SRI REPORT ON PERPETUAL AUGMENTATION

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This document is a memorandum from the Deputy Director of Medical Services to the Associate Deputy Director for Administration regarding a report on perceptual augmentation by Stanford Research Institute (SRI). The author expresses interest in the report but finds it lacking measurable basis for the observations made. They criticize the report for an overuse of statistics mixed with observational data and suggest that more information on the research protocol and control group would have been helpful. The author also does not endorse the claim that the report provides overwhelming scientific evidence for unexplained human perceptual capabilities. However, they suggest that the Agency should continue monitoring this area and emphasize measuring energy transfer for practical value. The Office of Medical Services has expressed interest in parapsychology, and the author hopes senior officials will support modest efforts in this area. Overall, the document highlights the need for further investigation into unusual sensory perception despite its limited support among scientists.

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 Approved For Release 2003/04/18: CIA-RDP96-00787R000700020                5,-0     - -T
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 Deputy Director of Medical Services
 MEMORANDUM FOR:   Associate Deputy Director for Administration
 SUBJECT           SRI Report on Perceptual Augmentation
 1.   I read SRI's report with great interest and found
 some of the narrative and observations to be intriguing.
 Unfortunately, they were unable to find any physiological
 measurable basis for their observations, a problem which
 has plagued research in this area for many years.   At least
 to this reader I thought the report suffered unnecessarily
 from statistical over kill mixed with observational data
 which I found difficult to separate.   It would have been
 helpful to know what the initial protocol was and to have
 further clarification of the control group (learner/
 control?) and the reasons for grouping some of the subjects
 for statistical reasons.   Personally, I cannot endorse the
 statement that this report "establishes overwhelming
 scientific evidence for. the existence of human perceptual
 capabilities which are as yet unexplained."
 2.   Putting aside any shortcomings in the report or
 my interpretation of it, I believe that the Agency should
 continue to monitor this area which I refer to as unusual
 sensory perception with particular emphasis-on measure-
 ments of energy transfer which I believe must exist if
 this phenomenon is to be of any practical value to the
 Agency.   The Office of Medical Services has indicated its
 interest in parapsychology to the Office of Research and
 Development in a formal requirement and I hope that
 senior officials of this Agency will continue to support
 modest efforts in this area of great potential even though
 the field enjoys little support by scientists in general.
 Approved For Release 2003/04/18 : CIA-RDP96-00787R000700020005-0