development, execution, and analysis of these early psychic research initiatives.
Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff
Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, both physicists, were central to the formation and direction of the SRI remote viewing studies. They secured Department of Defense and CIA funding and developed the protocols used in controlled experimental sessions.
Targ specialized in laser physics, while Puthoff brought expertise in quantum electronics. Their scientific background positioned them to frame psychic claims in measurable terms. Targ and Puthoff authored several peer-reviewed papers documenting the experiments, emphasizing results and methodology.
Their work is notable for introducing standardized double-blind protocols and for engaging both skeptics and proponents from academic and military circles. The credibility of the SRI experiments rested in part on their efforts to ensure rigorous scientific oversight.
Ingo Swann’s Role
Ingo Swann, an artist and self-described psychic, served as one of the first and most influential remote viewers at SRI. Known for developing core remote viewing techniques, Swann is credited with shaping much of the experimental framework later adopted by others.
He worked closely with Targ and Puthoff to refine the process, which involved describing distant or hidden objects and locations under controlled conditions. Swann's work at SRI included attempts to describe remote military installations and targets.
His methods, including the use of controlled relaxation and sketching, became a blueprint for subsequent remote viewing protocols. Swann’s collaboration with researchers helped establish the perceived legitimacy of remote viewing in intelligence and military circles.
Pat Price and Joseph McMoneagle
Pat Price, a retired police officer, and Joseph McMoneagle, an Army veteran, were two key practitioners whose apparent successes attracted government attention. Price participated in sessions that reportedly produced detailed information about secret locations, leading to further interest and funding.
Joseph McMoneagle joined the program later and became one of its highest-profile remote viewers. He contributed hundreds of sessions and was involved in operational military applications. Both Price and McMoneagle participated in remote viewing under controlled conditions, often supervised by SRI scientists and military personnel.
Their work demonstrated the operational potential of remote viewing within intelligence agencies, influencing the direction of later research and applications. McMoneagle’s role extended beyond SRI, becoming a spokesperson and trainer for remote viewing techniques in subsequent years.
Experimental Techniques and Protocols
Remote viewing studies at SRI focused on the controlled investigation of extrasensory perception (ESP) and related phenomena. Researchers structured experiments to gather measurable data and minimize the influence of bias and sensory cues.
Development of Remote Viewing Methods
SRI researchers started by defining remote viewing as the ability to describe or draw details about a target location or object hidden from the participant’s normal senses. While the project was often linked with ESP and telepathy, the specific focus remained on non-physical information acquisition.
Protocols typically separated the “remote viewer” from any physical access to the target. Early methods included random target selection and clear instructions for viewers to report perceptions openly, without interpretation. Later techniques sometimes used structured question prompts to reduce ambiguity.
Key techniques:
Use of double-blind conditions to isolate the viewer.
Session recordings and transcripts for later analysis.
Introduction of feedback phases, providing the viewer with target details post-session to assess accuracy.
Controlled Testing Procedures
Strict controls were central to the SRI approach. Experimenters used standardized methods from behavioral psychology to oversee each session and ensure consistency.
Controlled elements included:
Isolation of the remote viewer and interviewer from any knowledge of the target.
Pre-determined, randomly chosen targets, such as photographs or physical objects placed at distant locations.
Timing controls, with synchronized session starts for the viewer and those at the target’s location.
Every session was documented in detail. Interviewers were instructed to ask neutral questions and avoid giving cues. Repeated trials helped reduce the chance of random correct guesses.
Validation and Replication Attempts
SRI researchers sought to validate remote viewing results through statistical analysis and independent judging. Blind judging, where analysts ranked target descriptions without knowing their origin, was standard.
Multiple studies attempted replication. External observers sometimes criticized the failure to rigorously follow standard scientific protocols or pointed to possible protocol breaches. Despite some claims of evidence for ESP or psychokinesis, results were often inconsistent.
Replication attempts by outside groups produced mixed outcomes, frequently highlighting difficulties in repeatability and questions about experimental design. Lists of success rates, accuracy assessments, and statistical measures were published, but broad scientific acceptance remained limited.
