Amplified Mind Power Research

In The Former Soviet Union

by Martin Ebon
NOTE OF INTRODUTION
Martin Ebon is a well-known figure in parapsychology circles. From 1953 to 1965 he
was aministrati!e assistant of the "arapsychology #ssociation in $ew %ork set up by the
worl-famous meium an clair!oyant& Eileen 'arrett. (hile occupying this post& he ha
more than ae)uate opportunity to meet the outstaning personalities in psychical
research an parapsychology. *e tra!ele e+tensi!ely on behalf of the #ssociation,s
research enea!ors. *is lectures& re!iews& research reports& articles in maga-ines& an his
books .o!er si+ty of them/ all reflect serious treatment of the fiel. *is e+pertise&
historical an otherwise& of the official an unofficial aspects of the fiel is enormous.
0here is another aspect of Martin& though& which in my opinion makes him one of a kin&
for he is much more than 1ust a parapsychologist. *e speaks se!eral languages& an is
also a lifelong researcher2writer2analyst regaring political an scientific e!elopments of
Eastern European countries& the former 3o!iet 4nion& an post-5ommunist 6ussia. *is
e+pertise in this regar also e+tens to the "eople,s 6epublic of 5hina an #sia.
*is creentials along these lines are impressi!e. Following ser!ice with the 4.3. 7ffice
of (ar 8nformation in (orl (ar 88& he then worke on the staff of the Foreign "olicy
#ssociation& an with the 4.3. 8nformation #gency uring the 9orean (ar. 0ra!eling
wiely an in irect contact with many sources& he was ultimately calle upon by many
agencies to present briefings& an for many years acte as analyst2consultant in this
regar. #s a free-lance writer& his articles were broaly publishe inter alia the $E(
%769 08ME3& "3%5*7:7'% 07;#%& an the 8$0E6$#087$#: <746$#: 7F
8$0E::8'E$5E #$; 574$0E68$0E::8'E$5E. *e lecture at uni!ersities on
worl affairs in general& but also speciali-e in tracking an e+amining the nature an
irections of 6ussian an 3o!iet security ser!ices.
*is eep interests in parapsychology& plus esteem of him as an e+acting political
1ournalist& mae him a =natural= when official suspicions arose that the 3o!iet 4nion was
engaging in min-control an parapsychology research. For e+ample& he was in
(ashington gi!ing a briefing on telepathy to a top intelligence agency on 1> #pril 1961
when the ill-fate =?ay of "igs= in!asion of 5uba was launche. 7ther sources an clues
also establish the e+istence of official intelligence interest in =psi= matters at least a
ecae prior to 19>1 when the #merican intelligence agencies were force to
acknowlege an attempt response to the possible threat potential of =psi= research in the
3o!iet 4nion - an which& among other effects& resulte in the 6emote @iewing pro1ect at
3tanfor 6esearch 8nstitute in 19>3.
8n aition to Martin,s many books on matters parapsychological& he publisheA (76:;
57MM4$83M 07;#%B M#:E$97@A 30#:8$,3 3455E3376B a biography of
E6$E307 C=5he=D '4E@#6#B "3%5*85 (#6F#6E .19E3/B 0*E #$;67"7@ F8:E
.a biography of the former hea of the 9'?/B an 0*E 37@8E0 "67"#'#$;#
M#5*8$E .19E>/.
*is most recent book is 9'?A ;E#0* #$; 6E?860* .199F/& which e+amines an
ocuments the e!olution of the new 6ussian =9'?= after the ol 3o!iet 9'? was
officially pronounce ea in 7ctober 1991. #s the 4.3. 3ecretary of 3tate& (arren
5hristopher& tol the 3enate Foreign 6elations 5ommitteeA =(e on,t ha!e illusions about
the 6ussians. (e unerstan that the intelligence ser!ice may ha!e change its name -
but it has probably not change its metho of operation.= C3ee Martin Ebon& 64338#,3
$E( 3"% $E0(769. 0*E #ME685#$ :E'87$& <une 1995.D
8n my long-term e+perience of him& Martin has ne!er been pro or con political enthusiast
of any kin. *e has always been a non-emotional ocumentarian of the first water& aie
by a ignifie& penetrating min an !ast e+perience in worl& European an East
European affairs. *e an 8 ha often iscusse the =gap= in #merican awareness
regaring the nature of 3o!iet min-research& a gap mae enuring because of (estern
intelligence agency an meia reluctance to fair open knowlege about that research or
its e!olutionary backgroun.
#lthough it took some oing on my part& Martin finally agree to pro!ie this paper for
this website after 8 impresse on him that no one else coul& woul or was )ualifie to o
so for the sake of posterity. 7f all the essays an papers in this biomind atabase& this one
is of signal importance - for it pro!ies the historical& causati!e link as to why the
intelligence agencies& antipathetic to psi research& were e!entually force into responing.
0his paper was to go beyon the 5ol (ar years an into what has happene to the 9'?-
sponsore research since the fall of the ?erlin (all an the reorgani-ation in 6ussia.
4nfortunately& Martin,s wonerful wife tragically passe away after an illness& an he has
since been unable to procee. (e ha!e ecie to put this much of the paper in the
atabase& to be followe by a "art 0wo when Martin is again up to the e+acting work
neee to e+ten it beyon the 5ol (ar years.
8 must now take this opportunity to e+press my eepest an most enuring gratitue to
Martin an his fabulous& e)ually knowlegeable wife& 5hariklia 3ophia Ebon .19G1-
1996/& who put up with me for so many years since 8 first met them in 19>1. %our
frienship woul ha!e been more than enough. ?ut your mentorship in all respects& an
incluing so !ery many ifficult situations an ecisions 8 was force to make& pre!ente
me from making far more mistakes than 8 i. 3o& Martin an =9outsie=& you ha!e eeply
honore me with your countless kinnesses an often i so far beyon the call of uty.
8ngo 3wann

AMP!IFIED MIND"PO#ER RESEAR$ IN T$E FORMER SO%IET UNION
Soviet old #ar &ioph'sics and &iocomm(nications Research
?y Martin Ebon
07"85#: #6E#A ;e!elopmental psi25ol (ar psi warfare gap
9E% 0E6M3A 5onsciousness& psychic research& bio-physics& bio- communications&
telepathy& min enhancement& 9'?& 58#& min-boosting& amplifie min power
#?306#50A 0he backgroun of the 3o!iet 5ol (ar psi-research effort is summari-e
uner the heaings ofA 0he 0oth 8ncientB 0he #merican Fear of "sychic (arfare an the
5reibility 'apB # ?rief *istory of the 3o!iet 6esearch MachineB 0he $o!osibirsk
5onnectionB 0he 9'? 0akes 5ontrolB 5enters of 4336 "si 3tuiesB 0hree Ma1or
;irections (ithin the 3o!iet 6esearch Machine .5oe by 0elepathy& ?oosting the *uman
?rain& #mplifie Min "ower/B (ashington,s ;ilemmaB 7utline of 195G 58# "ro1ect on
E3"B 5ongressional 6esponse& 19E1.
T$E TOT$ INIDENT
8n Moscow on <une 11& 19>>& :os #ngels 0imes corresponent 6obert 5. 0oth was
arreste an etaine on a charge of illegally obtaining papers that isclose =state
secrets=. 0he papers ha been gi!en to 0oth by a 3o!iet scientist& @alery '. "etukho!.
0oth ha first met the 6ussian biophysicist earlier in the year. (hile "etukho! seeme
eager to show his scientific finings to 0oth& the corresponent felt that his work was
=only theory an far too complicate= for a newspaper story. 0oth reporte that& as best
as he coul recall& "etukho! asserte that certain particles of li!ing cells =are emitte=
when such cells i!ie& that they can be =etecte an measure an that these raiating
particles can carry information.= 0heir function coul =e+plain the basis for telepathy=
an relate phenomena.
0o 0oth& @alery "etukho! seeme =like a serious scientist.= #ccoring to a car he
hane the reporter& he was 5hief of the :aboratory of ?io-"hysics at the 3tate 5ontrol
8nstitute of Meical an ?iological 6esearch. *e ha been recommene to 0oth by a
issent 3o!iet scientist who later emigrate. #t their first meeting& the :os #ngeles 0imes
man tol "etukho! that& once the scientists ha pro!e this theory& he woul be intereste
in writing about it.
Months passe. 8n mi-<une 19>> "etukho! phone 0oth. 0he biophysicist tol 0oth that
his e+periments ha succeee. *e planne to escribe them in a formal scientific paperB
but& as 3o!iet authorities woul certainly refuse to publish his work& he wante to
translate the paper into English an gi!e it to 0oth for publication in the (est.
#t the rene-!ous& "etukho! took a manuscript from his briefcase. 8t containe o!er
twenty typewritten sheets& complete with charts an photos of charts. 8t looke like a
comple+& comprehensi!e scientific paper& well-ocumente& appropriately technical.
0oth ne!er manage to get a real look at the paperB for it was at that moment a
melorama began& when a 3o!iet-mae Fiat brake sharply at the curb. 0he car was
fille with fi!e plainclothesmen who 1umpe out an )uite unceremoniously pulle 0oth
insie. 6obert 0oth,s account stateA =7ur car ro!e through re lights an own one-
way streets the wrong way to a militia .police/ station. My captors were firm an polite&
offering me cigarettes. 8 was ushere into a room with an inspector who ecline my
re)uests to phone the 4.3. Embassy but sai a 3o!iet Foreign Ministry official woul be
calle.=
8n aition to the Foreign Ministry official an a 9'? agent& a man name 3parkin& the
police inspector summone a senior researcher of the 4336 #caemy of 3ciences&
"rofessor 8.M. Mikhailo!. Mikhailo! was aske to pro!ie e+pert testimony on the paper
"etukho! ha gi!en to 0oth& which the police were now treating as =e!ience.=
3pecifically& "rofessor Mikhailo! stateA =0he article beginning "etukho!& @alery '.&
from the wor of Hmicro-organism self-raiation, to the wors Hby means of !acuum
particles in space, states that within the content of li!ing cells are particles . . . an these
particles are grouns for iscussing the funamental problems of biology in the conte+t
of biology an parapsychology. 0here is also information about the uses of such particles.
