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- DRAFT “
POLICY FOR SRl's ESP RESEARCH PROGRAM
SRI
International
believes
it
is appropriate and natural
to
be
involved
in
research activities which
can
be categorized
as controversial,
provided
the organization
can conduct
such
research
in
an environment of
objectivity and -disciplined protocol,
SRI, with
its
reputation
for high
quality multidisciplinary
research,
is
as well
suited
as any organization
to serve
the
good of mankind
by providing
the means
to conduct
research
that
is of
a controversial
nature.
There have
been many occasions where
SRI
has
performed
this
service
in
the
past
and
there undoubtedly will
be
many controversial
research tasks undertaken
by
SRI
in
the future.
A presently ongoing "controversial"
SRI
research activity
is
the
ESP
(extrasensory
perception)
work headed
by
Dr.
Harold Puthoff and
Russell
Targ,
which
started
in
the
ISE
Division about
five years ago and
is now being
conducted
in
the
ERS
Division.
ESP
research
is
by many standards qualified
to have
the
title "controversial" as
it deals with
a concept which many find
difficult
to believe
or
impossible
to quantify
in
terms of physics and
hence
it
is
hard
to understand
as credible.
Some
individuals
involved
in psychology
and
magic
feel
that
the apparent
ESP phenomena
under study are
the
result of
improperly designed experimental
protocol
or outright
trickery or
fraud.
Yet,
there
are documented
experimental
manifestations of possible
ESP
phenomena which
SRI
management
believes are
not experimental
artifacts,
fraud,
Approved For Release 2003/09/10
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Approved For Release 2003/09/10
: CIA-RDP96-00787R00Q2g0020038-9
or trickery and
thus warrant careful
and ongoing research provided
that the
way
in which
the studies are conducted
is above reasonable
reproach.
Thus
it
is
the purpose of this
policy
to define the framework for
conducting
ESP
research at
SRI.
First,
SRI
will
rely heavily upon
its
line
organization
to manage
the ESP
research activities, as
it does for any other
research project.
Project
leaders and project
supervisors will
be assigned
the responsibility for
individual
projects and
these,
in
turn,
will
report
to
the! r appropriate
line management.
Recognizing
the potential
sensationalism
that
ESP activities
sometimes generate,
it
is particularly
important
that
al
levels of
the management
team,
from project
leader
up thru all
levels of
research management,
be particularly careful
in
following established
SRI
research management
procedures.
S R
I
1 s management
team must
keep the client
organizations completely
informed of
SRI
1 s policy toward
this research activity
and
the detailed
research
plans
that are developed and carried out
by the
ESP
research
staff,
and our
plans
to provide periodic
internal
comprehensive
review of
the work.
In
this
regard,
in order
to safeguard
that
all
important nuances of
proper
research protocol
will
always
stand
up
to peer scrutiny from both
within
and outside
SRI,
a
special
ESP program oversight committee will
be
es tab!
i shed
.
This committee will
be chaired
by
the President of
SRI
and have four
members
from
SRI
1 s
senior scientific or management
staff,
and
two appropriate
outsiders.
To
insure
that
the possible occurrence of trickery
is detected,
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: CIA-RDP96-00787R00Q2p0020038-9
SRI
will
try
to
retain
a professional
magician
as
a consultant
to serve on
the oversight committee.
Ex officio members of the committee will
consist
of
the
line management
responsible
for
the work:
Sr.
Vice President
for Research Operations
Group Vice President
Division
Director
Laboratory Director
This committee will
review the
research program
in depth each quarter,
paying
particular attention
to
the client
support
base,
the detailed objectives
of
the projects,
the quality of
the
research protocols
being
used
by the
ESP
research
staff and
the way SRI's
research management
is conducting
the program
for
SRI
and
its clients.
I
Regarding publicity,
it
is
SRI's
intent
to provide minimal
exposure of
this
ESP
research activity outside
SRI.
SRI
will
keep confidential,
as
a
matter of policy,
the nature of
the client
support
SRI
has
for
ESP
research.
In addition,
both
the
ESP
research
staff and management are directed
to not
grant
interviews or
release
statements
for publication about
the
research.
This tight
control
is believed
vital
to
Insure that
a
proper objective and
disciplined
(not
sensational)
environment
is maintained
for
the conduct of
ESP
research at
SRI.
However,
it
is
believed
that
the
SRI
ESP
research activity must
have
critical
peer
review
in order
to be credible.
For
this
reason
the
ESP
research
staff will
(as approved
by clients)
be permitted
to seek
to publish their
results
in appropriate professional
journals or
to offer
to present
their
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research
results
at professional
society symposia and meetings.
From time
to time
it
is expected
that
they will
present
their
results
at
internal
SRI
functions.
In addition,
their
research
results will
be published
in
the
form of
reports which are carefully
reviewed
by the appropriate
SRI
research
management and
issued
as
required
by the clients.
It
is expected that
SRI
resources may
be allocated to this work much as
is now done with other
SRI
research programs.
Depending upon priority and
plans of the organization and
the needs of this activity,
such
resources
as
O.H.
Travel,
Bid and
Proposal
Funds,
and Capital
Equipment
Funds may
be
applied
to
this area of
research.
Because of
the potentially sensational
nature of
the work,
it
is
important
i
that
all
levels of
the
SRI organization
treat
the research staff
in an equitable
fashion
as possible concerning their research program needs and
their
individual
evaluation
and
personal
remuneration.
The more normal
that
SRI
can make
the environment
in which the
ESP
research projects are carried out,
the more
likely
that
SRI
can provide the
disciplined and objective environment
that
is essential
for conducting quality
research
in
this controversial
arena.
There
is nothing
in
this policy
to
restrict
its distribution,
in
fact
its distribution
in
response
to official
public enquiries
is encouraged.
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