Military and Intelligence Applications
Remote viewing research at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) attracted significant attention from U.S. military and intelligence organizations. Multiple programs emerged to explore whether psychic abilities could offer a practical advantage in intelligence gathering.
Interest from Intelligence Agencies
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) were among the first government bodies to express interest in SRI's remote viewing experiments. Their goal was to assess whether such methods could supplement or augment conventional intelligence procedures.
During the early 1970s, published reports of Soviet parapsychology research heightened American interest, especially within intelligence circles. Agencies saw remote viewing as a possible countermeasure to perceived advancements by rivals abroad.
Key intelligence stakeholders monitored SRI’s progress. Given the sensitive nature of the research, contact between scientists and intelligence officials was direct and often classified. The seriousness of this investment is indicated by the funding SRI received from military and intelligence sources.
Integration with CIA Programs
The CIA’s involvement with SRI’s remote viewing efforts began around 1972. The agency provided funding and operational guidance in the initial years, structuring some experiments to test the abilities of selected “remote viewers” under controlled conditions.
Experiments were designed to produce actionable intelligence information, such as describing the locations or activities of foreign sites or assets. Notable remote viewers, such as Ingo Swann and Pat Price, participated in these efforts.
Despite mixed scientific assessments, the CIA saw enough promise to continue funding. Program oversight often shifted between agencies, with the project eventually being known by several codenames, including Grill Flame and Stargate. These shifts reflected varying degrees of enthusiasm and skepticism among decision-makers.
Role at Fort Meade
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, operational responsibility for remote viewing research transitioned to the U.S. Army’s intelligence units at Fort Meade, Maryland. Here, the program became deeply embedded in military intelligence under the banner of Project Grill Flame, later Stargate.
At Fort Meade, military personnel were recruited and trained to serve as remote viewers. Daily activities included structured sessions, data recording, and regular evaluations by supervising officers.
The unit’s role focused on supporting real intelligence operations. Tasks assigned to viewers ranged from locating hostages to gathering information about foreign weapons systems. Documentation from this period demonstrates consistent, although controversial, efforts to measure the practical value of remote viewing in active military applications.
The Cold War Era and Global Context
Rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped intelligence activities during the Cold War. This era saw both superpowers exploring unconventional methods, including the use of psychic phenomena for espionage and national security.
Concerns About Soviet Union Research
During the 1970s, American intelligence became increasingly aware that the Soviet Union was spending significant resources on parapsychology. Reports indicated that Soviet scientists were conducting experiments in telepathy, psychokinesis, and remote viewing.
U.S. officials believed that if Soviet researchers made breakthroughs, they could gain strategic advantages, such as detecting submarine movements or influencing foreign leaders. A sense of urgency developed within U.S. intelligence agencies.
The possibility that the Soviets could use psychic techniques to gather critical military information pushed the U.S. to invest in their own remote viewing programs. Agencies like the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) monitored Soviet activities closely and shared information across different branches.
Psychic Spies and Counterintelligence
The CIA and the Department of Defense launched secret research at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) to investigate the claimed abilities of "remote viewers." These individuals were tasked with visualizing or describing distant or hidden objects, often related to Soviet military operations.
Remote viewers at SRI attempted to gather data about Soviet submarines, weapons facilities, and military installations. Their findings were sometimes treated as supplemental intelligence, and when accurate, were cross-checked with other information sources.
Remote viewing efforts included projects like SCANATE and the later Stargate Project. Although outcomes were often mixed, certain successes prompted further funding and attention from senior officials.
Significant Cold War Operations
Remote viewing was sometimes applied to real-world Cold War intelligence targets. In several cases, remote viewers were asked to describe the location and status of Soviet submarines or to locate sites like Semipalatinsk, a key nuclear test facility.
The information gathered provided possible leads for traditional intelligence efforts, such as satellite reconnaissance or human agents. Agencies maintained detailed records of hits and misses, evaluating whether psychic data could be incorporated into standard intelligence analysis.
