A STEPCHILD OF SCIENCE STARTS TO WIN FRIENDS U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00787R000200080014-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 5, 1998
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: July 31, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

Parapsychology, often linked
with the occult and mystical,
is sparking new debate.
Skeptics debunk the subject, but
believers want more research.
Woman in parapsychology experiment undergoes test for extrasensory perception.
Slowly but steadily, parapsychology times, creating an impression of para- search on the Nature of Man in
is edging toward scientific respectabil- normal activity because of the large Durham, N.C., indicate that many per-
ity after years of lurking on the fringes. gaps in precise and verified knowledge sons seem to be able to predict Future
New and carefully controlled re- about the nature of the mind, con- events with startling accuracy
search into extrasensory perception, sciousness and the nervous system. Such findings, backers of parapsy-
clairvoyance, telepathy and other psy- Parapsychologists argue that their chology say, are often duplicated in the
chic phenomena is being carried out research proves the ability of humans everyday life of ordinary Americans.
by government, the military, medicine to reach beyond conscious limits of Dreams come true. Researchers
and academia. The findings, some con- communication by tapping submerged have
l echo s . denly voiced dross accountso in dense
tend, promise to reveal a vast, unreal- powers of the subconscious. a
ized potential within the human mind. That notion is a stumbling block for of unease about a relative ar friend,
"It is hazardous to make predictions many, says Norma Bowles, co-author of only to learn later that the person had
in this field, but .1 believe we are on the a recent survey of parapsychology, Psi been injured, killed or placed in great
verge of discoveries at the outer Search. She says: "To contemplate that danger. Others relate vivid dreams
fringes of scientific knowledge that we may be able to mentally `fish' into that are later re-created in real life.
may completely alter our notions of the future and the past at will-or that Rex Stanford, research director of
the mind's capabilities," says Willis the mind may not exist within the the Center for Parapsychological Re-
Harman of the Stanford Research Insti- brain-is such a troubling concept to search in Austin, Tex., theorizes: that
tute in California. traditional Western thought that it most people unconsciously use their
Possible applications of psychic abili- may block our acceptance of a devel- psychic abilities to scan the world
ty, advocates say, range from tech- opment that may be as significant as arodun events thern,
important ntdi them.
11
niques in warfare and crime detection our discovery of atomic energy.
to predictions of new archaeological Parapsychology's cause has been fur- "The person who unexpectedly
discoveries, promising investments and thered recently by accounts of psychic meets someone he especially wants to
likely energy sources. abilities in some individuals. see, or gets a phone call from a distant
Burden of proof. Traditionally a "far In the past, such traits have been friend he had just thought about, or
out" pursuit, parapsychology still gets a given a variety of descriptions: deji vu, even someone who always seems to
cool reception from the scientific es- mind reading, sixth sense, premonition find a parking place no matter how
crowded the streets these things may
tahlishment. Philip 11. Abelson, editor and mind over matter.
of the authoritative journal Science, Now, reputable researchers insist, re- be more than just leading a charmed
agrees that parapsychological research cent experiments have taken psychic life, Stanford says. Such happenings,
has improved markedly, but he is dubi- events out of the realm of the unlikely he contends, may be proof that psychic
ous about the results. and into the probable. Among them: abilities are innate to hum ins, but may
"These extraordinary claims require ? Experimenters at the Maiinunnides have been repressed by overdepen-
extraordinary evidence," he contends. Medical Center in New York City dence on the five perceived senses-
" l"indings that question the basic laws claim repeated success for mental te- touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.
of nature must be subjected to rigorous lepathy in transmitting images and Even in an age of skepticism, inter-
scientific scrutiny, and must be able to thoughts between wideLl separated in- est remains high in a subject that has
be duplicated by impartial investiga- divicluals. Some results, they say, defy fascinated people since the beginning
tors. Until then, many scientists will chance by a ratio of 100 billion to 1. of recorded history.
remain unconvinced." a At the University of California, in- A Gallup Poll released in June found
This continuing disagreement flows vestigators found a woman who, they that 51 percent of U.S. adults believe in
out of7 v )ff oocpesses said /couldlp~d perceive computer-@g~ennerraat- extrasensory perception. Among per-
~iCl it TClla~ta[StF se 2O?,1' O }101AJI'R?P~7~~VV / V~ V~ e e~ edliCa tion, be-
and cat rt 1 in r _s picenk.