0his material is secret an shows the kin of work one in some scientific institutes of
our state.=
8t was this last sentence that raise the eyebrows among obser!ers of 3o!iet
parapsychological stuies throughout the worl. Earlier& Moscow authorities on !arious
le!els ha se!eral times enie that parapsychology was being researche in the 3o!iet
4nion. # year before& :eningra writer @laimir :!o! ha publishe an article in the
leaing French aily& :E M7$;E& in which he asserte categoricallyA =0he truth is
simpleA parapsychology is not accepte as a legitimate an official branch within 3o!iet
science. $o institute or center or research in the 3o!iet 4nion is e!ote to telepathy&
psychokinesis& etc.= %et the Mikhailo! testimony in the 0oth incient irectly
contraicte the :!o! statement.
"rofessor Mikhailo!,s testimony on the "etukho! paper an 0oth,s police interrogation at
the "ushkin 3treet 3tation laste about two-an-a-half hours. #t last& a representati!e of
the 4.3. Embassy& @ice 5onsul :awrence 5. $apper& was permitte to come to the
station. 0he reporter,s account of his meeting with "etukho! was rea alou an
translate into 6ussian. ?ut 0oth refuse to sign a hanwritten 6ussian !ersion of it. 0he
9'? man 3parkin then tol him he was =free to go.=
0oth,s Moscow ifficulties were not at an en. 0he following 0uesay& 0oth ha a
telephone call from another 4.3. Embassy official& 0heoore Mc$amara& who aske him
to come to the embassy immeiately. 0he matter& he ae& was =serious.= #t
Mc$amara,s office& $apper an two other officials were waiting. 0hey hane 0oth a
3o!iet note that ha been eli!ere a half hour earlier. 8t containe the following
passagesA =0he Ministry of Foreign #ffairs is authori-e to state the following to the
#merican EmbassyA =7n the 11th of <une of this year 6obert 5harles 0oth was
apprehene at the moment of meeting a 3o!iet citi-en& "etukho! @alery 'eorgiye!ich&
which took place uner suspicious circumstances. (hen apprehene& the #merican
1ournalist was foun to ha!e materials gi!en to him by "etukho!& containing secret ata.
=0he Ministry of Foreign #ffairs informs the #merican Embassy that in conformity with
establishe proceure& 0oth will be summone for interrogation by the in!estigatory
organs& in connection with which his eparture from Moscow until the en of the
in!estigation is not esire.=
(ithin the hour& a polite 9'? agent& wearing a flowere shirt an gray suit& arri!e&
aske 0oth to ientify himself& an tol him to come to the 3tate 3ecurity,s :eforto!o
center for interrogation. *e was a!ise of #rticles 1IE an 1I9 of the 5riminal coe&
an that he i not ha!e iplomatic immunity. #fter two ays of confusing
interrogation& 0oth was tolA ="arapsychology as a whole may not be secret information.
?ut there coul be fiels of science within parapsychology that are secret. 8t is not for me&
as it,s a matter for e+perts& to say what is secret& an what the scientist has state that the
materials you recei!e are a secret. #n you recei!e them uner circumstances where
your beha!ior an the information seems to be a breach of our law.=
#fter the secon interrogation 0oth was tol that he was no longer neee. 0he 4.3.
Embassy recei!e confirmation from the 3o!iet Foreign Ministry. 0oth an his family
)uickly arrange for a flight to the 4nite 3tates. 0he 0oth incient was reporte worl-
wie& an the (#3*8$'07$ "730 an 0*E $E( %769 08ME3 ran accounts of it.
0he incient then passe into obli!ion& an most were none the wiser. ?ut intelligence
analysts unerstoo that 0oth ha gotten into his han& if only for a few moments& one of
the tips of the enormous iceberg of top secret 3o!iet research into psychic powers of the
human min.
T$E AMERIAN FEAR OF PS)$I #ARFARE
AND T$E REDI&I!IT) *AP
3ome years before the 0oth incient& #merican intelligence analysts ha begun noticing a
3o!iet secret police .9'?/ tren& shortly after 196>& inicating serious interest in what is
calle =parapsychology= in the (est.
0his tren began when the 9'?,s far-flung operations came uner the irection of %uri
#nropo!& name 'eneral 3ecretary of the 3o!iet 5ommunist "arty in late 19EG.
?ut e!en the 9'?& for all of its e+perience& large staff& skills& an high-priority status&
ha not e!elope a clear-cut policy towar psychic e+perimentsB conflicting attitues
within its leaership appeare to ha!e cause erratic actions. 0his was well illustrate
when agents arreste 0oth an thereby re!eale that secret research was& in fact& taking
place at go!ernment institutes.
4.3. go!ernment officials were 1ittery that research in parapsychology might cause them
to be accuse of spening public funs on science fiction pro1ects. (hen columnist <ack
#nerson reporte early in 19E1 that a laboratory in the basement of the "entagon was
e!ote to parapsychological e+periments& his comments were hea!y with riicule an
sarcasm.
#nerson,s assistant& 6on Mc6ae& allege in an article on ="sychic (arfare= .in 0*E
8$@E308'#076& 7ctober 19E1/ that =the "entagon is spening millions on
parapsychology in a crash program to en 6ussia,s psycho-superiority.= Mc6ae& who
was oing research for a book on 4.3. go!ernment pro1ects in psychic stuies& sai the
4.3. 3ecret 3er!ice ha =commissione stuies on ways to protect the "resient from the
9remlin,s min control.= *e wrote that its agents& as well as 58# staffers& ha been
=re)uire to take courses in min control= at uni!ersities in the (ashington area& to
=pre!ent them&= as he put it& =from falling uner the spell of 3o!iet psychics.=
#lthough such claims at the time bore earmarks of e+aggeration& they were none the less
inicati!e of intense #merican interest in psi warfare possibilities.
?ut #merican meia accounts of psi warfare sprea alarm an amusement& an an
ieological battlefiel erupte& not only in the 4nite 3tates& but in the 3o!iet 4nion also.
7n the ieological battlefiel of international Mar+ism& the contro!ersy about
parapsychology& by whate!er name& ha gone on for two ecaesB it showe no signs of
abating.
0ypical of those who regare psychic stuies as ieological heresy was 3o!iet
mathematician-physicist ;r. #le+aner 9itaygorosky& who ha categori-e
clair!oyance& precognition& an psychokinesis as =supernatural= an thus outsie =the
omain of the natural sciences.= (riting in the Moscow perioical $#49# 8 6E:8'8#
.3cience an 6eligion/& an atheistic maga-ine& ;r. 9itaygorosky state as long ago as
March 1966A =0o me& there is no oubt whate!er that those who relate such fairy tales are
fraus& mystificators or& at best& grossly ecei!e. Men ha!e belie!e in miracles for
centuries& an for centuries there ha!e e+iste charlatan an impostors& conscious or
unconscious. #n the struggle against such eception of the human min has gone on for
centuries& an in each century it has to begin anew.=
?ut in the same maga-ine& science writer :eoni Fillipo! took the opposite !iew an
cite Mar+ist gospel to pro!e his point. *e askeA =;oes "rofessor 9itaygorosky
seriously belie!e that the frontiers of physics ha!e been reacheJ= *e cite scientific
breakthroughs in raioacti!ity& )uantum theory& an lasers& an wroteA =(hat if telepathic
phenomena conform to some new& as yet unisco!ere laws which o not contraict
alreay known rules go!erning electronsJ= Fillipo! aeA =6e1ecting a priori the
possibilities of telepathy an other processes still unfamiliar to science amounts of
re1ecting :enin,s iea that& on any gi!en le!el of scientific e!elopment& our knowlege
of the work remains incomplete.=
?ut beyon !iewing-with-e+aggerate-alarm& riicule-cum-hyperbole an creibility gap
lie the realities of psychic functions& for goo or ill. 0o obtain the correct perspecti!e& let
us keep in min that parapsychology can play only a supporting role in the 3o!iet 4nion,s
or any other military-scientific comple+. 8t must& therefore& be seen as one element
within a large an iffuse efensi!e-offensi!e research apparatus. "sychic elements might
well be integrate into& rather than operating separately from& other scientific or military
pro1ects.
# ma1or attraction for planners is the promise of financial an organi-ational shortcutsA
(hy engage in high-cost armaments& for e+ample& if one or se!eral psychics might
influence personnel in the enemy,s missile silos& as a ;8# report suggesteJ 0he costs of
military harware are a hea!y buren in national economies in the East as well as in the
(est -- an E3" is cheap.
A &RIEF $ISTOR) OF T$E SO%IET RESEAR$ MA$INE
0he origins of the 3o!iet research remain a mystery at best& mostly ue to gaps in
accessible ocumentation. 8n any case& it woul be clear that the research an attempte
e!elopment of specific useful psi powers of min proceee at the start uner se!ere
ieological ifficulties. 0hus it is not easily unerstanable how& an especially why& the
3o!iet research machine achie!e the monumental e+tent it i by about 19>>.
3o!iet efforts to harness telepathy .min-to-min communication/& telekinesis .better
known as psychokinesis& the influence of the human min on matter/& or any other
psychic ability& neee to o!ercome strong ieological ob1ections from Mar+ist
theoreticians. "ragmatists& e!en those highly place in scientific or go!ernment circles&
neee to 1ustify their hopes for psychic e+periments in acceptable ieological terms.