Remote viewers occasionally participated in missions to locate hostages or track the movements of high-priority Soviet assets. While never a sole method, remote viewing was one of several unconventional tools explored in the high-stakes environment of Cold War espionage.
Evolution Into Government Programs
Remote viewing at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) led to direct interest from U.S. intelligence agencies, which sought practical applications of this phenomenon. This institutional involvement transformed early experiments into larger and more formalized government programs.
Project Stargate Origins
The origins of Project Stargate trace back to the mid-1970s, when SRI researchers, including notable figures like Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, attracted the interest of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other organizations. The early SRI experiments suggested that some individuals could describe distant locations without conventional sensory input.
As SRI’s results drew attention, the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) began funding structured research focused on developing remote viewing as an operational tool. These initial efforts operated under various project names, including Grill Flame, Center Lane, and Sun Streak, in addition to what would become collectively known as Stargate.
Key elements of these programs included recruitment and selection of participants, rigorous experimental protocols, and controlled laboratory conditions. Intelligence agencies hoped remote viewing could serve national security purposes, such as gathering information on foreign military activities or locating hostages.
Star Gate and Related Initiatives
By the late 1980s, project activities were consolidated under the name Star Gate. At this phase, the program’s objectives shifted more heavily toward operational use, relying on a trained cadre of government-employed remote viewers rather than external contractors.
A typical Star Gate operation involved tasking an individual with visualizing a secret or otherwise inaccessible target location. The viewers’ reports were analyzed and sometimes cross-compared with conventional intelligence.
The scope of Star Gate extended to various related initiatives housed within the Department of Defense and other agencies. Oversight and evaluation continued, with ongoing debates about the program’s actual utility and reliability. Star Gate, along with its predecessor initiatives, ran until it was officially terminated in 1995, following a review that questioned its effectiveness compared to other intelligence methods.
Notable Experiments and Results
The SRI Remote Viewing program focused on testing whether individuals could accurately describe distant or hidden targets, with a special emphasis on military sites. Results produced both notable claims and skepticism, with varying degrees of detail and reliability in the data.
Remote Viewing of Military Targets
Several experiments involved remote viewers attempting to describe secret military installations or hardware without prior knowledge of the site. Ingo Swann and Pat Price, two of the most prominent remote viewers, participated in sessions targeting facilities like missile bases and research buildings.
Some reports included surprisingly specific descriptions, such as the shape of buildings, layouts of compounds, and locations of specific objects. These details were occasionally verified through photographic evidence or later intelligence.
Below is a brief list of key experiment elements:
Targets: Soviet military installations, American test facilities
Process: Remote viewer given coordinates or a sealed envelope
Recording: Written descriptions, sketches, interviews
Despite occasional correct details, many sessions also produced ambiguous or incorrect information.
Actionable Intelligence and Outcomes
The CIA and other agencies evaluated whether remote viewing could be used to produce intelligence that was both timely and useful. Remote viewing reports were forwarded for review and potential operational use.
Most evaluators concluded that the information provided was inconsistent and often too vague to guide military or intelligence decisions. According to later reviews, actionable intelligence—a term referring to details that can directly inform operations—was rarely obtained.
Example table of reported results:
Session Target Type Specifics Correct? Used by Analysts? 1 Airbase Partially No 2 Missile site Some elements No 3 Research facility Incorrect No
The lack of repeatable, clear-cut results led most agencies to scale back operational reliance on remote viewing.
Analysis of Experiment Data
Analyses of the SRI remote viewing data included both statistical reviews and subjective evaluations. Researchers looked for patterns across multiple sessions, tracking hits and misses.
Quantitative assessments showed limited statistical significance, casting doubt on the reliability of the phenomenon. Written descriptions and sketches were often open to interpretation, making objective assessment difficult.
Common analytical challenges included:
Inconsistent definitions of success
Subjectivity in matching descriptions to targets
Lack of independent replication
Due to these issues, official evaluations by the mid-1990s concluded that remote viewing failed to consistently produce useful or verifiable intelligence data.
