PROPOSAL FOR A ONE-YEAR RESEARCH STUDY TO DETERMINE THE ROLE, IF ANY, OF INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM PSYCHICS IN FULFILLING CIA S MISSIONS

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Body:  TO             Center for the Study of Intelligence
 Office of Training
 DDO
 DDS FAT
 SUBJECT :      Proposal For a One-Year Research Study to Determine
 the Role, If Any, Of Information Obtained From Psychics
 In Fulfilling CIA's Missions
 1.    It is proposed that a one-year study be conducted by the
 undersigned, under the auspices of the Center'for the Study of
 Intelligence, into the possible use of psychically derived information
 in the fulfillment of intelligence and operational missions of the
 CIA.
 2.    Research will center on two main aspects:
 A.   The documentation of the use of psychics by U.S. police
 forces and possibly other U.S.  Government Agencies in the investigation
 of crimes, related police work, and other missions;   and'
 B.   An attempt to work in direct contact with psychics,
 and to'work with information from psychics not directly contacted,
 to determine the probloms and ramifications of psychically derived
 information as a tool in the fulfillment of CIA's intelligence
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 collection and analysis an,d operational missions.
 3..    The benefits of such a study are:
 A.   The identification and description of a new tool which
 CIA may be able to put to use to fulfill its missions, and a 'proposal
 of its practical applications.
 B.   An understanding of how, to what extent, and with
 what success and problems, the Soviet Union and Soviet Bloc countries
 have employed this 'tool.
 C.   A greater understanding of a force and phenomenon
 which may have far-reaching benefits for mankind.
 D.   An ability to help the U.S. guide itself through such
 turmoils as may manifest in an approaching period of significant
 change for the world and unrest for its peoples predicted by current
 and past psychic literature.
 4.    The proposed methodology for conducting such a study is:
 A.   To devise means of discovering and making contact with
 those organizations (police forces, the FBI, and possibly other U.S.
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 government agencies) which have used psychics in criminal
 investigations, locating missing persons, or other governmental
 work.   This would involve a literature search, contacting psychic
 groups, etc.
 S.   To contact and interview police force personnel and
 other pertinent sources about their use of psychics to determine
 their mode of operation and results.
 C.   To contact known cooperative psychics (those named by
 the police departments, or others identified by means which will
 have to be devised) and seek their cooperation in a research program.
 5.    CIA management must, at the outset of this study, address
 and answer the following questions having policy,  security,  and ethical
 ramifications:
 A. What will be the effect upon CIA's image if it is
 learned by officers of U.S. police departments and other government
 agencies, members of various groups and private individuals
 throughout the U.S. currently engaged in psychic research, and
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 various psychics  throughout the U.S. "that CIA is doing research
 in the psychic field and is exploring practical ways of gathering
 and using psychic information to fulfill CIA responsibilities?
 If management determines such an effect to be detrimental; the
 researchers should be directed to devise acceptable cover
 mechanisms.   If the effects are considered to be minimal and
 acceptable; research can proceed directly,  although discreetly,
 and without subterfuge.
 B.   What ethical and moral guidelines must be established
 to ensure the proper use of the psychic force,  to protect human
 rights,  and to prevent spiritual and psychological detriment to
 the participants and users?
 6.         Attached is a more detailed description of what questions
 need to be addressed in such an investigation.
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 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TOPICS AND QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED IN
 A PROPOSED RESEARCH STUDY 'rn DETERMINE THE ROLE OF PSYCHICALLY
 DERIVED INFORMATION IN FULFILLING CIA' S MISSIONS
 I.    How have other U.S.  government agencies obtained and used
 psychically derived information in support of their operations
 and information gathering responsibilities?
 A.   In particular, what lessons pertinent to CIA operations
 have been learned by police forces in working with psychics in
 support of police investigations?
 (1)   Where, besides in the states of California and
 Nebraska, and the cities of Dallas, Helena, Little Rock, New Orleans,
 Oklahoma City, and St. Louis, have psychics been used by police
 departments in support of police investigations?   (The information
 indicating. that psychics have been used by police departments in
 the above locations was obtained from Predictions For 1976, a paper
 back book compiled and edited by Warren Smith and published by
 Award Books of New York City.
 (2)   How have psychics been identified? How have they
 been contacted and approached for their cooperation?  What kind
 of security and financial arrangements have been made?
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 (3)   What criteria have been used in determining on
 what cases psychic assistance' will be sought?
 (4)   What types of information have been obtained?  How
 specific and pertinent to the case under investigation has psychically
 derived information been?  How have police made use of the infor-
 mation in their investigation?  Have police departments assigned
 a percentage of success to working with psychics, and if so, what
 methodology was used?
 (5)   Have psychics working with police observed
 confidentiality of information and of the investigation?
