LETTER TO (Sanitized)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00787R000200090001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 5, 1974
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000200090001-2
STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA 94025
[phone]
Life Sciences - Building 100
November 5, 1974
With the recent world-wide publicity of the so-called paranormal
research at SRI (see enclosed), several of us in the Life Sciences
Division have felt it appropriate to develop a facility under our
operation and control whose primary function would be to attempt to
replicate research reported anywhere in the world in this generally
nebulous and poorly controlled area of research.
Internally, we have been as critical (if not more so) as Nature and
The New Scientist of the quality of the paranormal research that has
been in progress at SRI. Almost all of the research reported in this
area is conducted by "believers" and they tend to consider those who
are more neutral, but open, as inimical to and prejudiced against the
demonstration of paranormal phenomena. For example, we were permitted
to run one experiment with Geller (see blocked portion on page 180 of
The New Scientist article) which had the appropriate controls and which
Geller failed on each of three different occasions. Targ interpreted
this failure as illustrating that Geller's powers can be thwarted by
experimenters who "disbelieve" in his powers (personal communication).
This, of course, is an empirical question and could easily be subject
to test. For example, using the appropriate suite of adjacent rooms,
one of the rooms could be packed with believers, disbelievers, or
neutral subjects on different days (scheduled at random) and the per-
formance of the paranormal subject (in an adjacent room) could be moni-
tored. The procedure would be kept blind from the subject and,
preferably, from the principal investigators as well.
Such phenomena, if they can be reliably demonstrated, can, most
probably, be explained by natural psychophysiological laws. The
assumption that they are "paranormal" is more a confession of our
ignorance of human abilities at this stage of our knowledge than any-
thing else.
At any rate, I suggest that a neutral group, such as our own, should be
available to attempt to replicate the reported phenomena (e.g., the
dream transport phenomena reported from the Maimonides Laboratory; some
of Rhine's studies; the SRI studies by Targ and Puthoff, etc.). My
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000200090001-2
CABLE: STANRES, MENLO PARK / TWX 910-373-1246
 Approved For Release 200x%08/10: CIA-RDP96-00787R00020009M1-2
Page 2
November 5, 1974
question to you is, would the agency be interested in supporting such
a group on an 'ion-call" basis? We would attempt replication of experi-
ments of interest to the agency. If the agency is interested, please
advise me and I will go into detail regarding the design, control pro-
cedures that would be used, etc., of any experiments we might undertake.
Sincerely yours,
Leon S. Otis, Ph. D.
Director
Psychobiology and Physiology
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000200090001-2