PROPOSED STAR GATE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY:

CIA-STARGATE

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Body:  Approved For Release 2003/04/18 : CIA-RDP96-00791 R000100150005-7
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 Proposed Star Gate Management Strategy:
 1. Background:
 A. Congressionally Directed Action(s):
 In early 1995, Senate conferees directed the Central
 Intelligence Agency (CIA)  to transfer the "Star Gate" program
 from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)  to CIA.
 Specifically, the conferees directed the transfer of ten
 civilian billets and $500,000 in Star Gate program resources
 by July 1, 1995.  The conferees' language also adopted a
 previous directed action to DIA relating to Star Gate in
 which the Senate Appropriations Committee requested a
 technical review of Star Gate going back twenty years, a
 declassification review, and establishment of a cooperative
 activity with the Russians in parapsychology.   As directed,  a
 status report on this transfer was presented by CIA to
 appropriate committee staff during March and April.    However,
 while the transfer status was reviewed and a program manager
 was identified in those presentations, by agreement,
 presentation of the management strategy for Star Gate was
 deferred until September 30th.  This date was selected in
 order to allow CIA to complete the requested technical review
 with an external blue ribbon panel commissioned by the
 American Institutes for Research (AIR).   It was agreed by
 interested staff members and CIA that CIA's final proposed
 management strategy would be based closely on AIR's review.
 B. Program History, Context of Review:
 Star Gate is a DIA program which involved the use of
 paranormal phenomena, primarily "remote viewing," for
 intelligence collection.   During Star Gate's history, DIA
 pursued three basic program objectives:  "Operations," i.e.
 using remote viewing to collect intelligence against foreign
 targets; "research and development," or using laboratory
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 studies to find new ways to improve remote viewing for use in
 the intelligence world, and finally,  "foreign assessment" or
 the analysis of foreign activities to develop or exploit the
 paranormal for any uses which might affect our National
 Security.   Prior to the advent of Star Gate in the early
 1990s, DIA, CIA, and other government organizations,
 conducted various other programs pursuing some or all of
 these objectives. CIA's program began in 1972, but was
 discontinued in 1977. DIA's direct involvement began later
 and continued until Star Gate was transferred to CIA this
 July.
 During the last twenty years,  all government programs
 involving parapsychology have been viewed as highly
 controversial, high-risk, and have been subjected to various
 critical reviews. This review is distinguished, however, in
 two key respects. A totally external panel of experts,
 operating in an open forum, with no equities concerning the
 ultimate fate of Star Gate as a CIA program per se,  conducted
 the technical review. Also, in conjunction with this review,
 the National Intelligence Council  (NIC) provided oversight
 during a fresh assessment of Russian programs in
 parapsychology.
 II. Preliminary Declassification:
 In compliance with the Congressionally directed action
 (CDA), and in order to facilitate AIR's technical review, the
 CIA declassified its past parapsychology program.  In
 addition, CIA worked with DIA to continue declassification of
 Star Gate program documents, a process which had already
 begun at DIA in response to the CDA.   At CIA's request, DIA
 also officially declassified the fact that it had had a
 parapsychology program.   CIA collected all relevant CIA and
 DIA program files and constructed detailed bibliographies of
 those documents relevant to the technical review.   CIA's
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 Office of Research and Development (ORD) then contracted with
 AIR, based on    61 long-standing expertise in conducting
 studies relating to behavioral science issues, in order to
 conduct the technical review. The bibliographies were
 submitted to AIR which then made specific recommendations as
 to which documents would be necessary for the review.  All
 requested documents were declassified and transferred to AIR.
 CIA then continued to study the long-range declassification
 alternatives for the remaining program files.
 III. Technical Review, Major Objectives:
 R-9
 asked AIR to address a number of key objectives
 during the technical review of Star Gate.  These included an
 objective and comprehensive evaluation of the research and
 development in this area with a focus on the validity of the
 technical approach according to acceptable scientific
 standards.    It also asked AIR to evaluate overall program
 utility or "usefulness" to the intelligence community.
 believed that the controversial nature of past parapsychology
 programs within the intelligence community, and the
 scientific controversy clouding general acceptance of the
 validity of paranormal phenomena, demanded that these two
 issues of utility and scientific validity be addressed
 separately. In addition, AIR was asked to consider whether
 any changes in the operational, or research and development
 activities of the program might bring about improved results
 if the results were not already optimal. Finally, AIR was
 asked to advise CIA as to appropriate strategies for program
 activity in the future.   AIR was directed to base its
 findings on the data and information provided as a result of
 DIA and CIA program efforts, since it was neither possible
 nor intended that AIR review the entire field of
 parapsychological research and its applications.
 AIR was directed to assemble an objective panel of experts in
 order to assist in this review: in fact, AIR's commissioned
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 reviewers consisted of a leading proponent of parapsychology
 actively involved in contemporary research and development,
 and a well-known skeptic who has closely followed these
 contemporary developments.                                                      y1                  ` C.