Many scholars see the subconscious concealed from her.
as a deep reservoir of acquired infor- ms bong germ}proje^ is attinn fer RU e- lieveirt s ven p tionnt the ~abilitybe-
 Approved For Releas 001/03/26 : CIA-RDP96-007879 MO200080014-9 l 1 l
t
. 1e
wet research may someday ena ) e
Russians to perceive paranormally the
contents of top-secret U.S. documents,
psychically influence the thoughts of
U.S. military leaders and even cause
the instant death of any U.S. official or
the disabling of military equipment, in-
cluding spacecraft.
Guarding secrets. Last year the So-
viet Union deported Robert C. Toth, a
Los Angeles Times' correspondent,
after he had been given a paper on
parapsychology by a Russian scientist.
All formal Western contact with Soviet
parapsychologists ended in 1972, when
the Russian government classified re-
search being done in the field.
U.S. government officials will not re-
veal the extent of research being con-
ducted into the military aspects of
parapsychology, but Stanford Research
Institute scientists are continuing re-
Louisa and J. B. Rhine, creators of modern techniques for researching psychic abilities. search into the area in conjunction
foretell future events-while 30 per-
cent believe in dlejn vu-the feeling of
having experienced a place or event at
an earlier time.
One result of such widespread be-
liefs is a continuing spate of sensation-
alist articles, books and movies about
the paranormal, most of which serve to
titillate rather than inform, in the opin-
ion of serious psychic researchers.
However, since J. B. Rhine began
his pioneering work in the field at
Duke University more than 40 years
ago, research in parapsychology has
been going on among a small group of
scientists who maintain traditional
standards of scientific proof.
"In the past, psychic research has
been sandwiched between a general
public that is overcredulous and a sci-
entific community that is overly dubi-
ous," contends Edward Kelly, a
parapsychology researcher at Duke.
"As a result, most legitimate parapsy-
chologists have become so sensitive
about reckless use of their data that
they are reluctant to make any broad
claims on their findings."
Into the mainstream. Now, such au-
thoritative bodies as the Smithsonian
Institution and the California Museum
of Science and Industry are promoting
credible information on the subject.
One Smithsonian traveling exhibit
called "Psi Search"-based on the book
of the same name-has been seen by
more than 2 million Americans in the
last 21/2. years. A growing number of
colleges, including the University of
Southern California and Iowa State
University, offer parapsychology semi-
nars as a result of increased interest.
health care, national security and the
arts. They assert that the U.S. is not
devoting enough resources to studies
in parapsychology, and that Soviet-bloc
psychic explorations are far ahead of
American work in the field.
Soviet weapon? Some authorities
believe there are ominous implications
for the intelligence community. A re-
cently declassified document of the
Defense Intelligence Agency that ex-
amined Russian capabilities in parapsy-
chology cites repeated examples of
individuals who allegedly can will ob-
jects into motion, and "psychotronic"
generators that store psychic energy.
The report, some of which sounds
like science fiction from an undisci-
plined imagination, speculates that So-
Ade Bates of )s c c r ,earth con-
tc?nd t~l'h[~ r1Q~~cl- ,r iii e Q &e120iOo'
These researchers say that in 1.975,
working with two well-known psy-
chics, they demonstrated the possibili-
ty of clairvoyant spying. They relate
how a psychic described in remarkable
detail a secret, un..dergraund U.S. mili-
tary installation. Another individual,.
given geographic coordinates of it
South Indian Ocean island, reportedly
matte a fairly accurate sketch of a loca-
tion on the island.
"Funding of U.S. parapsychological
research averages about half a million
dollars annually, and that is mostly pri-
vate money spread through 14 labora-
tories," says Charles Tart, a noted
parapsychologist at the University of
California at Davis who has studied So-
viet research in the field. Tart says Rus-
sia spends the equivalent of 50 million
dollars each year, using hundreds of
top scientists and seriously exploring
parapsychology's military applications.
Nonetheless, parapsychology is find-
ing the road to acceptance a rocky one.
Scientific journals almost never pub-
lish reports of psychic research, though
the Parapsychological Association has
been affiliated with the American As-
sociation for the Advancement of Sci-
ence since 1969.
Moreover, a number of scientists,
educators and writers formed the
Committee for the Scientific Investiga-
tion of Claims of the Paranormal last
year to debunk parapsychology. The
committee contends that the current
vogue for unexplained happenings
may "break down society's critical
judgment, and may also jeopardize our
resistance to new and unforeseen
forms of tyranny.,'
Such arguments over the validity 01
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