OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF SRI VISIT NOVEMBER, 1974

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP96-00787R000200070001-4
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RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
2
Document Creation Date: 
November 4, 2016
Document Release Date: 
September 5, 2003
Sequence Number: 
1
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
November 1, 1974
Content Type: 
PAPER
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PDF icon CIA-RDP96-00787R000200070001-4.pdf90.4 KB
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Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000200070001-4 OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF SRI VISIT November, 1974 The trip to SRI was in support of CB's contract on enhancement of human perception. The purpose was to take an independent look at the SRI protocols, subjects, results and their analysis. In particular, I was to witness further demonstrations on the existence of an extra sensory infor- mation channel, to criticize the experimental protocols and analysis pro- cedures, and to evaluate potential operational utility of the phenomena. My applicable history includes a ten-year mild interest in paranormal phenomena, peaking slightly at times of various personal experiences. My education includes a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, with research in appli- cations of computer science to bioengineering and experimental psychology. Before this trip, I had read the SRI progress reports and had briefly met with Hal Puthoff. Although the existence of telepathic communication seemed possible to me, the possibility of remote viewing (RV) of a location without a human "sender" seemed absurd, and foreign to my concept of human information processing. Based on reading the earlier results with Price and Swann, I became willing to admit the possibility that some people might have such talents, and so I participated as a control on the Atlas experiment - with no particular success. Later, in reviewing the results of an SRI subject (Hella Hammid) performing RV on a piece of scientific apparatus, I attempted to identify the apparatus from her descriptions, which had been judged marginally useful. My attempt was successful, and raised the question of how best to assess information content in RV experiments. An attempt was to be made to repeat this procedure, and to become more familiar with Hammid's vocabulary and manners of speech as well as with her general ability to observe and describe events. This report is in three parts; Assessment of experimental results using the subject Hella Hammid, Criticism of experimental protocols and analysis procedures, Recommendations for future efforts. Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000200070001-4 Trip Report - SRI Attached are two reports concerning my visit to SRI in conjunction with the current CB contract on perceptual augmentation. The separate reports represent an Objective Assessment and a Subjective Critique of the SRI protocols and results, and reflect my dual role as observer and participant. They were written for different audiences, and so overlap in part. SG1I