MEMO TO: RECORD
CIA-STARGATE
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This document is a summary of a briefing given by the CIA to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) regarding the transfer of the Star Gate program from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to the CIA. The briefing included discussions on the Congressional Action and ORD's response, the costs and utility of the program, and the transfer issues. Questions were asked regarding the cost of the study, the reasons for Congress wanting to transfer the program, funding concerns, the value of the program to the intelligence community, documented successes, evaluation methods, and the potential for declassification. Other topics discussed included the NRC study, program classification, foreign programs, and brainwave/paranormal research.
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Body: Approved For Release 2004/09/09 : CIA-RDP96-00791 R000100030055-5
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23 May 95
CIA briefed the status of the Star Gate transfer to SSCI
22 May 1995. The SSCI staff present included Charles
Battaglia, Christopher Straub, Edward Levine, Melvin Duby,
Christopher Mellon, Al Cummings, and Donald Mitchell. CIA
participants included D ORD (OCA),
(Comptroller), an .
began with summary of the Congressional Action
and ORD's response to it, stressing that ORD was conducting a
blue ribbon panel study and had not transferred people from
DIA because CIA did not possess the means to task them or
disseminate their product. thenaddressed the
three main elements of the CDA: 20 year retrospective,
declassification, and transfer by 1 July of the program from
DIA to CIA.
The briefing quickly became a question and answer
session. Given that no questions were asked specifically
about "remote viewing," I assume that all present understood
the general nature of the program activity in this area and
were concerned primarily with the program cost, utility, and
transfer issues.
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At the end of the briefing, summary charts were
distributed to three members, Christopher Mellon, Christopher
Straub, and Al Cummings (I think). These summary charts
indicated when Richard D'Amato had been briefed and included
four highlights of that meeting.
Some of the questions included:
How much will the study cost, and who is paying for it this
year?
Did Congress have some specific reason for wanting to get
this program out of DIA? (A- - LZn-% 'y ks T') ' A .wz.
What would happen if Congress zeroed out the FY96 money,
would CIA still pay for this? L.AL
How much will CIA spend on R&D versus foreign assessment?CA 2-
H ow much money has been spent on this program?
How has DIA spent the money?
Utility:
What is the real value of this program to the intelligence
community?
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Approved For Release 2004/09/09 : CIA-RDP96-00791 R000100030055-5
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Has the program ever produced a documented success?
Isn't the remote viewing product numerically evaluated?
What part of the program most belongs in the intel community?
Was there any case where this program provided critical
information?
After 20 years does anyone have anything to show for this?
Why did the NRC pull out? Was their letter negative about
remote viewing?
Why repeat the study if NRC pulled out?
How long will AIR take to complete the study?
Will the AIR review address the utility of remote viewing?
I stressed that the NRC study dealt with an Army
program dealing with performance enhancement tools, and not
Star Gate, although one chapter in the NRC report addressed
remote viewing. No one has reviewed Star Gate.]
What does declassification mean?
What aspects of this caused it to be classified in the first
place?
What aspects might you keep classified at CIA?
What program do the Russians have in this area?
Is there any brainwave or other paranormal research going on
anywhere outside the IC?
Would you put the R&D at a University?
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