The 1972 CIA Investigation of Uri Geller: Declassified Psychokinesis Records at SRI

Context of the SRI Studies In the early 1970s, as part of the nascent Star Gate program, the CIA funded research at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) to explore potential intelligence applications of psychic phenomena. A primary subject of these tests was Uri Geller, an individual who claimed to possess psychokinetic and telepathic abilities. The declassified files, released under FOIA, provide a clinical look at the methodology used by researchers Dr. Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ to validate these claims under rigorous laboratory conditions. ## Documented Experimental Results The August 1972 experiments focused on 'remote viewing' and 'anomalous perturbation' (psychokinesis). In one series of tests, Geller was placed in a shielded room while a researcher in a separate location drew a simple image. Geller was then asked to reproduce the drawing. The declassified CIA report RDP96-00787R000700110003-2 notes that Geller succeeded in matching several drawings with high precision, achieving results that the researchers calculated to be statistically significant beyond any chance of coincidence. Furthermore, the report details an incident where Geller appeared to influence a laboratory scale, causing a recorded weight shift without physical contact. The monitoring CIA officers noted that the controls were designed to prevent sleight of hand, including the use of electronic sensors and double-blind protocols. ## Implications for Intelligence The CIA's internal assessment of the Geller trials was surprisingly positive. A memo to the Office of Research and Development stated that Geller had demonstrated 'his paranormal perceptual ability in a convincing and unambiguous manner.' While the agency remained cautious about operational deployment, the success of these trials paved the way for decades of classified psychic research, including the well-known remote viewing programs at Fort Meade. The SRI documents serve as a rare historical record of the U.S. government's serious scientific engagement with the fringes of human consciousness and the potential for psychic intelligence gathering.