REMOTE VIEWING OF NATURAL TARGETS*

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00787R000500360001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 11, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 22, 1974
• Content Type: RP

IV I
Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ
Electronics and Bioengineering Laboratory.
Stanford Research Institute
Menlo Park, California 94025
* Presented at the annual meeting of the Parapsychological Association of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, St. John's University,
Jamaica, New York, August 22-24, 1974. Supported by a grant from the
Foundation for Parasensory Investigation, New York City, and the Institute
of Noetic Sciences, Palo Alto, California.
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Research results elsewhere) suggested a study to determine whether
a subject could describe randomly chosen geographical sites located
several miles from the subject's position and demarcated by some appro-
?.priate means. We present here the results of such an experiment, termed
remote viewing, carried out with Mr. Pat Price, a former California police
commissioner and city councilman. This experiment consisted of a series
of double-blind, demonstration-of-ability tests'-involving local targets
in the San Francisco Bay area which could be documented by several inde-
pendent judges. We planned the experiment considering that natural
geographical places or man-made sites that have existed for a long time
are more potent targets for paranormal perception experiments thail are
artificial targets prepared in the laboratory. This is based on subject
opinions that the use of artificial targets involves a "trivialization _.-
by
of the ability" as compared with natural pre-existing targets.
In each of nine experiments involving Mr. Price as remote-viewing
subject and SRI experimenters as a target demarcation team, a remote
location was chosen in a double-blind protocol. Mr. Price, who remained
at SRI, was asked to describe this remote location, as well as whatever
activities might be going on there.
I K. Osis, ASPR Newsletter, No. 14, Summer, 1972.
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Data from the nine experiments are presented in the following para-
graphs. Final judging indicated that several descriptions yielded sig-
nificantly correct data pertaining to and descriptive of the target
location.
REMOTE VIEWING PROTOCOL
In the nine double-blind remote-viewing experiments, the following
procedures were used. A set of twelve target locations clearly differen-
tiated from each other and within thirty minutes driving time from SRI,
had been chosen from a target-rich environment (more than 100 targets of
the type used in the experimental series) prior to the experimental series
by an individual in SRI management, the director of the Information Science
and Engineering Division,.not otherwise associated with the experiment.
Both the experimenters and the subject were kept blind as to the contents
ti
of the target pool, which were used without replacement.
To begin the experiment, an experimenter was closeted with Mr. Price
at SRI to wait 30 minutes to begin the narrative description of the remote
location. The SRI locations from which the subject viewed the remote
locations consisted of an outdoor park (Experiments 1,2), a double-walled
copper-screen Faraday cage (Experiments 3,4, 6-9), and an office (Experi-
ment 5). A second experimenter would then obtain a target location from
* The Faraday cage provides 120 dB attenuation for plane wave radio
frequency radiation over a range o; 15 KHz to 1 GHz. For magnetic fields
the attenuation is 68 dB at 15 KHz and decreases to 3 dB at 60 Hz.
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the Division Director from a set of traveling orders previously prepared
and randomized by the Director and kept under his control. The target
demarcation team, consisting of two to four SRI experimenters, then pro-
ceeded directly to the target by automobile without communicating with the
subject or experimenter remaining behind. Since the experimenter remaining
with the subject at SRI was in ignorance both as to the particular target
and also as to the target pool, he was free to question Price to clarify
his descriptions. The demarcation team then remained at the target site
for an agreed-upon thirty minute period following the thirty minutes al-
lotted for travel. During the observation period, the remote-viewing subject
would describe his impressions of the target site into a tape recorder. A
comparison was then made when the demarcation team returned. To represent
best the detail and style of these narratives, we have included the entire
unedited text of one of the better narratives, Experiment 7, in an Appendix.
In general, Mr. Price's ability to describe correctly buildings, docks,
roads, gardens, etc., including structural materials, color, ambience, and
activity, sometimes in great detail, indicated the functioning of a remote
perceptual ability. However, the descriptions contained inaccuracies as well
as correct statements. To obtain a numerical evaluation of the accuracy of
the remote viewing experiment, the experimental results were subjected to
independent judging on a blind basis by five SRI scientists who were not
otherwise associated with the research. The judges were asked to match the
nine locations, which they independently visited, against the typed manuscripts
of the tape-recorded narratives of the remote viewer. The transcripts were
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unlabeled and presented in random order. The judges were asked to find a
narrative which they would consider the best match for each of the places
they visited. A given narrative could be assigned to more than one target
location. A correct match requires that the transcript of a given date be
associated with the target of that date. Table 1 shows the distribution
of the judges' choices. For purposes of display we present the Table such
that the main diagonal corresponds to the correct choices. The number of
correct matches by Judges A through E is 7, 6, 5, 3, and 3, respectively.
