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Proposal
for' Research
February
19/3
SRI
No.
ISU 73-
PSYCHOENERGETIC:
PHENOMENA
soil
SGFOIA3
SG1I
Dear
We at SRI were happy
to have
a chance
to talk with you and your
associates during our recent trip
to Washington.
We have prepared this
informal letter proposal for research in the field
of psychoenergetic
phenomena
in response
to
a variety
of suggestions as
to the kind of
research program that would yield results
of
the greatest interest to
you.
In the past half year we have had an opportunity
to work with two
individuals who appear
to have unusual abilities both
in the area
of
psychoenergetic effects,
and also with regard to their extraordinary
perceptual abilities.
In other correspondence with you we have described
in detail some
of
the research we have carried out with these individuals.
In this
letter we will briefly outline those data we consider
to be
the most significant.
Based
on this data,
we will then go on
to describe
a program wo propose
to undei’take
to shed
fui’ther light on
those phen-
omena for which we have
the greatest evidence
in our laboratory.
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February
1973
Arlington,
Virginia
Page
SRI
No.
ISU 73-
Our work
in this area began when,
based on
the reports
of successful
experiments
at the American Society for Psychical Research with Mr.
Ingo
Swann,
we arranged that he come
to
this
laboratory
to participate
in
a
series
of experiments.
In this work using
a shielded magnetometer at
Stanford University,
Mr.
Swann apparently demonstrated an ability to
increase and decrease at will
the magnetic field within
a superconducting
magnetic shield.
This experiment made use
of an existing facility in
the physics department and we have confidence that Mr,
Swann had no prior
knowledge of either the apparatus or of our intended experiment.
The
experimental results have now been scrutinized by the relevant Stanford
f
^
scientists and found
to be apparently free from defects,
and
: unlike any
data previously produced with their apparatus.
A second experiment perfoimed by us with another subject entailed
the deflection of
a slow electron beam by psychoenergetic means.
In
this experiment
a
slow electron beam
(a few eV) was made to strike
a
divided collector consisting of inner and outer electrodes.
After
the electron beam was magnetically balanced
to provide
a null,
the subject
was asked
to cause
the beam to move.
He was
told that such movement
would be
indicated by
the motion of
the pen
of
the recording galvanometer.
In our preliminary work we found
a
subject who could apparently cause
the electron beam to move
in
accoi’dance with his will.
This experiment
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was
pei'formed
in
a screened room with
the subject seated six feet from
the
beam tube
.
.
A third series
of experiments was recently concluded at
this
lab-
oratory with
a young
Israeli named
Mr.
Uri Geller.
In our five weeks
of
research with him,
he demonstrated
a wide
range
of apparent psychic ability.
In particular,
he was
able
to perceive and reproduce drawings
in double
envelopes with almost error-free performance.
Some twenty drawings were
reproduced by him under excellent experimental conditions.
Double-blind
experiments were also performed
in which he located small hidden objects
in one of
ten identical metal
. contai ners .
He did
this on twelve occasions
without error.
He was also able
to identify which face
of
a die was
uppermost, when
the die was shaken inside of
a metal file box which was
not opened until his call was recorded.
All of
the above perceptual
tasks appeared easier for him than
the various psychoenergetic effects
we asked him to produce.
Among
these latter,
the most consistently
achieved and carefully controlled was his increase and decrease in the
weight recorded by
a laboratory balance under
a Bell
Jar.
In this series
I
of experiments,
recorded on film and videotape,
he caused deflections
of
up
to 1.5 grams.
The deflecticns were more
than fifty times
the noise
level
that could be caused by striking thO Bell
jar,
or any other known
mechanical or magnetic means.
Mr.
Geller was also able
to cause deflection of
a laboratory mag-
netometer without having physical contact with
it.
The instrument gave
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readings corresponding
to an apparent magnetic field change
of
±0.3 gauss.
This
same instrument was
first used
to examine carefully hts hands and
his person to make sure
that he did not have any magnets or magnetic
material available
to
him.
All
of
the above experiments with Mr.
Cellar were continuously re-
corded on film and video
tape,
and
no event occurring out of
the laboratory
was considered
to have any scientific relevance apart from suggesting
further lines for subsequent
investigation.
In addition,
we have observed under non-laboratory conditions
a)
the
turning of watch hands without his having any physical contact with the
watch,
b)
deflection of
a
compass
and magnetometer,
and
c)
the deforma-
tion of several rings.
However,
because
these effects were not performed
under strict laboratory conditions
they are not included
in the same
category as
the above-mentioned experiments.
Further experiments are currently underway with Swann in which
significant results
are being obtained
in
the area of remote perception.
Based on
encouraging results
in our initial observations,
it
is
proposed that a mere comprehensive one-year program be initiated.
The
purpose
is
to investigate,
under rigorous
and carefully controlled con-
ditions,
psychoenergetic and extraordinary perceptual effects
of the
type discussed above,
with
the
goal of obtaining repeatable
results.
Specifically,
it
is
planned
that
the gifted subjects,
Mr.
