The 1977 CIA Evaluation of Project STAR GATE: Declassified Intelligence on Psychokinesis and Remote Action

The Scope of Remote Action (RA)

In August 1977, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) formalized a series of evaluations under the umbrella of 'Project STAR GATE' (then often referred to by the codename GRILL FLAME or SCANATE). The focus of the 1977 report was 'Remote Action' (RA), a term used to describe psychokinesis—the alleged ability of a human subject to influence a physical system or object through mental effort alone. The primary research facility was SRI International in Menlo Park, California, where physicists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ conducted controlled experiments with 'high-functioning' individuals like Ingo Swann and Jean-Pierre Girard.

Experimental Protocols and Results

The declassified 1977 intelligence assessment describes experiments where subjects were asked to influence the output of a random number generator (RNG) or to move a small, balanced magnetic probe within a shielded container. According to the CIA's internal review, several trials yielded statistically significant results that 'defied conventional physical explanation.' One document, archived by The Black Vault, details a 'Phase II Evaluation' where a subject successfully perturbed a superconducting magnetometer (SQUID), an instrument designed to measure extremely weak magnetic fields, while located in a separate, shielded room.

Intelligence Utility and Strategic Concerns

The CIA's interest in RA was primarily driven by concerns that the Soviet Union was outpacing the United States in 'psycho-energetics' research. Intelligence reports from the time suggested that Soviet scientists were attempting to use psychokinesis to disable sensitive American electronics or interfere with missile guidance systems. The 1977 Star Gate evaluations were designed to determine if the U.S. could develop a counter-capability or utilize 'Remote Viewing' to gain a strategic advantage. While the agency remained skeptical of the repeatability of RA, the continued funding of the program through the 1990s suggests that the initial 1970s findings were compelling enough to warrant long-term investment.

Declassification and Modern Analysis

The 1995 declassification of the Star Gate files opened thousands of pages of research to the public. These records include detailed logs of 'session' notes, physiological monitoring of the psychics, and internal memos debating the scientific validity of the phenomena. Critics point to the difficulty of replicating these results in a non-military setting, while proponents of the research argue that the CIA's own documentation proves the existence of anomalous cognition and psychokinetic effects under specific laboratory conditions.