*istorically& (estern parapsychology was roote in nineteenth-century efforts to fin
scientific proof for such traitional religious beliefs such as life after eath.
#n as psychic phenomena retain the mysterious air of the unknown or une+plore& many
Mar+ists accuse (estern parapsychologists of propagani-ing religio-folkloric
=superstition= -- an of a!ocating soft-heae =iealistic= concepts& in contrast to the
strictly =materialistic= approach promulgate by 9arl Mar+ an @. 8. :enin.
3uch criticisms ha been !oice& on an off& for some twenty years in the 3o!iet 4nion.
;uring the life of Mao Keong& 5hinese communist ieologues e!en accuse the 3o!iet
4nion an the 4nite 3tates of using parapsychology to foster =religion without the
cross= in orer to istract their citi-enry form economic ifficulties.
#s we e+amine analyses of 3o!iet research& this continuing ieological conflict must be
kept in min. ?ut there can be little oubt that the e+tent of the 3o!iet effort i become
enormous. 8n 19>E& an #merican intelligence report was eclassifie an release&
although it ha originally been scheule for eclassification in ;ecember 199I.
0he report was entitle =5ontrolle 7ffensi!e 8ntelligence #gency .;8#/& 0ask $umber
0>G-I1-1F. 8n part it reaA =0he 3o!iet 4nion is well aware of the benefits an
applications of parapsychology research. 0he term parapsychology enotes Cin the 3o!iet
4nionD a multi-isciplinary fiel consisting of the sciences of bionics& biophysics&
psychophysics& psychology& physiology an neuropsychology. =Many scientist& 4.3. an
3o!iet& feel that parapsychology can be harnesse to create conitions where one can
alter or manipulate the mins of others. 0he ma1or impetus behin the 3o!iet ri!e to
harness the possible capabilities of telepathic communication& telekinetic an bionics are
sai to come from the 3o!iet military an the 9'? C5ommittee of 3tate 3ecurityB 3ecret
"oliceD.=
8n continuing& the report of the ;efense 8ntelligence #gency asserte that the 3o!iet
4nion en1oye a =hea start= in the fiel an ha pro!ie substantial financial backing.
0he report conclue that =3o!iet knowlege in this fiel is superior to that of the 4.3.=
8t note that 3o!iet researchers ha e+plore =etrimental effects of subliminal perception
techni)ues= that might e!en be =targete against the 4.3. or allie personnel in nuclear
missile silos= by =telepathic means.=
0he report stateA =0he potential applications of focusing mental influences on an enemy
through hypnotic telepathy ha!e surely occurre to the 3o!iets . . . 5ontrol an
manipulation of the human consciousness must be consiere a primary goal.=
#t this point& the reaer shoul again be cautione that the ieological contro!ersy about
the stuy an use of psychic potentials in the 4336 ha create gaps in public
knowlege that ine!itably le to rumors an un!erifiable claims. =*ypnotic telepathy&=
of which the ;8# report spoke& may well ha!e been one of the target areas of 3o!iet
research& but little current information on its status was a!ailable.
*owe!er& 6ussia ha a long history of hypnosis stuies in meicine& eucation& an
psychiatry. 3o!iet literature reflecte on-going an contemporary scientific interest in the
stimulation of telepathy& clair!oyance& an psychokinesis& either by rugs or electronic
means. 8n the past& 6ussian researchers ha e+perimente with telepathy-at-a-istance& a
techni)ue of intriguing potential.
T$E EAR!) ORI*INS
8t was )uite likely that the early origins of the 3o!iet research machine may ha!e begun
with the work of ?ernar ?ernaro!ich 9a-hinsky& a stuent in 0iflis .now 0bilisi/& in the
state of 'eorgia boaring on the ?lack 3ea. *is interests apparently were triggere by a
telepathic e+perience of his own.
8n February& 19GG& 9a-hinsky was in!ite to aress the #ll-6ussian 5ongress of the
#ssociation of $aturalists& a top scientific organi-ation perhaps e)ui!alent to the
#merican 8nstitutes of Mental health toay. 0he topic of his lecture was *4M#$
0*74'*0-E:E5068580%& an he )uickly publishe a book uner the same title.
*a!ing been in!ite to aress the #ll-6ussian 5ongress& it woul be clear that the
5ongress supporte an fune 9a-hensky,s work& while his research thereafter
apparently became classifie. ?y 19G3& he ha publishe his early finings in a book
entitle 0*74'*0 06#$3FE6E$5E. 0his book attracte fa!orable attention among
important brain researchers at the time.
More !isible an easier to ocument was the work of "rofessor :eoni :. @asilie!& later
to become 5hief of the ;epartment of "hysiology at the 4ni!ersity of :eningra.
?orn in 1E91& @asilie! ha been a stuent of :eningra physiologist @laimir M.
?ekhtere! who ha establishe the :eningra ?rain 6esearch 8nstitute. *is
granaughter& $atalia ". ?ekhtere!a& ha 1oine the 8nstitute in 19G1& an ultimately
became its irector.
@asilie! became a member of the 5ommittee for the 3tuy of Mental 3uggestion the
following year. =Mental suggestion&= or hypnosis& became central to his interest. 8n 19GE&
he !isite "aris& as well as other (estern European cities. @asilie! spoke an wrote
French fluently& an the "aris 8nstitut Metapsychi)ue 8nternational .8M8/ remaine his
ma1or contact with (estern psychical research throughout his life.
@asilie! establishe an ieological basis for the 3o!iet research in se!eral books& lectures&
an articles. *is basic thesis was the e+perimental facts of telepathy& for e+ample& shoul
be e+amine from a physiological .or material/ !iewpoint& so that they coul not be
e+ploite by a!ocates of =religious superstition= .or an iealistic !iew-point/. *e was
critici-e as pro!iing a pseuo-scientific framework for a return to iealism uner the
mantle of Mar+ist ialectical materialism.
*is ma1or an influential book ?87:7'85#: 6#;87 57MM4$85#087$ was
publishe in 9ie! by the 4krainian #caemy of 3cience in 196G. 9a-hinsky conclue
that =e+perimental confirmation of the fact that communication between two people&
separate by long istances& can be carrie out through water& o!er air an across metal
barrier by means of cerebral raiation in the course of thinking& an without con!entional
communication facilities.= *e aeA =7ne important feature of the abo!e-mentione
e+periment is worthy of attention. 0he electromagnetic wa!es accompanying the thought-
formation process .!isual perceptions/ in the inuctor,s brain reache the cells of the
inicatee,s corte+ after ha!ing tra!ele a long istance& not only in the air an through
water but also through the hull of a submarine. =0his woul 1ustify the following
conclusionsA 1/ these electromagnetic wa!es were propagate spheroially& not in a
narrow irecte beamB G/ these wa!es penetrate though the submarine hull& which i
not block them& that is& it i not act as a HFaraay cage,.=
9a-hinsky note that a raio recei!er in the marine laboratory of the 3o!iet scientific
research !essel @80%#K ha been unsuccessful in intercepting electric wa!es emitte in
the water by the torpeo fish. *e ae thatA =the raio recei!ers in the submarine i
not intercept these wa!es. 0his prompts the conclusion that some electromagnetic wa!es
of a biological origin possess yet another& still unknown& characteristic which
istinguishes them from con!entional raio wa!es. 8t is possible that our ignorance of
that particular characteristic impees further e!elopment of research work in that fiel.=
@asilie! note in another book EL"E68ME$03 8$ ;830#$0 8$F:4E$5E .which first
appeare in Moscow in 196G/ that while official enials of the shore-to-submarine
e+periment suggeste =a certain caution&= ne!ertheless =0his e+periment showe - an
herein resies its principal !alue - that telepathic information can be transmitte without
loss through a thickness of water& an through the seale metal co!ering of a submarine -
that is& through substances which greatly interfere with raio communication. =3uch
materials completely absorb short wa!es an partly absorb meium wa!es& the latter
being consierably attenuate& whereas the factor .still unknown to us/ which transmits
suggestion penetrates them without ifficulties.=
Many ha!e claime that the infamous $#408:43 story of 1959 in the 4nite 3tates
ser!e as the ma1or pro for 3o!iet bio-communications research. *owe!er& by 1959&
some four ecaes after the 3o!iet research ha alreay begun& presumably their machine
woul not ha!e neee such a pro. 0he $#408:43 was the worl,s first nuclear
powere submarine& launche in 195F an christene by First :ay Mamie Eisenhower&
wife of "resient ;wight ;. Eisenhower. 0he $#408:43 mae its first !oyage uner
the $orth "ole in 195E. 3oon afterwar& French accounts claime that while the
submarine was cruising eep in #rctic waters it recei!e telepathic messages from a
research center maintaine by the (estinghouse 5orporation at Frienship& Marylan.
0he 4.3. $a!y enie that such a test ha e!er taken place& or that it was otherwise
engage in telepathy e+periments.
*owe!er& se!eral sources in France appeare which claime otherwise. My own efforts
to obtain confirmation of the French reports were unsuccessful. 0he reports hel that
such ma1or 4.3. corporations as (estinghouse& 'eneral Electric in 3chenectay& $.%.&
an ?ell 0elephone in ?oston ha begun telepathy research in 195E. 0he aim was to
e!elop thought transmission by telepathy& to recor an prouce telepathic signals& an
to etermine the amplitue an fre)uencies on which telepathy operate.
#ccoring to the French sources& "resient Eisenhower ha recei!e a stuy prepare by
the 6an 5orporation of :os #ngeles& a =think tank= uner contract to the arme forces
an other 4.3. go!ernment agencies. 0he report was sai to recommen stuying the use
of telepathy to establish communication with submarines& particularly those cruising in
waters uner the "olar 8ce 5ap where raio communication channels were particularly
ifficult.
