The 1973 CIA Evaluation of Uri Geller: Stanford Research Institute Investigations

The Scientific Framework\n\nIn August 1973, under the auspices of CIA-funded research, physicists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ conducted a week-long series of experiments at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) involving Uri Geller. The objective was to determine if Geller could perceive and replicate drawings created by researchers in a separate, electromagnetically shielded room. These trials were part of the early phase of what would later become Project STARGATE, the U.S. government's long-running investigation into the intelligence-gathering potential of extrasensory perception (ESP).\n\n

Documented Results and Anomalies\n\nAccording to the declassified report titled 'Experiments - Uri Geller,' the subject demonstrated a statistically significant ability to reproduce target illustrations. In one notable trial, a researcher drew a bunch of grapes; Geller, isolated in a double-walled steel room, correctly identified the image, even capturing the exact number of grapes in the cluster. Another trial involved the drawing of a kite, which Geller replicated with high fidelity. The CIA monitors noted that Geller’s success rate was well beyond what could be attributed to chance, leading the lead investigators to conclude that he had demonstrated his paranormal perceptual ability in a convincing and unambiguous manner.\n\n

Historical Significance and Declassification\n\nFor decades, the details of these SRI trials were classified. It was not until the mass declassification of over 12 million pages of CIA records in 2017 that the full extent of the agency's interest in Geller became public. The documents reveal a paradoxical internal culture: while some intelligence officers were deeply skeptical, the raw data from the 1973 sessions prompted the CIA to continue funding psychic research for another two decades. These files serve as a primary historical record of the intersection between Cold War intelligence requirements and the academic study of parapsychology, providing a sober, data-driven look at a topic often dismissed as mere stage magic.