Swann
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and Mr.
Geller,
will participate in experiments.
Of special interest
is
the fact
that
Mr.
Swann’s abilities apparently
were not innate,
but rather were developed by
a set of training proce-
dures.
Therefore,
during the course of
the study,
information as
to
I
.
possible training procedures for the development of such abilities will
be compiled.
.
,
^
,
.
/
:
,
?:,v;>;Wlth regard to overall methodology,
we shall employ a strong feed-
:
back reinforcement technique.
As
is now well know, psychoenergetic
^
experimentation by naive investigators has often followed the paradigm
I
of. a large number of trials without feedback
as
to results until the
»
•
,
'
•
••
.
'
•
j-'
’
' experiment was over.
Such a paradigm, is known by psychologists
to cnn-
,
pti tnt.e
an extinction paradigm well suited to eliminate correct task
„
i performance.
' Therefore,
real-time feedback as to success or failure of
;
a-. given task will be made available to the subject whenever possible.
;
f.
,
.
'
,
f
I Such feedback should then provide the subject with reinforcement
appro-
; priate for enhancing performance rather than extinguishing ability.
The proposal program will have three specific aims;
I
1.
Working with gifted subjects we will examine such potentially
..
i.
psychoenergetic. effects
as;
'
'
1)
Erasure of video tape
:
2)
Electron beam deflection
3)
Magnetic effects on compass
and magnetometer
(
4)
Generation of effects on NMR
(nuclear magnetic resonance)
^
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5)
Generation of electrical signals
in remote shielded, environ-
ments
6)
Generation of infrared signals
at remote locations
7)
Laser beam deflection detectable by changes
in interference
patterns
8)
Systematic weight change with recording balance
2.
In the area of person-to-person communications,
an effort will
be made to find frequency correlations between the recorded EEG output
of
an isolated subject,
with the EEG output of
a subject undergoing photic
driving at
low audio frequencies.
Based on our preliminary investigation
using
a real-time spectrum analyzer,
between the brain wave output
of
a
person considered as
a receiver
in
a shielded room,
and the EEG output
of
a sender
in
a remote
location,
while the sender
is stimulated with a
flashing strobe light
at
a randomly selected frequency.
This research
will make use of SRI’s facility for real-time spectrum analysis,
which
gives
a plot
of power-spectral-density
in 0.1 Hz increments from
1 Hz
to
100 Hz.
The use of this equipment makes possible retrieval of signals
that would be definitely lost
to conventional polygraph data analysis.
The output
from the spectrum analyzer corresponding to the "signal"
i
will be fed back
to the "receiver" allowing him to gain awareness
of
his mental state
at those times when he
is
responding
to the mental state
of
the sender.
We will attempt
to determine whether this perceptual
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augmentation will cause increased subject awareness of
signal even in
the absence
of feedback.
•
'
3.
The third area
for- consideration pertains
to the ability of an
individual
to perceive an object or situation not known to him or any
other person.
In our double blind experiments with Geller,
and
in many
experiments performed by other researchers,
this type of perception has
been found to occur.
We would investigate this ability both with the
gifted participants
in the program,
and also with other unselected
subjects.
In working with the unselected subjects,
we will make use of
feedback and reinforcement techniques to help bring these presumably
latent perceptual abilities under conscious
and volitional control.
To
achieve this goal
we. will make use, of
an automatic stimulus generator
that randomly, chooses
among four preselected target pictures.
This
‘
machine gives
the subject immediate feedback
as
to the correct target
.
and rewards him with audio and visual reinforcements for correct re-
sponses
as to the state of
the machine.
The device can be used in both
a perception-of-machine-state mode and also
as
an adjunct
in
a mind-to-
mind mode.
The machine
is entirely free from any known sensory leakage,
and
its randomness has been carefully investigated.
In preliminary ex-
periments with
this tjpe of machine we have found definite evidence that
learning does
take place.
We consider it
an
important part of any re-
search program to try to increase the extraordinary perceptual ability
of unselected subjects
in addition to working with gifted subjects.
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The investigators,
Mr. Russell Targ and Dr. Harold Puthoff,
are
senior research physicists
and will devote approximately 75 percent
of
their time to this program,
and Dr.
Lawrence Pinneo,
a staff neurophysi--
ologist,
will be available on
a one day per week basis
for consultation.
They will be assisted by
a half-time technical assistant and a half-time
electronics technician.
The estimated time required to complete this project
and report its
results
is
one year.
The
Institute could begin work on receipt of
a fully
executed contract.
A cost estimate
is
attached.
It
is requested that any contract resulting from this proposal be
written on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis.
This proposal will remain in effect until
1 April 1973.
If consid-
eration of the proposal requires
a longer period,
the
Institute will be
glad to consider a request
for
an extension of
time.
If
I can supply any further information concerning this proposed
program,
please telephone me and
I will be happy to try to answer your
questions.
Yours
sincerely,
Russell '4arg
Harold Puthoff
Senior Research Physicists
Electronics
and Bioengineering
Laboratory
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