(estinghouse,s Frienship :aboratory allegely unertook 1ust such an e+periment with
the 4.3.3. $#408:43& linking one person on :an .the sener or inuctor/ with another
person in the submarine .the recei!er or inuctee/& while the !essel was submerge.
6epresentati!es of the 4.3. $a!y an #ir Force were present uring the e+periment&
accoring to the reports. 0he original French reports fi+e the starting ate as <uly G5&
1959. 0he tests continue aily for a total of si+teen ays. 0he person in charge was
ientifie as 5olonel (illiam *. ?owers& irector of the ?iological ;epartment of the #ir
Force research institute an the man who irecte the e+periments at Frienship.
:ater accounts ientifie the sener or inuctors as =3mith= a stuent at ;uke 4ni!ersity&
who was confine in one of the (estinghouse laboratory,s builings uring the
e+perimental perio.
0he proceure was esigne to ha!e 3mith transmit =!isual impressions= twice aily at
specifie times. 4sing methos e!elope by <. ?. 6hine at the "arapsychology
:aboratory& ;uke 4ni!ersity& ;urham& $.5.& a controlle timing e!ice shuffle one
thousan E3" cars in a re!ol!ing rum in such a manner as to rop fi!e cars on a table&
one at a time& at one-minute inter!als. 3mith pricke each car up as it came out of the
rum& looke at it& an sought to memori-e the image. #t the same time& he rew a
picture of the symbol .s)uare& cross& star& wa!y lines& or circle/ on a piece of paper before
him. Each test thus prouce a sheet of paper co!ere with fi!e symbols. 3mith seale
each paper into an en!elope& which 5ol. ?owers locke into a cage.
#t the same time& a $a!y lieutenant& ientifie as =<ones&= sat isolate in a stateroom on
the $#408:43& functioning as the recipient of the images 3mith sought to con!ey by
telepathy. 0wice aily <ones rew fi!e symbols on a sheet of paper& choosing from
among the same symbols use by 3mith. *e place the sheet insie an en!elope& seale
it& an turne it o!er to his superior& 5aptain (illiam 6. #nersen. 0he captain wrote the
time an ate of the e+periment on the en!elope an put it into a safe in his own cabin.
;uring the si+teen-ay e+periment perio& <ones saw no one else e+cept for one sailor
who brought him meals an performe other routine ser!ices.
0he final segment of these e!ents& as reporte in France& began with the arri!al of the
$#408:43 at 'roton& its cruise complete. 0he en!elopes were remo!e from the
commaner,s sage& sent by car uner escort to the nearest military airfiel& flown to
Frienship #irport& near ?altimore& an then taken to 5ol. ?owers,s laboratory. 0here the
two sets of sheets were taken from their en!elopes& ates an times matche with each
other& an the results tabulate. 8n o!er >I percent of the cases& the figures tallieA <ones
ha correctly =guesse= three-fourths of the images seen by 3mith.
8 was put off by these reports& particularly by the high score ascribe to these
e+perimental sub1ects& an by their all-too-typical #merican names. 7n the other han&
the $E( %769 *E6#:; 068?4$E ha reporte in $o!ember E& 195E& that the
(estinghouse Electric 5orporation ha begun to stuy E3" using specially esigne
apparatus. ;r. "eter #. 5astruccio& irector of the company,s newly organi-e
#stronautic 8nstitute& ha spoken of the E3" stuies as =!ery promising&= with the caution
that =a lot more work must be one before we can come up with anything practical.=
8 )uestione (. ;. 5rawfor& 3taff 3ection& #ir #rm ;i!ision of (estinghouse& on the
pro1ect an he sai that =while these stuies ha!e scientific !alue& any conclusion at this
time woul be premature an inconclusi!e.= 0hese statements were publishe in the
$E(3:E00E6 of the "arapsychology Founation .<anuary-February 1959/& as was a
report that ?ell 0elephone :aboratories ha consiere an E3" research pro1ect but ha
abanone it.
0he $#408:43 story is often referre to as hoa+& since the French an other sources
remain unconfirme. *owe!er& the telepathic part of the story might ha!e ae interest
to the 3o!iet effort& alreay four ecaes long by 195E.
8n any e!ent& in "aris& a prominent member of the 8nstitut Metapsychi)ue 8nternational&
6aphel 9herumain& collecte articles on the $#408:43 story an maile them to his
long-time professional frien& :eoni @asilie!. (hether of fact of hoa+& the implications
that the #mericans M8'*0 be conucting E3" e+periments i enter into the ongoing
monolithic research machine which influence the li!es of countless men an women&
an cause e+penitures which by 19E3 were suppose to amount to M5II million
annually.
T$E NO%OSI&IRS+ ONNETION
#cross the 7b 6i!er from $o!osibirsk& a pioneer town in western 3iberia& lies
#caemgorook& or 3cience 5ity. For some four years& its 8nstitute of #utomation an
Electrometry maintaine a research unit with the nonescript name of =3pecial
;epartment $o. E.= 0he builing that house the epartment coul only be entere if one
knew the coe& change each week& that opene the main oor,s lock. 0he =$o. E=
operation was e!ote to e+periments in information transmission by bioenergetic means.
#s part of its program& physicists sought to isco!er the nature of =psi particles&= the
elusi!e elements that some 3o!iet scientists regare as essential to the function of such
psychic techni)ues as biocommunication an bioenergetics. $o!osibirsk was a logical
place for such a!ance stuies. 8ts 3cience 5ity was e!elope& after (orl (ar 88& with
such single-mineness that e!en the names of the streets an city s)uares reflect it
nature. For e+ample& one coul take a bus own 0hermophysics 3treet& get off at the
corner of 5alculators 3treet& an walk across 8nstitute of *yroynamics 3)uare. 0he city
containe some forty research centers an house tens of thousans of scientists an their
families.
(hen the $o. E pro1ect was establishe in 1966& some si+ty researchers were brought to
3cience 5ity from other parts of the 4336. 7ne of them& ;r. #ugust 3tern& pro!ie an
account of the epartment,s operation after he migrate to France in 19>>. *e tol the
$E( %769 08ME3 that the pro1ect,s irector& a 3o!iet officer& @italy "ero!& ha shown
special =eference to two !isitors&= presumably 9'? officers& =who came in the early
ays= of the pro1ect =to check on the installations.=
0heory an application of psi principles were part of the e+periments. 3tern ealt with
aspects of theoretical physics& esigne to sol!e the enigma of psychic energies flowing
between li!ing things.
0he center,s elaborate e)uipment& he sai& ha =cost many millions.= 8n line with other
3o!iet e+periments& the $o!osibirsk center i such things as applying electric shocks to
kittens to see whether their mother& three floors abo!e& woul react to their e+perience in
a telepathic way. 0his type of e+periment was similar to a rumore test in which baby
rabbits were taken own below sea le!el in a 6ussian submarine& the kille& while the
mother rabbit remaine ashore& her reactions monitore by measuring brain an heart
functions.
"ro1ect $o. E inclue telepathy-type istance e+periments among people.
8nuctors& or seners& were stimulate in one group of rooms& while recipients were
place elsewhere& their responses monitore on close-circuit tele!ision.
0he center also unertook the stuy of electromagnetic forces in person-to-person an
min-o!er-matter e+periments. #mong laboratory animals use in the pro1ect were
monkeys.
3tern recalle further etailsA =0here were also e+periments with photon wa!es& in which
frogs, eyes were use as a more sensiti!e measuring instrument than a machine.
#nother e+periment in!ol!e putting bacteria on two sies of a glass plate to see whether
a fatal isease coul be transmitte through the glass. 8t was reasone that if this coul be
one& it woul show that photons - light particles - accounte for some ine+plicable forms
of communication.=
3tern i not succee in the pro1ect he ha been assigne& an which he regare as a
legitimate scientific challenge. 8n fact& the whole of $o. E was issol!e in 1969&
although it was much too early to achie!e efiniti!e results. 3tern conclue that the
shut-own reflecte =a change in attitue of power balance in the 9remlin.= "resumably&
Moscow authorities ha ecie on ifferent aministrati!e or research tactics in ealing
with psychic stuies.
3tern,s recollections concerning photon wa!es ha!e since been confirme. 0hree
researchers at $o!osibirsk,s 8nstitute of 5linical an E+perimental Meicine an at the
8nstitute of #utomation an Electrometry .3iberian 3ection& 4336 #caemy of 3cience/
are creite with unertaking the key e+periment on the problem. 0hey were @lail
9anache!y& 3imon 3hchurin& an :umilla Mikhailo!a. 0heir e+periment& esigne to
establish photon communication between cells of li!ing organisms& has been liste in the
3tate 6egister of ;isco!eries by the 5ommittee for 8n!ention an ;isco!eries& which
functione uner the 4336 5ouncil of Ministers. #n English translation of their paper
appeare in the <746$#: 7F "#6#"*%3853 .@ol. >& $o. G& 19>3/ as =6eport from
$o!osibirskA 5ommunication between 5ells.= 0heir e+periment inicate that cells
coul communicate illness& such as a !irus infection& espite the fact the cells were
physically separate. 0he tests showe that when one group of cells was contaminate
with a !irus& the a1acent group - although separate by )uart- glass - =caught the
isease.= (hen regular glass was use to separate the two cell groups& the non-
contaminate cells remaine healthy.
0he e+perimenters linke their iea to the concept prominent in 3o!iet bioenergetics
researchA the e+istence of unknown communication channels in li!ing cells for the
transfer of information - =a language of wa!es an raiation&= as 3hchurin calle it.
