BRIEF NOTES ON 2 MARCH 73 PARANORMAL RESEARCH MEETING

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Summary:
This document is a summary of a paranormal research meeting that took place on March 2, 1973, between the TSD (Technical Services Division) and DDS&T (Deputy Director of Science and Technology). The main decisions made during the meeting were:

- If SRI (Stanford Research Institute) accepts the proposal, additional funds will be transferred from ORD (Office of Research and Development) to TSD. They will work with SRI to make necessary changes to their existing project.
- ORD will prepare a questionnaire to gather views and ideas from selected officers on appropriate tests and procedures for the paranormal research program. Once the replies are received, they will create a paper defining specific tests, lab conditions, and proposing timing, cost, facilities, and procedures. The questionnaire will be shown to TSD for approval but will not reference TSD or its current program.
- If the existence of paranormal phenomena is validated by the end of FY 73 (fiscal year 1973), they will consider where and how to proceed in terms of understanding the nature of the phenomena and training others.
- TSD will discuss with SRI the proposal to expedite basic research with GELLER & SWANN by having SWANN tested in Washington, D.C. and moving GELLER to SRI's lab for further testing.
- The possibility of collaborating with other paranormal practitioners was also discussed.

On March 5, the individual who wrote the report spoke with someone who informed them that SRI agrees to the general program outlined above. They suggested having Dr. Puthoff come to Washington to go over the proposal. The "Paranormal Research Questionnaire" has been completed, and once the replies are in and testing plans drafted, a mechanism for overt screening and establishing collaboration will be discussed.

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Body:  SECRET       `III/
 Approved For Release 2003/04/18: CIA-RDP96-00787R000400b7     11 73
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 SUBJECT       Brief Notes on 2 March 73 Paranormal Research Meeting
 1.1                             1 (T SD) and
 (DDS&T) met on 2 March to discuss plans procedures for the joint
 program of paranormal research.  Following were the salient decisions made:
 b. if SRI accepts the proposal, ORD will transfer to TSD the additional funds
 necessary and they will arrange with SRI for the necessary emendations to their
 SG1I      existing project (Note: on 1 March D/ORD allocated up to 50K of FY 73 funds for
 this purpose); (Note: I                         lof ORD have stated that there is no
 managerial hindrance to such a transfer of funds)
 c. in preparation for the above testing ORD would prepare a basic requirements
 questionnaire to be sent to about a dozen selected officers in various components--
 requesting their views/ideas on appropriate tests & procedures; once the replies are
 SG1I      received,                       to prepare a paper which: ennumerates specific series
 of tests to be employed; defines approppiate lab-testing conditions; and makes specific
 proposals re timing/cost/facilities/procedures;  (Note: the questionnaire is to be shown
 to TSD for approval before use and will not refer to TSD or its current program)
 d. If the actual existence of the phenomena is thus validated by end of FY 73 we
 will then consider jointly where and how to proceed from there- -especially as regards
 elucidating the nature of the phenomena and identifying /training others with the capac-
 SG1H           it ;
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 a. that TSD would sound-out SRI on the proposal to speed up basic research with
 GELLER & SWANN before the end of the 1973 Fiscal Year by having SWANN tested in
 the Washington area for the last two months or so (using tests devised by us & having
 an SRI rep present if they wished) and by moving GELLER into their lab for those two
 months for further testing--again using, in large part, tests devised by us; if SWANN
 is to be tested here we would also want to have before hand all of their raw test data
 on the work done with him so far;
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 mechanism re other paranormal practitioners was discussed.
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 2. On 5 March I              called                to state that he had talked with
 Dr Puthoff on 2 March and that SRI agrees to the general program outlined above.
 proposal, it might be useful to have Dr Puthoff come to Washington and go over it
 with us.                                                 F_            I SG1I
 was told that the 'Paranormal Research Questionnaire' has been completed
 and he suggetted that, once the replies are in and we have drafted our testing
 Ap   ved For                                q7787R000400070020-1
 Release 2003/04/18 : CIA-RDP96-
 I and also of establishing an overt screening