 IV. Foreign Assessment:
 officers of the NIC and CIA but   ~a +   trp Ch~-t
 provided
 oversight to an assessment of current Russian parapsychology
 research and development.  This recently concluded assessment
 was conducted largely by DIA Star Gate program officers on
 special,  temporary assignment to CIA.   These officers
 conducted their assessment under the direct supervision of
 both the National Intelligence Officer for Science and
 Technology, and the CIA's Office of Scientific and Weapons
 Research. [Their assessment was ca? reviewed by various
 s
 t' 41,1114       A  q, --s-
 tro       it was not coordinated U-    ~~Ut44
 telence community.           The recommendations relating
 to futur' foreign assessment ;%'g
 arapsychology
 research and de   opment are c osely based on this
 assessment.
 V. Proposed Management Strategy:
 Based on the general conclusions of AIR's completed
 technical review regarding utility and scientific validity,
 the NIC's assessment of Russian parapsychology, discussions
 with various CIA elements having declassification authority,
 and after conducting additional discussions with Star Gate
 customers, CIA now proposes a management strategy for the
 Star Gate program. That strategy is presented below in the
 form of key recommendations.   It includes recommendations
 addressing the future of all three program elements:
 operations, research and development, and foreign assessment.
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 It also includes a proposed allocation of future program
 resources consistent with the CDA's objectives relating to
 declassification.  Attached to these recommendations is -mac
 IVQ-- AIR final report and the NIC's assessment.
 A. Key Recommendations :
 1. Terminate remote viewing operations within the
 intelligence community.
 The American Institutes of Research, after
 interviewing multiple current users of remote viewing
 and, concluded that "...  the information provided by
 remote viewing is vague and ambiguous, making it
 difficult if not impossible for the technique to yield
 information of sufficient quality and accuracy for
 actionable intelligence."
 2. Terminate research and development relating to remote
 viewing within the intelligence community.
 The American Institutes for Research, after
 performing a technical analysis on CIA and DIA sponsored
 research spanning over twenty years, concluded that
 "...it remains unclear whether the existence of a
 paranormal phenomenon, remote viewing, has been
 demonstrated.   The laboratory studies do not provide
 evidence regarding the sources or origins of the
 phenomenon..."
 This does not mean that research in parapsychology
 is not important or that it should not continue in the
 public domain, but it does argue strongly that despite
 significant past investment over many years, government-
 sponsored programs have not been successful in proving
 the existence of remote viewing as a paranormal
 phenomenon.
 3. Perform a comprehensive declassification review of
 all DOD and CIA program file to prepare them for
 official transfer to the National Archives.
 It was stated in the CDA that "The Committee also
 believes that the time has come for a re-evaluation of
 the classification of the existence of this effort as
 well as the results that have been obtained over time."
 In addition, it was directed that "The DCI's
 declassification committee should review the history and
 nature of this program to determine what parts of it may
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 be declassified and be converted into an open world
 activity.  "
 Full declassification review will require an
 allocation of resources given the volume and diversity
 of the records in question. The records relate to a
 least five different programs including Star Gate, Grill
 Flame, Center Lane,  Sun Streak, and SCANATE.   The
 eventual release of these records will allow public
 examination of twenty years of government-sponsored
 research efforts in parapsychology.
 4. Apply no additional resources to the assessment of
 foreign developments in parapsychology.
 After overseeing the recent assessment of Russian
 programs, The CIA Directorate of Intelligence in
 coordination with the NIC states that "Among the areas
 of science and sociological change we are monitoring, we
 view developments in parapsychology as a relatively low
 threat to the United States and, consequently, as a low
 priority among all the threats we are trying to monitor
 and assess." In addition, the DI stated that "In none of
 this Russian research do we see credible evidence of
 developments that could significantly add to the threat
 that Russia currently poses to National Security."
 B. Proposed Resource Allocations:
 rther Declassification, Archiving, FOIA request
 processing:
 Since Star Gate was officially transferred to CIA on
 July 1st, 1995, under EO 12958 CIA is now responsible for
 records management as though it were the originating Agency
 of the Star Gate program files. These program records
 actually consist of 43 document boxes of diverse program
 material relating to at least five past CIA and DOD
 parapsychology programs at various government agencies
 including SCANATE,  Sun Streak, Center Lane, Grill Flame, and
 Star Gate.  The records are highly diverse, including
 documentation of operations, training, internal memoranda,
 assessments, program reviews, etc.&-,They span a period of
 time from the early 1970s to 1995.   Some of these records
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 remain sensitive due to sources and methods of other
 intelligence organizations and operations which are
 discussed.
 The Congressionally Directed Action requests a
 comprehensive declassification review of these program
 records. We believe this review should involve the
 declassification, transfer, and eventual release of
 appropriate records to the National Archives.   The CIA's
 Review Declassification Team believes that four person-years
 will be required to accomplish this task
 An estimated $400K in each of FY96 and FY97
 also would be        for contract labor and capital investments
 in computer hardware and software necessary to allow scanning
 and text searching of the documents in question.   In
 addition, reproduction of all transferred records will be
 necessary consistent with the standards for permanent records
 set by the National Archives.
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