0he meical researcher ae these commentsA =(hy shoul information on all the
processes of life be necessarily transmitte by chemical means& which are certainly not
the most economical methosJ #fter all& any chemical change is primarily an interaction
of electrons& complicate formations that carry a reser!e of energy. 8n colliing with a
substance& they woul either transfer this energy to it or raiate it in the form of photons&
or light particles. =0oay there are no methos for stuying the specific character of
photon raiations& the constant normal raiation or normal cells. (e ecie to e!ae the
ban impose by physics by creating an artificial situation. (e sub1ecte cells taken from
an organism to e+treme effects to obser!e the character of raiations emitte by them&
0hat the cell raiate photons was known. ?ut perhaps the cell was able to percei!e
them& tooJ 7ur e+periments pro!ie the answers to this )uestion.=
0he barrier of )uart- glass permitte neither !iruses nor chemical substances to tra!el
between the two !essels inhabite by the cells. %et& as 3hchurin pictures)uely put it& =the
affecte cells !irtually crie out lou about the anger= when they were attacke by the
!irus& an =their cry freely penetrate the barrier of )uart- glass which permitte ultra-
!iolet wa!es to pass. 3omething highly improbable happene. 0hese wa!es were not
only percei!e by the neighboring cells& they also con!eye the sickness to the
neighboring cells.=
#lthough the $o. E pro1ect was shut own an sections of it transferre to other cities&
animal research in information transmission continue in 3cience 5ity. # $o!osibirsk
to+icologist& ;r. 3. @. 3peransky& isco!ere a form of telepathy between star!ing an
normally nourishe mice. *e obser!e that impulses from hungry mice were transmitte
in such a manner that the non-star!ing mice acte as if they& themsel!es& were famishe.
0he most complete account of the 3peransky e+periment appeare in
"#6#"3%5*7:7'% 8$ 0*E 4336 ."art 888/& translate by :arissa @ilenskaya from
the researcher,s original manuscript.
#s a to+icologist& 3peransky,s primary interest was the impact of poisons on li!ing
organismsB the min-to-min reaction among the mice was encountere accientally.
3peransky,s =upper mice= li!e on in the fourth-floor laboratory& while the =lower mice=
were kept in the basement. 8n some e+periments& the upper mice were star!e& in others&
they were nourishe. 7ut of the thirty e+periments& results in twenty-se!en were positi!eA
$on-star!ing mice respone to the suffering of their =friens&= who were se!eral stories
remo!eB in only three cases were the results negati!e.
6efining his methoology& 3peransky engage in aitional series of e+periments&
!arying se+& weight an other !ariables. *e foun that the =biological significance of the
rapi increase in weight if mice which recei!e signals about star!ation from their
Hfriens, is clearA a anger of star!ation has to gi!e them an aitional stimulus to be
sate.= 8n other wors& telepathy-like signals warne the non-star!ing mice that foo was
short& so they increase foo consumption an storage within their boies.
3peransky rew this conclusionA =4noubtely& mentioning that the transmission of
information occurre beyon orinary channels of perception will remin the reaer of
such notions as telepathy& e+trasensory perception& an Hbiological raio-communication.,
8t is possible to suppose that the transmission of information about star!ation pertains to
this type of phenomenonJ (e think so& but cannot strictly affirm it at present. 8t is only
clear that the transmission of information about star!ation in conitions of our
e+periments goes beyon orinary forms of interaction of animals. 0herefore& we propose
to call it e+traorinary transmission of information.=
#ctually& relate phenomena ha been recore by (estern researchers. 3ir #lister
*ary& "rofessor Emeritus of Koology an 5omparati!e #natomy at 7+for 4ni!ersity&
ha consiere the possibility that telepathic communication among animals might e!en
affect e!olution an aaptation. 8n an essay on =?iology an E3"&= "rofessor *ary
suggeste that animal habits might be sprea by =telepathic-like means&= an that a
=psychic pool of e+istence= might function among members of a species by some metho
=akin= to telepathy.
3peransky linke his finings about communication between mice to work one by
'ulyae! with his auragram on humans& by 3ergeye! in human brain acti!ity& an by
"resman on the influence of electromagnetic fiels upon li!ing organism. #. 3. "resman,s
work& notably his book E:E5067M#'$E085 F8E:;3 #$; :8FE .$ew %ork& 19>I/&
is internationally known.
7ne rare positi!e reference to parapsychology-relate work to appear in .what was/ an
East 'erman publication was printe in $E4E ;E4035*:#$;& the East ?erlin aily
publishe by the 3ocialist 4nity "arty& May 15& 19EG.
8n an article on =Man& #nimals an Magnetism&= "rofessor *ans (eiss an ;r. <urgen
*ellebran iscusse the )uestion of whether a correlation between electromagnetic
fiels an life processes oes& in fact& e+ist. 0hey foun that the !iews of physicists&
chemists& an biologists !ary greatly.
0hey cite "resman,s work& notably his references to the apparent ability of snails an
birs to orient themsel!es through the earth,s magnetic fiel. 0he two authors enounce
popular claims for magnetic healing e!ices as =clearly humbug&= but state that in such
fiels as foo prouction further basic research =may permit e!elopments leaing to
practical applications.=
#s a leaing research center& $o!osibirsk was a natural contact point for long-istance
e+periments in telepathy. 0he top 3o!iet scientist& "rofessor 8ppolite 9ogan& arrange a
long-istance test from his ?io-5ommunication :aboratory in Moscow to the
$o!osibirsk laboratory. 9ogan reporte on this e+periment& in absentia& to a meeting at
the 4ni!ersity of 5alifornia at :os #ngeles in 1969. 0he test concentrate on the
telepathic transmission of the ientity of !arious ob1ects& with %uri 9amensky in Moscow
trying to communicate the images to 9arl $ikolaye! in $o!osibirsk. 0he methos use
correspone to other long-istance tests.
*owe!er& 9ogan note that the recipient in the 3iberian city& =i not ha!e an assortment
of items before him&= as was arrange later uring the Moscow-9ersh tests& so he =coul
not gi!e specific names for the ob1ect he saw telepathically. 9ogan sai that the
$o!osibirsk recipient was limite to listing =the characteristics= of each item& which
restricte statistical analysis of the e+perimental results to =an appro+imation.=
8n one such test& the transmitting telepath in the 3o!iet capital was aske by super!ising
scientists =to suggest an ob1ect they ha chosen ranomly.= 3i+ segments of test were
use to transmit images of si+ ifferent ob1ects. *alf of these tests ga!e positi!e results.
T$E +*& TA+ES ONTRO!
;uring the 5ol (ar it became a commonplace obser!ation that the 5ommittee for 3tate
3ecurity .97M80E0 '734$;#630@E$$78 ?EK"#30$7308& or 9'? for short/
permeate 3o!iet society at all le!els. 8ts role in psi research was& clearly& a minor aspect
of 9'? acti!ity. 0he 9'?,s uneasy role in psi research illustrate that it was not& an
coul not ha!e been& a monolithic agency. 8ts sometimes contraictory aims& as well as its
enormous omestic an international scope an i!ersity& mae total efficiency
impossible.
(estern analyst ha!e conclue that the 9'? took control of 3o!iet stuies in
parapsychology no later than 19>I. More precisely& the agency appears to ha!e taken a
serious interest in the fiel uring this perio& an its in!ol!ement after that became more
acti!e an consistent.
0he 9'?,s alternately benign an hostile attitue towar psychic stuies is well
illustrate by the rise& fall& an resurrection of the bioenergetics laboratory attache to
Moscow,s #. 3. "opo! 3cientific-0echnical 3ociety for 6aio Engineering& Electronics
an 5ommunication .known as $076E3& the acronym of its 6ussian name/.
0he original initiati!e for the "opo! lab came from members of its ?ionics 3ection in
1965& who suggeste a series of telepathy e+periments uner the label =biological
communication.=
0he new section met on 7ctober 11& 1965& an e!elope a three-point programA
.1/ stuy an analysis of international literature on the sub1ectB
.G/ a synthesis of spontaneous telepathic phenomena pre!iously obser!eB an
.3/ a plan for laboratory-controlle telepathic e+periments.
0he resulting :aboratory for ?io-8nformation functione on two le!els& pri!ate an
official. 0he core of the operation was a team of unpai !olunteers& who were permitte
to work on premises lease by the "opo! institute& an whose acti!ity was =officially
authori-e.= 0he little ban of parapsychology enthusiasts insie the ?io-
5ommunication :aboratory was well aware that they operate uner official scrutiny&
that at least one 9'? operati!e was a staff member an other regularly reporte to the
agency. Much of their work was clearly !isible& such as the long-istance telepathy
e+periments& but other stuies were ne!er publishe.
#mong the unpublishe stuies was the work of %uri 9orabelniko! an :umilla
0ishchenko-9orabelniko!a& a husban-an-wife team who organi-e more than eight
thousan clair!oyance tests. 0hey place ifferent geometric esigns of numbers insie
opa)ue en!elopes. #ccoring to the group,s compilations& the two psychics were able to
name about >I percent of the images correctly& compare to GI percent e+pecte by
probability.
8n aition to the e+istence of ri!al =iealistic= an =materialistic= cli)ues& there was a
continuous effort on the part of publicity-conscious Ewar $aumo! to push for more
research in psychokinesis& while the laboratory,s irector& "rofessor 9ogan& fa!ore
telepathy e+periments. ?arbara 8!ano!a& then employe as a go!ernment translator&
engage in a series of e+periments that inclue remote-!iewing an istant healing.
:arissa @ilenskaya& impresse by the performances of 6osa 9ulesho!a& in!estigate
ermo-optic !ision an e!elope techni)ues for teaching this ability.