The expected number of correct matches from the five judges was five; in
the experiment, twenty-four such matches were obtained.*
Among all possible analyses, none is more conservative than a permu-
tation analysis of the plurality vote of the judges' selections assuming
assignment without replacement, an approach independent of the number of
judges. By plurality vote, six of the nine descriptions and locations
were correctly matched . Under the null hypothesis (no remote viewing and
a random selection of descriptions without replacement), this outcome has
an a priori probability of p = 5.6 x 10-4, since, among all possible per-
mutations of the integers one through nine, the probability of six or
more being in their natural position in the list has that value. Therefore,
although Price's descriptions contain inaccuracies, the descriptions are
sufficiently accurate to permit the judges to differentiate among the
various targets to the degree indicated.
The a priori probability of such an occurrence by chance, conservatively
assuming assignment without replacement on the part of the judges, is
p = 8.10-10.
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Following is the unedited transcript of remote viewing Experiment 7,
where the target was an Arts and Crafts Garden Plaza. This is a large
plaza resembling a California mission. There are craft shops around the
perimeter of the plaza. In the plaza area are many gardens, flowers,
ceramic pots, fountains, and paths. Overhead are vines on arbors of
redwood. Price's description is accurate in almost every detail and he
omitted little of importance.
1:40 THIS IS A REMOTE VIEWING EXPERIMENT WITH PAT PRICE, DEAN BROWN,
AND RUSSELL TARG IN THE SHIELDED ROOM IN BUILDING 30. THE TRAVELLERS TO
REMOTE LOCATION ARE BART COX, HAL PUTHOFF, JUDY SCHMICKLEY AND PHYLLIS
COLE. WE EXPECT THE TRAVELLERS TO BE AT THEIR PLACE IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
IT'S 1:58. OUR TRAVELLERS SHOULD BE NEAR TO ARRIVING AT THE PLACE.
OK. Why don't I start scanning by quadrant using this as a center point.
12-3, 6-9 ......
I'll go from 12-3 first. Seems to me right now that I'm picking them up
In the 12-3 quadrant, but I'll go on in the rest and look. I haven't
actually identified them, I just feel that they're there.
Nope, I don't get them there.
Now I'll go from 6-9. While I was looking at 6-9, it looks to me like
I'm looking at an iris, a flower of some kind. I'll come back and
identify that later. Just wanted to get it down as having a flash of
an iris flower-purplish. I'll continue to scan that quadrant. Nope,
don't got them there.
I'll go from 9-12. Don't get them there.
I'll go back 12-3. Yeah, I get them in that quadrant.
Now I'll see if I can locate them physically and identify the area.
I'm looking at something that looks like an arbor, trellis-work arbor.
Seems to be cool, shaded. Doesn't seem to me that they're out in the
direct sunlight. Be more like there's lots of trees, in an arbor area.
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The arbor appears to be made of wood, possibly redwood.
They're ,just .... looks like it's a dirt path, quite wide, I'd say
maybe 1.2 feet. I can see some grass. Looks like possibly a fountain
of some kind.
Vr+a h. T can Bart in his rorl shirt and what looks like kind of a
gray paisley tie - I didn't really look at that when. he was down
there. The red shirt, I did. Looks like he has on a gray paisley
tie.
It appears they're walking along quite leisurely.
hooks like there's some red brick laid into a walkway. They don't
seem to be on it, they just seem to pass over that.
I get - it seems like a little ways away from them there are quite
a few people but right where they're walking it doesn't appear to
be many right in there.
This is an arbor area. Back of that arbor, back here I'd say 50 feet
from that arbor to here, seems to be a lot of people in here. They
were walking along here on what looks like about a 12 foot dirt path.
W11AT KIND OF PLACE IS THE ARBOR IN? IS IT A FIELD OUT IN THE OPEN?
No, I want to say park, but it.doesn't exactly feel like a park. If
you took a - the feeling I'm getting - it's not the specific place -
but Like the Town and Country Market. That type of an atmosphere,
with quite a section of it into a little outdoor park, but basically
I'm getting a very strong feeling of flowers.
Like the first one I saw was an iris.
TELL ME ABOUT THE TOWN AND COUNTRY ASPECT. IN WHAT WAY DOES IT REMIND
YOU OF TOWN AND COUNTRY.