 (6)   How have individual police officers reacted to using
 psychically derived information in their investigations?  What
 has been the reaction of the leadership levels within police
 departments?
 (7)   Have th.ere been any known miscarriages of justice
 through use of psychically derived information?  Are there any
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 known instances of misuse of psychic talents in police-psychic
 cooperative efforts?
 (8)   What has been public and news media reaction to
 knowledge of use by police forces of psychically derived information?
 Have any legal, public relations, or other problems been encountered
 in using psychically derived information?
 B.      Have other U.S. government agencies used psychics in the
 fulfillment of their missions?
 (1)   What agencies, under what circumstances,  and with
 what results?
 (2)   What lessons pertinent to CIA's responsibilities
 can be learned from the experiences of these organizations?
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 II.   How should psychically derived information of future trends
 and events, unknown current information, and guidance on courses
 of action, be obtained,  handled and used in support of CIA's operations,
 information-gathering and analysis responsibilities?
 A.    In general terms, what should be the methodology for
 obtaining and reporting psychic information pertaining to CIA
 responsibilities?
 (1)   Within what framework, and under what circumstances,
 cover, agreements, payments, etc., should psychic information
 concerning future events be sought?
 (2)   How should psychics be identified and a cooperative
 relationship be established?  Are there psychics currently within
 CIA ranks?  Can psychic skills be developed by training?
 (3)   How should psychics be rated for accuracy?  What
 criteria should be used to assign percentage correct scores to an
 individual psychic's predictions?
 (4)  What kind of time frame should be allowed for any
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 given prediction of a specific event or trend?  Should a special
 weighting be given to a prediction of a specific future event or
 trend if predicted independently by two or more psychics ?  What
 are thq problems of measuring a psychic's predictions against
 actual historical events?
 (5)   What format(s) would be suitable for reporting
 psychically derived information about future trends or events?
 (6)   What audience should be -the recipient of psychically
 derived information about future trends or events?  Within the
 Agency?     Outside the Agency?
 (7)'   How responsive are psychics in general to requirements
 j
 for specific information?  To requirements for highly detailed
 information? To requests for clarification?  Can psychics be
 debriefed in depth?
 (8)   What clearance criteria will be acceptable to the
 Office of Security in contacting and working with psychics?
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 What criteria should govern the use of classified information in
 working with psychics?
 B.   What are the characteristics of psychically derived
 information?        How does each characteristic affect the use of the
 information in understanding and analyzing current and future events?
 Psychically derived information usually has only
 a general or vague time frame to which it is ascribed.   What is
 the reason for this? How does, or should, this characteristic affect
 the use of the information?
 (2)  When addressing future events (as opposed to past
 unknown events such as the location of a missing person), psychics
 speak in terms of what "may" happen, not in terms of what inevitably
 "will" happen.   What is the reason for this?  How does, or should,
 this characteristic affect the use of the information?
 III. What is the current status of Soviet efforts to use psychically
 derived information in the furtherance of Soviet State goals?
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 A.      How do Soviet non-intelligence government agencies use
 psychically derived information in support of Soviet governmental
 goals?
 (1)   The researchers should perform a literature search to
 determine the Soviet Union's present and past use of psychically
 derived information.   The book Psychic Discoveries Behind the
 Iron Curtain, by Shiela Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder, published by
 Bantam books by arrangement with Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs,
 New Jersey, can be used as a starting point in this search.
 (2)   The researchers should seek out and interview
 knowledgable CIA officers who have served in the USSR or who have
 have worked with Soviets.
 B.   How do Soviet intelligence agencies use psychics and
 psychically derived information in support of Soviet intelligence
 gathering and analysis responsibilities and operational objectives?
 (1)   No known studies exist on this question, but it is
 hoped that interviews with CIA officers who have served in the
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 USSR or worked with Soviets may be productive.
 C.   The researchers should identify possible ways in which
 U.S.   intelligence orgainzations might benefit from Soviet attitudes
 toward psychically derived information.
 IV.    What are the ethical ramifications of obtaining information
 by psychic means for use in pursuit of U.Sj  government goals and
 in the fulfillment of CIA missions?
 A.   Discussion:,  Many psychics have said thatpsychic force
 is neutral, in the sense that things are neither good nor bad'per se,
 but can be put to.a positive or negative use.   For example, gasoline
 is a neutral energy force but can be used positively to power an
 engine or negatively. to build. a fire bomb.   The purpose in calling
 SG1
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 upon psychic force is therefore of great importance in judging the
 moral and ethical quality of the request.   Negative uses of psychic
 information may cause spiritual and psychological detriment,. while
 positive uses may promote spiritual growth and psychological balance.
 B.   What are the ethical considerations in seeking information
 from psychics for use in support of CIA operations and CIA intelligence
 and analysis responsibilities,' and in support of decision-making
 by U.S.' government officials relying on'CIA information?
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