7ne of 8!ano!a,s early stuents& ?oris 8!ano!& e!entually enounce her as bringing an
=iealist= taint to healing research. 8!ano! himself speciali-e in =charging= water with
=bio-energy&= a techni)ue that ha long been e+amine by a 5anaian researcher& ;r.
?ernar 'ra of Mc'ill 4ni!ersity& Montreal. #fter 8!ano! left the "opo! laboratory to
continue his stuies at the 8nstitute of Molecular 'enetics of the 4336 #caemy of
3ciences& a curtain of secrecy roppe o!er his work.
0he 9'? reorgani-e the "opo! laboratory in 19>E along lines that fa!ore military-
oriente research. 0he new unit& uner the irection of acaemician %uri 9ob-are!& was
establishe after three years of soul-searching. "rofessor 9ob-are! was consiere by
Moscow researchers as a soun scientist but& to the egree that this was possible within
3o!iet society& something of a =political innocent.=
#s such& he occupie the position of an acaemic figurehea for the new :aboratory for
?io-Electronics& while the ay-to-ay functions of the unit reste in the firm hans of his
eputy& a 9'? functionary who ha been acti!e within the ol laboratory an was
instrumental in its e!entual issolution.
;ebates regaring =inhumane= pro1ects often arose. ;etermine to a!oi these& the
authorities i not permit within the unit,s secretariat& its council& or the laboratory team&
the presence of anyone who might oppose =inhumane= pro1ects.
0o enforce this policy& a strict screening process was establishe& complete with =6ules
for #mittance to Membership in the 5entral "ublic :aboratory for ?io-Electronics=
.;ecember >& 19>E/. 0he rules specifie that all potential staff members ha to be
inter!iewe by the lab,s irectors& commit themsel!es in writing to ahere to the rules&
file two passport-type portrait photographs& an submit a statement of three to four pages
showing =familiarity with bio-electronic problems.= 0he laboratory& in tern& establishe a
file on each ini!iual an issue an ientity car.
7nce amitte to the staff& members were forbien to gi!e lectures or publish papers
=without the laboratory,s prior permission.= 0hey were not permitte to =engage in any
research concerning the structure& or the impro!e )uality of biofiels= outsie the
laboratory& without the prior permission of the 3cientific-0echnological 3ection.
8n orer to wien the geographic scope of bio-electronic research& "opo! institutes in
:eningra& 9ie!& #lma #ta& 9ishine!& 0aganrog& Minsk& an 0allin were urge to
establish similar laboratories an engage psychics for e+periments. 8n aition to 9'?
guiance of the ?io-Electronics :aboratory& the military was well represente among its
officers. 0he full e+tent an purpose of the military interests remains !ague ue to lack of
ocumentation. 0he military presence& howe!er& was known to be large.
#mong eighteen members selecte on 7ctober 31& 19>E& two were senior scientists at the
3o!iet Ministry of ;efenseA <an 8. 9oltuno! an $ikolai #. $oso!B a thir& Mikhail #.
3ukhikh& was a 5aniate of Military 3ciences at the Ministry of ;efense.
#n appraisal of the 9'?,s role in 6ussian parapsychology must be acknowlege that the
agency was an e!er-present fact of 3o!iet life& rather than an omnisciently sinister force.
0hus& when we obser!e that the 9'? slowly tightene its hol on psi stuies& it simply
means that - with a lot of backing an filling - it starte to take the psychic potential
seriously& e+amine it more closely& an began to guie its use towar serious application.
E!ience for this interest can be foun in i!erse areas. (hen NmigrN #ugust 3tern
reporte on the carefully guare operations of a laboratory in $o!osibirsk& he mae two
significant references to the 9'?,s role in the operation of this unit in particular an in
psi stuies in general. *e e+presse the belief that two !isitors who ha inspecte the
$o!osibirsk installations uring its early ays were 9'? men& an state that
e+periments in :eningra an $o!osibirsk were later reporte to ha!e been combine
into one Moscow laboratory& operate uner 9'? auspices.
3tern unerstoo in 19>F that all psi tests ha been curtaile& e+cept for the =secret 9'?
laboratory&= but when he was tol that something =important= an =!ery angerous= ha
been isco!ere in the course of these laboratory e+periments& 3tern sai& =8 ne!er
belie!e it. *ow can the 9'? o effecti!e researchJ 0hey nee real scientists.=
3peaking from the elitist !iewpoint of a scientists& 3tern may well ha!e unerestimate
the results that can be achie!e uner police pressure& if not guiance.
7ne #merican researcher state bluntlyA =0he 9'? simply isco!ere or ecie that
parapsychology phenomena are real& that they work& that all theoretical wrangling be
amne& an that the only thing that counts are results - an they 1ust went ahea& full
steam& to get more reliable results to suit their =specific aims.=
0he pattern that emerge of the 9'?,s rule in 3o!iet psi research was one of increasing
secrecy about actual research with the 4336& accompanie by fluctuating tolerance of
encouragement of the e+posure of peripheral& irrele!ant& or e!en inaccurate information
concerning 3o!iet stuies. 0hree stages in this process can be ientifieB they were
influence by the role an policies of %uri #. #nropo!& who hel the post of 9'?
chairman from 196> to 19EG. 7n $o!ember 1G& 19EG& #nropo! was name 'eneral
3ecretary of the 5ommunist "arty of the 3o!iet 4nion& the country,s top position&
succeeing ?re-hne!& who ie a few ays before.
0he =golen age= of 3o!iet psi research& the first stage of its contemporary e!elopment&
laste through most of the 196Is. 8t began with "rofessor @asilie!,s spirite a!ocacy of
the research he ha long proposeB it became obscure after #nropo! took control of the
9'?& which intrue more firmly into scientific acti!ities& incluing the monitoring&
super!ision& an actual conucting of e+periments.
From mi-196E on& an )uite noticeable by 19>I& contact between 3o!iet psi researchers
an their colleagues abroa began to ry up. ?y 19>5& the :aboratory for ?io-
5ommunication was isbane. "ublication of finings by such authorities as "rofessor
9ogan cease& while rumors concerning secret 9'?-operate laboratories circulate.
0his was a perio of transition& with new plans mae& blueprints prepare& staff
tentati!ely selecte& some pro1ects at least publicly abanone& an other pursue in an
e+ploratory& probing& an e!en confuse manner.
0he 9'?,s influence on scientific research generally ha been une!en. (hile it ha the
task of assuring ma+imum ieological an political loyalty among scientists& it ha to
also encourage optimum proucti!ity. 0his calle for a relati!ely open e+change of
information& incluing a monitoring of scientific e!elopments abroa. ?ut the sheer
!olume of ata in science an technology a!ailable openly - at meeting& in 1ournals an
books - in the 4nite 3tates& (estern Europe& an <apan uring any gi!en ay must ha!e
se!erely ta+e the transmission an translation facilities a!ailable to 3o!iet science.
E!en so& the skille manpower neee to e!aluate& analy-e& an apply such ata was
limite. 3o!iet scholars foun 9'? censorship of incoming mail une!en an hea!y-
haneB publications were often simply stolen in transit an sol on a speciali-e black
market.
3o!iet science& arts& an literature e+perience a =thaw= of se!eral years uring the
regime of $ikita 9hrushche!. (hen irection of the 9'? was taken o!er by #nropo!&
controls o!er 3o!iet society were tighteneB fle+ibility& unpreictability& an changes in
policies thereafter characteri-e the agency,s operations.
8n 19>5& foreign obser!ers etecte a istinct tightening-up of 9'? an 5ommunist
"arty control o!er the acaemy. 0he weekly maga-ine 4.3. $E(3 #$; (76:;
6E"7603 .March 1& 196>/ escribe this e!elopment as =one of the most important
3o!iet internal changes since (orl (ar 88.= 0he maga-ine )uote one analyst as saying
=8t is right up there with 3talin,s eath an the re!ersal of 9hrushche!,s reforms& because
it estroys the only important islan of inepenence left in the country.=
ENTERS OF USSR PSI STUDIES
0he limite information an massi!e isinformation a!ailable regaring the 9'?
takeo!er of 3o!iet psi research i not in itself contribute to an in-epth analysis of the
3o!iet psi research machine& especially when its large si-e was consiere& along with the
known e+tent of its multiiscliplinary acti!ities. For e+ample& through pri!ilege sources
a!ailable to me& 8 was able to confirm by 19E3& that the arms an functions of the
machine were so e+tensi!e as to inclue all of the following twenty-nine research centers.
#. 3. "opo! #ll-4nion 3cientific an 0echnical 3ociety of 6aio 0echnology an
Electrical Engineering& MoscowB :aboratory of ?io-8nformation& 1965-19>5B :aboratory
of ?io-Energetics& establishe 19>E.
3cientific 6esearch 8nstitute of 'eneral an Eucational "sychology& 4336 #caemy of
"eagogical 3ciences& Moscow.
?aumann 8nstitute of #!ance 0echnology& MoscowB :aboratory of ;r. (agner.
8nstitute of Energetics& MoscowB :aboratory of ;r. 3okolo!.
Moscow 3tate 4ni!ersityB :aboratory of "rof. 9holoo!.
3tate 8nstrument of Engineering 5ollege& ;epartment of "hysics& Moscow.
Moscow 8nstitute of #!iation.
8. @. "a!lo! 8nstitute& Moscow.
8nstitute of 6efle+ology& Moscow.
Moscow 4ni!ersity& ;epartment of 0heoretical "hysics.
;epartment of 'eology& Moscow 3tate 4ni!ersity.
8nterepartmental 5ommission for 5oorination of 3tuy on the ?iophysical Effect&
Moscow .owsing research/.
#1unct :aboratory of Meical an ?iological "roblems& Moscow.