The buildings, not right where they're at, but very close to them have
that same kind of architecture and look. The parking lot looks similar,
grand, sweeping, not cluttered, it's more expansive area. You take a
place like Sears Mall - it seems cluttered. This seems more leisurely
paced.
People are moving about slower - there's not the hustle and bustle -
more Or less meandering.
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TOWN AND COUNTRY MEANS TO ME A C(WERED WALKWAY.
Yeah, the back of them it seems to be - where they are seems to be a
very large arbor like vines growing over it and things, and there possi-
bly - I haven't looked in there yet to see if there's any displays like
pottery and things - I get the feeling that there is right close to it.
Yeah, it seems like fairly high shade trees - kinda bordering. The center
part doesn't seem to have it - this part in here. The trees seem to be
way up in here along like this over here. This seems to be shaded in
here, but it's sunny out here.
I just saw something that looked like a windmill - not a farm type wind-
mill - a Dutch-type windmill. It's smaller - it's not a huge thing, but
I'm getting a definite feeling that it's like a windmill.
The area in there feels damp - not wet - they're not walking in water,
but it's very moist. _
The temperature in there... it's secluded. Feels very comfortable. A
little on the shady side.
WHAT DO YOU FIND AS THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PLACE THEY'RE AT?
Outside of this little park-like affair that they seem to be in, there's
a street. One side of it seems to be a kind of a residential... the other
seems to be a little bit more heavily travelled.
Lett me pick up a little bit more.
I can see one very large oak tree - exceptionally.large.
Right now Bart is trying to point something out that is basically the
significance of the whole place. It's like that key thing, well, if
you'd have mentioned a salt pile I'd have blown my lid. Well, this has
a significance that's just about comparable to that. I'm screening it
out.
Thing that just flashed in was kind of like a stadium structure - like
looking down into a stadium.
Just when I did that I - I'll have to reorient to make sure I'm looking
in the same area now.
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Seems like they're - I still get them in the same quadrant I had them
in originally. Seems like some decorative brick walls.
TllE QUADRANT YOU HAD 'T'HEM IN IS BASICALLY THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT?
Yeah, I got them out about this far - it's not far away - I'd say in
this direction over here about - feels like a mile to a mile and a half.
They don't feel as far away, and I'm not looking at the time continuum.
They actually don't feel as far away. I'd say that it is about - not
half the distance they were to the marina, and it seems to be on a line
,just about in that direction but just a hair more - rather than a direct
line from here to the marina - they seem to be just slightly more to the
left of that line.
I was looking back to where he had the car parked and it seems like it's
on asphalt then a curb in front, and then it's like a dirt walkway and
then a sidewalk. But I can see eucalyptus buds on the ground and some
branches of eucalyptus there.
One of the most dominant things to me in the way of unusualness is the
size of the oak tree that I'm looking at. Looks like an arboretum, or
I get the definite feeling of flowers.
In fact, the most predominant feeling that I'm getting right now is flowers.
Don't know why iris particularly.
There's something about the windmill that I was going to look at. Wasn't
that what you were.;..?
Be like one you'd almost see in a miniature golfcourse...the windmill.
Has all the construction and detail but not as large - it's fairly small.
Seems to be made.out"of dark redwood and it's kind of aged.
I'm going to try to `look more directly to them. Let's see, there's Bart
and Hal, and behind Bart is Judy and behind Hal is Phyllis, kinda stag-
gered there.
Looks like a possible small pool of water - like a garden pond.
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I was trying to get the feeling of what type of an area it was.
Let me elevate a bit. I'm looking at much too small an area. There's
some greater significance there that I feel I'm definitely not looking
at - let's Jack up a bit. . .maybe 500 feet.
I see Judy's red hair and her brown eyes and her flashing teeth - she
has beautiful teeth. Hadn't really looked at them before.
Phyllis and her are talking about something and Hal and Bart are talking
about something and he's pointing at something and it seems to me that
he's pointing over to what I'd call a windmill or something that looks
like a windmill.
The water I see looks more like a pool or a pond than it does - you know,
-it's not big like a lake - not very large, but it looks like a definite
pool.
Right where they're at I don't hear too much traffic noise - it seems
to be fairly quiet.
Looks like a little wooden walkway. ?~ .
Feels a little early, but it kinda seems like they're retracing their
steps heading back toward the car, but they're still moving quite leisurely.
IF YOU LOOK DOWN ON THE PLACE FROM ABOVE, CAN YOU GET ANY FEELING FOR
TIIE - IS THERE ANY OVERALL LAYOUT OR PLAN?
