US ARMY'S INTEREST IN PSYCHOENERGETICS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00788R001100370005-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 1998
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 15, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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The US Army's interest in psychoenergetics goes back to 1972,
when the Surgeon General through the Medical Intelligence
Information Agency (MIIA), together with DIA, published studies
of Soviet Block work. In 1976, the Missile Intelligence Agency
(MIA) informally expressed interest in US replication of claimed
Soviet experiments in psychokenesis. SRI developed a small
program for them and in August 1977, MIA awarded SRI an $80K
one-year R&D contract. During the same time, another DARCOM
Agency, the Army Material Systems Analysis Agency was involved
in the investigation of Remote Viewing concepts with SRI. These
efforts continued through FY 1980. In March 1980, William J.
Perry, then Under Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering, ordered curtailment of all P6 monies supporting the
program, but posed no objection to continuance of non-R&D
intelligence applications efforts. This action eventually
caused DARCOM to cease all activity.
The US Army Intelligence and Security Command's involvement with
psychoenergetics began in September 1977. At that time, an
INSCOM element implemented the GONDOLA WISH Program which was
designed to integrate the Soviet and East European
psychoenergetic intelligence collection threat into the
all-source Operations Security (OPSEC) support scenario.
By Spring of 1978, the Army ACSI concluded there was sufficient
evidence to warrant the development of a comprehensive program
to explore military applications of psychoenergetics. He
cancelled the GONDOLA WISH effort, placed a complete security
envelope over Army's interest in psychoenergetics, and
implemented a new program directed towards intelligence
collection using Remote Viewing. The new effort was given the
unclassified nickname GRILL FLAME. In October 1978, ACSI tasked
INSCOM to establish a program using psychoenergetics for
intelligence applications utilizing Remote Viewing. By Spring
1979, project personnel had been selected and training
initiated. The March 1980 Perry Memorandum withdrew the Program
6 monies supporting psychoenergetic R&D efforts, but it did not
put us out of business. In 1981, the ACSI transferred total
management responsibility for the project to INSCOM. Also in
1981, a Joint Services GRILL FLAME Committee, consisting of DIA,
the Air Force and Army was formed. The Navy expressed no
interest in participating in any discussions, and later the Air
Force Chief of Staff directed that the Air Force withdraw from
the committee and all psychoenergetic programs. This joint
services effort was formed to implement a 3-year comprehensive
program designed to determine the operational parameters and
usefulness of psychoenergetics, and assess the threat these
phenomena posed to national security. Within this joint
services program, the roles of DIA and Army were distinct. DIA
was R&D oriented and INSCOM's GRILL FLAME Project was to use
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Remote Viewing as an operational technique to collect
intelligence and to determine if Remote Viewing could be learned
by professional intelligence personnel who were not "established
psychics." INSCOM participated in this joint services effort
until the end of FY 82 when the budget subcommittee of the
Senate Select Committee on intelligence (Senator Wallop)
curtailed all psychoenergetic operational activities conducted
by the Army in the National Foreign Intelligence Program
(NFIP). The congressional conferees agreed, however, to let DIA
complete the third year of their effort and directed that future
funding -- if any -- of this psychoenergetic activity be
budgeted outside the NFIP. So in the Fall of 1982, in keeping
with these congressional desires and wishing to maintain the
momentum of effort already established, the CG, INSCOM decided
to continue INSCOM's project and provide funding with Security
and Investigative Activities (S&IA) monies. INSCOM terminated
formal involvement with GRILL FLAME at the end of FY 82, and
continued its efforts under a provisional special access program
nicknamed CENTER LANE.
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