Scientific Criticism and Public Reception
The remote viewing experiments at SRI attracted both scientific scrutiny and public attention. Questions were raised about their credibility, experimental design, and the media's portrayal of remote viewing results.
Skepticism from the Scientific Community
Many scientists remained highly skeptical of the findings from SRI’s remote viewing research. Critics pointed to the lack of a known mechanism for psychic phenomena and highlighted the inconsistency of replicable results in controlled environments.
Key organizations such as the National Research Council and researchers like Ray Hyman and James Alcock reviewed the SRI studies. Their evaluations consistently found the evidence for remote viewing unconvincing, citing methodological weaknesses and the failure of experiments to exclude normal sensory cues or control for potential biases.
The skepticism was not limited to parapsychology but extended broadly across psychology, neuroscience, and physics. This widespread doubt contributed to a general reluctance in mainstream science to accept the validity of remote viewing.
Debates Around Methodology
Debate focused strongly on the methods used at SRI. Double-blind protocols, randomization, and controls were sometimes lacking or inconsistently applied. In some cases, experimenters knew target locations or objects, raising the risk of subtle cueing.
Variables that influenced outcomes included:
Selection of participants (often experienced "psychics")
Feedback to viewers, intentionally or unintentionally
Inadequate control groups
Later analyses, including those by the American Institutes for Research and statistician Jessica Utts, reviewed past experiments for statistical significance. While some results were above chance, critics argued these could be due to flaws in experimental setup rather than genuine psychic ability.
Media and Public Perceptions
Media coverage of the SRI remote viewing research ranged from cautious reporting to sensationalized accounts. Headlines often emphasized government interest, secret programs, and alleged successes, feeding public curiosity and sometimes misunderstanding the evidence.
Television documentaries, books, and newspaper articles highlighted stories of “psychic spies” and U.S. government funding. These portrayals often did not communicate the scientific doubts or nuances of the actual findings, resulting in a mix of fascination, skepticism, and conspiracy theories in popular culture.
Public perception was also influenced by the release of declassified CIA documents in the 1990s. These releases revealed the extent of official involvement but also documented the inconsistency and unreliability of remote viewing as an intelligence tool.
Legacy and Impact on Parapsychology
The remote viewing experiments at SRI left a lasting mark on parapsychology, sparking both new lines of research and considerable skepticism. The continued exploration of psychic abilities in intelligence and academic circles traced much of its momentum to the public and classified attention given to these studies.
Influence on Future Research
The SRI remote viewing program directly influenced both government and independent research into parapsychology. Agencies such as the CIA and U.S. Army invested resources in studying psychic phenomena, leading to further projects like Stargate. Researchers built new experimental protocols based on the procedures developed at SRI, shaping how later laboratories approached the testing of psychic claims.
Several universities incorporated remote viewing studies into broader parapsychological research agendas. Funding and interest in mind control and psychic ability research fluctuated, especially after media attention and reports describing remote viewers’ successes—such as locating hidden sites or lost objects. Some organizations adjusted their methodologies in response to both the results and the criticisms directed at the SRI work.
Key impacts:
Adoption of remote viewing protocols by multiple research groups
Initiation of new government-sponsored psychic research projects
Development of stricter controls for future experiments
Ongoing Debates Over Psychic Phenomena
The credibility of remote viewing as evidence for psychic abilities has been a contested issue. While some cases from the SRI period are cited as “dramatic hits,” skepticism persists due to concerns about experimental rigor and possible information leakage. Committees reviewing the remote viewer data, such as independent evaluations for the U.S. government, often found reason to suspect that reported successes may have involved more conventional explanations.
Core arguments in the debate:
Proponents highlight specific instances where remote viewers provided seemingly accurate information not available by ordinary means.
Critics emphasize the lack of replicability, suggest possible use of unintentional sensory cues, and question methodological weaknesses.
Some reviews concluded that while individual results are intriguing, they do not provide reliable or actionable proof of psychic functioning.
Interest in mind control and parapsychology endures, with periodic reexaminations of the legacy left by SRI’s research, but consensus remains elusive.