4ni!ersity of :eningra& :aboratory on the "hysiology of :aborB ;epartment of
"hysiology& :aboratory of ?iological 5ybernetics.
#. #. 4ktomskii "hysiological 8nstitute& :eningra.
:eningra "olytechnic 8nstitute& ;epartment of 5ybernetics.
4ni!ersity of :eningra& ?ekhtere! ?rain 8nstitute.
6esearch 8nstitute of "sychology& 4krainian 336 #caemy of 3ciences.
8nstitute of "roblems of 8nformation 0ransmission of the 4336 #caemy of 3cience&
Moscow.
"ulko!o 7bser!atory& :eningra.
Filato! 8nstitute& :aboratory of the "hysiology of @ision& 7essa.
3cientific-8nustrial 4nit =Ouantum&= 9rasnoar.
3tate 4ni!ersity of 'eorgia& 0biblisi .0iflis/.
9a-akhstan 3tate 4ni!ersity& #lma #ta& 9a-akhstan.
8nstitute of 5ybernetics of the 4krainian 336& 9ie!.
8nstitute of 5linical "hysiology& 9ie!.
3cientific 6esearch 8nstitute of ?iophysics& ;epartment of 5ybernetics& "uschino.
8nstitute of "sychiatry an $eurology& 9harko!.
8nstitute of #utomation an Electricity& 3pecial ;epartment $o. E& 3iberian #caemy of
3cience .1965-1969/& $o!osibirsk.
8nstitute of 5linical an E+perimental Meicine& $o!osibirsk.
T$REE MA,OR DIRETIONS #IT$IN
T$E SO%IET RESEAR$ MA$INE
#lthough the full e+tent of the isco!eries an etails of the 3o!iet research ha!e
remaine shroue in eep secrecy before an after the en of the 5ol (ar& it has been
possible to ientify three ma1or irections - 57;E ?% 0E:E"#0*%B ?77308$' 0*E
*4M#$ ?6#8$B an #M":8F8E; M8$; "7(E6. 0hese early alarme #merican
analysts& an partially account for the #merican responses.
ODE &) TE!EPAT$)
0he most spectacular e+periments unertaken by the Moscow :aboratory of ?io-
8nformation use the 3o!iet 4nion,s star telepathists -%uri 9amensky& a biophysicist& an
9arl $ikolaye!& an actor.
0he two men first isco!ere each other,s capabilities in thought transference when they
met socially. E!en before the "opo! research group arrange formal tests& their skills
attracte a mi+ture of curiosity& awe& an oubt in Moscow society.
0he first long-istance e+periment took place in 1966& with 9amensky staying in
Moscow& acting as sener of the telepathic signals& while $ikolaye! ser!e as recei!er in
$o!osibirsk& the science research center in western 3iberia. 0he Moscow aily
97M37M7:39#%# "6#@;# .<uly 9& 1966/ reporte that the e+periment consiste of
two types.
0he first& moele after tests pioneere in the 4nite 3tates by ;r. <. ?. 6hine at the
"arapsychology :aboratory of ;uke 4ni!ersity& employe a eck of cars mae up of
fi!e ifferent geometric symbolsA cross& circle& star& wa!y lines& an s)uare.
0he newspaper account i not pro!ie etails on the e+periment,s esign& nor i it
publish specific results. 8t conclue& howe!er& that =the number of correct
ientifications of symbols was higher than correct ranom ientifications& as compute
accoring to the theory of probability.= 0he report sai& =0he reception of other symbols
was isturbe by consierable associati!e interference&= a conition that woul be
=reuce in the future.=
0he secon e+periment aime at the transfer of images of concrete ob1ects. 0he paper
reporte that $ikolaye!& in $o!osibirsk& =recei!e )uite clearly= the images of umbbells
an of a screwri!er sent from Moscow by 9amensky. 0he Moscow paper commenteA
=8t is )uite possible that these results will e)ually isappoint the most arent aherents of
telepathy an its opponents. 0he former& because no miracle occurre& because there
were no perfect ientifications. 0he latter& because the e+periment emonstrate the
reality of the phenomenon an prouce !aluable ata& both positi!e an negati!e& which
pointe up the nee for continue research.=
# follow-up e+periment& this time between Moscow an :eningra& took place a year
later. 8t was esigne to harness the emotional content of crisis telepathy into a coe
transmission. 0he "opo! group set out to esign an e+periment that woul .a/ be suite
to the skills of its telepathists& .b/ utili-e emotional elements& an .c/ achie!e specific
information transmission.
0he problem face by the Moscow e+perimenters is a basic one in efforts to use psychic
powers for practical purposes. 8n esigning the Moscow-:eningra e+periment& they ha
to come up with an answer to the )uestionA =*ow o you tame a telepathic flashB how o
you transform a split-secon impression into a meaningful messageJ=
0he answer was pro!ie by ;r. 'enay 3ergeye!& then a staff member of the #. #.
4ktomskii "hysiological 8nstitute in :eningra an senior e+perimenter with $ina
9ulagina. 3ergeye!& who ha been a (orl (ar 88 raio operator statione in the ?altic
region& ecie that a short outburst of emotion might ha!e sufficient impact to form the
Morse 5oe e)ui!alent of a letter of the alphabet.
0he e+perimental esign calle for a message of aggressi!e emotion lasting fifteen or
thirty secons to act as the e)ui!alent of a ot in Morse 5oe& while a message of forty-
fi!e secons was to be the e)ui!alent of a ash. 0o generate sufficient !iolence&
9amensky was instructe to imagine that he was gi!ing Mikolaye! a se!ere beating&
lasting wither the short of the long perio.
0he e+periment i not assume that $ikolaye! woul e+perience the =coe beating=
consciously or intellectually. 6ather& it was esigne to be registere by his brain an2or
cario!ascular system. 0o measure these effects of the telepathic transmission&
$ikolaye! sat alone in a sounproof test chamber in :eningra 4ni!ersity,s physiology
laboratory. *is heart action was monitore by an electrocariograph& while his brain
function was recore by an electroencephalograph.
&OOSTIN* T$E $UMAN &RAIN
0he work of "rofessor 8ppolite M. 9ogan& who irecte the ?io-5ommunication
:aboratory of the "opo! 8nstitute in Moscow until 19>5& has isappeare into a fog of
silence. ?ut either 9ogan or his successors may well ha!e continue this work&
0he #i6esearch Manufacturing 5ompany& in its <anuary 1F& 19>6 report to the 4.3.
5entral 8ntelligence #gency& suggeste that =further theoretic an e+perimental
e!elopments along the lines outline by 9ogan are continuing in the 3o!iet 4nion.=
0he report aeA =9ogan pose to many interesting an challenging )uestions for
himself an his colleagues not to ha!e el!e into them further. ?ase on the well-known
preilection of 3o!iet physicists to sol!e ifficult an challenging problems& an their
e+cellent training in moern physics& the possibility that a team of 3o!iet physicists is at
work to systematically unco!er an learn the physical mechanisms of parapsychological
e!ents is highly probable.=
0he 5alifornia research group use the term $o!el ?iophysical 8nformation 0ransfer
.$?80/ to label the telepathic aspects of psi when it state =*a 9ogan not presente
such a clear an soun proposal si+ years ago& one might ha!e wonere if 3o!iet
physicists ha!e any interest at all in no!el biophysical information transfer .$?80/
mechanisms. 5learly& if one coul fin out where 9ogan is working an what he is oing&
this )uestion woul be answere.=
?ut 9ogan ha not been hear from since his Moscow ?io-8nformation :aboratory was
close own in 19>5& an he was not a member of the staff of the laboratory that replace
it three years later. 9ogan,s backgroun in the theory an practice of raio-electronics&
together with his ramatic tests in long-istance telepathy& mae his research particularly
significant to stuies in the transmission in @ery :ow Fre)uency .@:F/ an E+tremely
:ow Fre)uency .E:F/ raio wa!es. 0hese research areas were of specific interest to
shore-to-submarine communications. 0he #i6esearch stuy mae the following pointsA
=#ssuming that the 4336 starte a special $?80 program sometime in 19>I& by now
they coul ha!e e!elope some sensiti!e instruments to etect& monitor an analy-e
@:F an E:F raiations for possible instrument content& as 9ogan suggeste shoul be
one. =#lso& they must ha!e been instrumental in e!eloping sensors to monitor
fluctuations in the human boy,s electric an magnetic fiels& an they may ha!e a team
of scientists stuying the properties of bio-organic molecules an their response to
electromagnetic E:F2@:F raiation.=
0he report suggeste that 3o!iet researchers were using electronic means for boosting
telepathic communications. =0he 6ussians may now be implementing the ne+t logical
step&= it sai& =namely to reinforce& enhance or ai $?80 in certain traine or gifte
ini!iuals after ha!ing isco!ere the basic communication carriers.= *ow coul such
enhance telepathic or clair!oyant ability be utili-eJ 0he most ramatic means possible&
espite its science fiction connotations& is tuning in on people,s mins.
:ess precisely focuse monitoring was well uner way. 0he 3o!iet 4nion operate an
elaborate an elaborate ea!esropping network& with se!eral monitoring stations on the
eastern seaboar of the 4nite 3tates& to recor raio-telephone con!ersations among
4.3. go!ernment agencies& pri!ate corporations& an ini!iuals.
0he monitoring of more intimate communications& e!en =thought reaing&= can be seen as
an e+trapolation from these unertakings - particularly if it can e+ten to the min-
reasoning of prominent ecision-making officials.
