POLICY FOR SRI'S ESP RESEARCH PROGRAM

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Body:  Approved For Release 2000/08/07 CIA-RDP96-00788R001100.040009-8
 POLICY FOR SRI'S ESP RESEARCH PROGRAM
 SRI International pursues research deemed of significance, relevance
 and leadership.  Such research problems are often controversial by their
 Very nature.   SRI International has stated in its policy concerning contro-
 .versial issues that it is appropriate to be involved in significant and
 relevant research even though it may be controversial, provided the research
 is conducted professionally in all respects.
 A presently ongoing controversial SRI research activity is the ESP
 (extrasensory perception) work currently headed by Dr. Harold Puthoff and
 Mr. Russell Targ.  SRI recognizes that some people feel the apparent ESP
 phenomena under study are the result of improperly designed experimental
 protocol. or outright trickery or fraud.  Others feel there are documented
 experimental manifestations of possible ESP phenomena which they believe are
 not experimental artifacts, fraud, or trickery and thus warrant careful
 research provided the studies are conducted in a scientifically sound manner.
 ESP research is controversial in that it deals with a concept which many
 find difficult to believe or impossible to quantify in terms of known physical
 laws and hence hard to understand as credible.  As a matter of policy, SRI
 will design and conduct only those ESP experiments which will aid in developing
 an understanding of the causal relationships of the phenomena and their re-
 lationship with known or postulated physical laws.
 One purpose of this policy is to define the framework for conducting ESP
 research at SRI.  SRI will rely upon its line organization to manage the ESP
 research. activities, as it does for any other research project.  Project leaders.
 and project supervisors will be assigned the responsibility for individual
 projects and. these, in turn, will report to their appropriate line management..
 Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788RO01100040009-8
 Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788RO01100040009-8
 Recognizing the sensationalism that ESP activities sometimes generate, it
 is particularly important that all levels_of the management team, from
 project leader up through all levels of research management, be particularly
 careful in following established SRI research management procedures.
 In this regard, in order to safeguard that all important nuances of
 proper research protocol will always stand up to peer scrutiny from both
 within and outside SRI, a special ESP Program Oversight Committee will be
 established.  This committee will be appointed by the Senior Vice President,
 Research Operations, and will have four members from SRI's senior scientific,
 or management staff, and two or more appropriate, knowledgeable individuals
 from outside SRI.  To ensure that the possibility of trickery is obviated,
 SRI will try to retain a responsible professional magician as a consultant
 to the program and to serve on or to advise the ESP Committee.  Appropriate
 members of line management will serve as ex officio members of the committee.
 The ESP Committee will review the ESP research program in depth quarterly,
 paying particular attention to the quality of the research protocols being
 used by the ESP research staff and the way SRI's research management is cducti
 the program for SRI and its clients:  The committee will report its findings to
 SRI management.
 It is believed essential that the SRI ESP research activity have critical
 peer review in order to ensure its credibility and integrity.  For this reason
 the ESP research staff will, after prior approval by SRI management, be per-
 mitted to seek to publish results that may be significant in appropriate,,
 refereed, professional journals or to offer to present their research results
 at appropriate professional society symposia and meetings.  From time to, time
 it is expected that they will present their results at internal SRI functions.
 In addition, their research results will be published in the form of reports
 which are carefully reviewed by the appropriate SRI research management and
 issued as required by contract research agreements and current policy covering
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 Research concerning ESP is-being undertaken to attempt to find-facts-
 to to present to the peer community for scientific review and confirmation,
 and not for speculation or publicity.
 SRI, therefore, will provide minimal
 media publicity of this ESP research activity.  The ESP research staff or
 any other SRI staff member will not grant. interviews or release statements
 fcr ge:zeral publication about the research without prior management approval.
 Th.'.s 'bight control is believed vital to ensure that a proper, objective and
 disciplined (not sensational) environment is maintained for the conduct of
 ESP research at SRI.
 There is nothing in this policy to restrict its distribution; in fact,.
 its distribution in response to official public enquiries is encouraged.
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