When I went up I could see trees and stuff, and I kind of got the feeling
of like in a corner of a golf course, you know - where there would be a
lot of trees overhanging the green and some things in there - that seemed
to be out of context, but when I elevated, that's what I got. It kind
of looked like an overlap to me, so I didn't talk about it, but I will.
When I elevated it kind of felt like it was right over the corner of a
golf course of some kind, with a street running down one side, and they
are fairly close to that.
In fact, the bricked area that I looked at or like a patio thing kinda
looks like a walkway. Seems like there's small building - small meaning
not tall - looks like a.single story building. Looks like it has a flat
roof - slightly pitched. Looks like 4 x 4 poles supporting it - has a
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canopy out over it. They're painted white, place looks like very possible
light yellow or cream color.
They're walking not too far from that. Still seems to me that they're
on a dirt pathway.
In the area that they're in now I get flowers again - where before they
kinda fell out of the flowers.
Looks like, maybe 80-100 yards from where they are - looks like 2 guys
on a motor scooter. They can see them.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE INTEREST TO THIS PLACE? WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT
THIS PLACE?
It seems to be a kind of a recreational, relaxed... not energetic - looks
more relaxed. I'd say it's kind of combination recreational and relaxation
area that I'm getting out of it.
Two aspects - one is aesthetics and the other is a kind of a mild recre-
ational area.
There seem to be some unique features - I don't have it totally into
context as yet. There's a number of things that I've rejected - looked
at and rejected saying.
First, I got the impression that it was kind of like a miniature golf
course - I rejected that. Merely from saying it - I didn't reject the
principle - I just rejected saying it.
Then I kind of got the idea of a standard golf course - I also rejected
that on the same principle, so I'm just trying to describe the terrain.
Seems expansive - doesn't seem cluttered.
Just got a flash of something that reminded me of the gyroscope - gimbals
on the gyroscope.
Drinking fountain - looks like it's made out of kinda like field stone
built up into a fountain.. .bowl.
I'm going to elevate again and go through a search quadrant again.
A-6
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I still get them in that general location, so that seems to set all right.
Distance - maybe a mile, mile and a half. Doesn't seem much farther-
seems fairly close.
The area has an awful lot of grass, lot of trees - looks like dirt walk-
ways, well trimmed. I can see the arbor, and the arbor could be a place
to sit and be out of the direct sun.
May be a few little tables and benches and chairs in there.
That outlooks over quite a grassy area - there are quite a few trees.
I see basically an oak.
Right after they got out of the car I could see some eucalyptus buds
and branches on the ground, and it seemed like the trees were there.
Looked like they got out of the car, stepped upon a curb, dirt parkway,
a sidewalk, and then they went into this area.
I get the feeling this windmill type thing - that all seems fairly real.
The feeling is still that it's relaxing and has some recreational aspects
I just. haven't put it totally together as to giving it a name.
Right now I get a very strong impression of flowers again.
It seems like right now they're back to right where I originally spotted
them only they're going in the opposite direction - like they're moving
toward the direction they originally went.
While they were there they walked on several pathways walked out quite
a ways, then swung over and come over and worked around and looked at...
One peculiar thing I might note - so far I haven't sensed, seen nor heard
an airplane.
Cars seem quite distant - outside of that little motor scooter affair
with the two guys on it. That's about the only vehicular traffic I've
seen - except out in the parking lot.
It seems like to me that they've got most of their attention off what
they were looking at and they've got their attention more on the car
now.
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1 want to look and find out what the significant thing was that Bart
was talking about.
There's something quite unusual there and I ... Damned if I can pick it
(1 r).
WAS HAL DOING ANYTHING BESIDES WALKING ALONG - WAS THERE ANY ACTIVITY
!10!1 HAL TO DO?
Most of the time I was looking at Hal,he was kind of listening to Bart
and Bart was pointing out a number of things.
Part of the time Bart was walking with Hal; part of the time he was back
by Judy.
When I first saw them, it was Bart in the front on the left side, Hal
was on his right, Judy was slightly behind - almost between Bart and
Hat but behind, and Phyllis to her right.
They wandered around but the first time I picked up - they were that
way.
When they were corning back, they just about reversed. Bart would be in
front. When they-were coming back, i yoked like Bart was in front
with Phyllis, and Judy was walking more behind Bart and Hal on her right
when they were coming back out of there.
They're actually at the car.
2:30 SHALL WE GO DOWNSTAIRS AND SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING?
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