8t may be taken for grante that Moscow was intereste& on a continuous basis& in
monitoring e+tremely low fre)uency communications between 4.3. na!el comman
posts an submarines at sea& then in an e+perimental state. 0uning in on the min
processes an ecisions of ini!iuals& on E:F2@:F wa!elengths& coul ha!e been
harly less tempting. 0he #i6esearch report noteA =8f e+periments which generate
special E:F2@:F wa!es are being conucte& it may will tra!el across the worl.=
8t ae that these fre)uencies may be =unetectable by the usual relati!ely broaban
fre)uency etectors&= an commenteA =8t is rational to assume that the 3o!iets pursue the
in!estigation of !arious physical methos that might ser!e no!el biophysical information
transmission mechanisms. (hether or not E:F2@:F mechanisms e+plain
parapsychological e!ents may be a moot )uestion& if these mechanisms can be utili-e for
human information transfer.=
8n other worsA 8f it works& who cares what you call itJ
0o isco!er the =carrier mechanism= of this capacity& the #i6esearch team unertook
what it calle =a short speculati!e stuy= an ecie that three methos were
=compatible with current moern physics.= 0hese inclueA
.1/ @ery :ow Fre)uency .@:F/ an E+tremely :ow Fre)uency .E:F/ electromagnetic
wa!esB
.G/ $eutrinos& base on the photon theory of neutrinosB
.3/ Ouantum-mechanical PPPPP.48 - 8 think the sign is alphaJJJ/ wa!es& base on schi-o-
physical interpretation of basic OM COuantum MechanicsD theory.
0he report sai that e+periments in the 4nite 3tates an the 3o!iet 4nion in this fiel
point to the E:F2@:F mechanisms& but =the other two possibilities cannot be rule out.=
(hether one uses such terms as $?80& bio-communication& or the hany wor telepathy&
there is an awesome fascination in the prospect that a single min may be monitore& or
thought transference between two people intercepte& on an e+tremely low fre)uency
recei!er. Meical electronics ha!e perfecte apparatus that come close to the frontier of
such uses.
For years& 6ussian neurologists an psychologist ha treate the human min as little
more than a comple+ electro-chemical apparatus. #s such& they felt& it coul function as
the =recipient= of information or as an =inucer= of energies. (ith skill& these faculties
might be manipulateA mae more sensiti!e& more powerful& more responsi!e to outsie
influence.
8n his book entitle 0*74'*0 06#$3FE6E$5E& 9a-hinsky ha conclue that the
human ner!ous system incorporates the elements of its own historic e!olution.
*e wroteA =:ike all other parts of the li!ing organism& ner!e elements an ner!e circuits
perform aapti!e an protecti!e functionsB that is& they aapt the organism to the
influence of the en!ironment& as well as to the influences of en!ironmental factors.
=0hey ha!e unergone changes an impro!ements for many thousans of years. $ature
took care to e)uip all li!ing matter with highly elicate ner!e structures that ha!e resulte
in great impro!ement of all !ital functions. Electromagnetic transmission of mental
information o!er a istance is a !ital function of the ner!ous system. =0his leas to a
logically 1ustifie ieaA the human central ner!ous system .incluing the brain/ is a
repository of highly sophisticate instruments of biological raio communication& in
construction far superior to the latest instruments of technical raio communication.
=0here may e+ist Hli!ing, instruments of technical biological communication still
unknown to contemporary raio engineering. # thorough an original laboratory stuy of
such Hli!ing, instruments may help us raise raio communication to an unpreceentely
high le!el& placing entirely new an !astly impro!e raio facilities at its isposal.=
9a-hinsky isagree with those who regare the telepathic ability as a remnant from
man,s earlier stages of e!olution. 8nstea& he maintaine that =the phenomenal capacity
of a person to e+ert a mental influence o!er others from a istance is still in an embryonic
stage.= *e aeA =0hose who belie!e that this brain capacity is moribun& egenerating&
etc.& are wrong. 7n the contrary& it is the beginning of a new an higher stage of
e!elopment of the human min& on a new an firmer founation& base on biological
raio communication. 0his hypothesis is confirme by a simple law of natureA the more a
capacity is e+ercise& the keener it will become an the greater man,s power o!er nature
will be.Q
9a-hinsky,s concepts were& in se!eral ways& a prototype of some 3o!iet thinking in this
file. *e notes the =insignificantly low energy emitte by the brain of the Hbiological
raio transmitter, in the transference of sensations an e+periences o!er istance.=
*e urge that efforts be mae to e!elop instruments that can uplicate the Hremarkably
elicate an perfect natural instrument= that the brain represents in functioning as such a
transmitter. 9a-hinsky bolstere his arguments with a )uotation from @. 8. :enin&
=3ensation is the resulting effect of matter on our sensory organs.= .M#0E68#:83M
#$; EM"8687-56808583M& Moscow& 1953/.
?y 1961& @asilie!,s psychiatric colleague& "rofessor 9.8. "latono!& was able to aress a
9harko! meeting on telepathy an recall e+periments he ha conucte in 19GF at the
#ll-6ussian 5ongress of "sychoneurologists& "sychologists an 0eachers in :eningra.
@asilie!& who was present uring the original 5ongress& publishe "latono!,s account in
his book. ;uring a meeting of the 5ongress,s hypnological 3ection& a female sub1ect& M.&
sat at the presiential table& facing the auience& while "latono! stoo behin a
blackboar that hi him from M.& although he coul be seen by the auience.
"latono! ha tol the auience earlier that& when he silently co!ere his face with his
hans& he woul try to put the sub1ect to sleep hypnotically. *is report continueA
=*a!ing co!ere my face 8 forme a mental image of the sub1ect M. falling asleep while
talking to "rof. '. Cwho sat ne+t to her on the aisD. 8 strenuously concentrate my
attention on this for about one minute. 0he result was perfectA M. fell asleep within a few
secons. #wakening was effecte in the same way. 0his was repeate se!eral times.=
"latono!,s obser!ations inclue the fining that& when he ga!e the sub1ect the actual
mental suggestion of saying ='o to sleep= or 1ust =3leepR= he in,t get any results. ?ut
when he wante to conclue the e+periment - he ha positi!e results. *e note that the
sub1ect woke up suenly& =within a few secons after 8 ha starte mentally !isuali-ing
her awakening.= "latono! emphasi-e that the sub1ect was =entirely unaware of the
nature of the e+periment.=
"latono! sai that his tests shoul prompt scientists to take these phenomena =e+tremely
seriously.= *e conclue that his finings gi!e researchers =the right to search for means
of fining a scientific& materialistic grouning& not only for the phenomena of
telepathically inucing sleep& but for many other telepathic phenomena as well.
0he crucial )uestion was whether hypnosis2telepathy coul influence men or women who
were unaware of being targets. Many cases ha been reporte& similar to "latono!,s
mental influence on the sub1ect M.& which seem to pro!e that the sub1ect can be
hypnoti-e while unaware of the e+periments. 8t is likely that the pioneer work one by
3o!iet scientists in this fiel has le to more intensi!e an wier stuies.
3o!iet long-istance telepathy e+periments are a matter of recorB we may assume that
the =reinforcement= or =min amplification= by hypnosis or rugs& of telepathic seners
.inucers/ an recei!ers ha been attempte in all types of telepathy tests.
#AS$IN*TON-S DI!EMMA
?y 1969& the growing e!ience that the 3o!iets were unertaking research into amplifie
min power techni)ues le to the #merican ilemma of how to respon to the =psi
situation.= 0he #merican science community was not preispose to unertaking a
significant step towar =psychic research&= an many go!ernment an intelligence leaers
feare riicule.
?ut at the !ery least it ha to be etermine if there was any =potential threat= to
#merican security if the 3o!iets ha e!elope an array of amplifie min power
techni)ues.
#fter what may ha!e been a lot of soul searching& the 58# respone in 19>3 by funing
a classifie e+ploratory pro1ect at 3tanfor 6esearch 8nstitute .368/ placing it uner the
guiance of a physicist& ;r. *. E. "utoff. For years& the 58# in!ol!ement remaine
!ague. ?ut in 1996& "uthoff publishe a report entitle 58#-8$808#0E; 6EM70E
@8E(8$' "67'6#M #0 30#$F76; 6E3E#65* 8$308040E .<746$#: 7F
358E$08F85 EL":76#087$ @ol. 1I& $o. 1. pp 63->6& 1996./ C$70EA this ocument
can be foun in 3ection 8@ of this site.D
4p until 19>3& it was commonly unerstoo that the #merican intelligence community
ha taken no interest in psychic research or E3". ?ut in 19E1& the following ocument
suggesting otherwise was eclassifie an release.
OUT!INE OF ./01 IA PRO,ET ON ESP
0he following te+t& release by the 5entral 8ntelligence #gency uner the Freeom of
8nformation #ct& eals with a twofol pro1ect esigne to e+amine the potential use of
e+trasensory perception for =practical problems of intelligence.= 0he author of the
memoranum outline a pro1ect of at least three years in length an estimate the cost for
its first year. 0he pro1ect was en!isione as aiming at reliability an repeatability among
=e+ceptionally gifte ini!iuals= an at the utili-ation of =scattere= E3" results through
=statistical concentration.= $ames& telephone numbers& an other items that might permit
the ientification of ini!iuals or epartments were elete by the 58# at the time the
ocument was release in 19E1& an such eletions are note in the te+t. 0here are no
inications whether the pro1ect was actually unertaken& nor is it clear whether the te+t is
an interoffice memoranum between two agency officials or was aresse to a 58#
official by a researcher working uner a contract or grant outsie the agency. 0he
memoranum is ate <anuary >& 195G& an its full te+t follows without )uotesA
8f& as now appears to us establishe beyon )uestions& there is in some persons a certain
amount of capacity for e+trasensory perception .E3"/& this fact& an conse)uent
e!elopments leaing from it& shoul ha!e significance for professional intelligence
ser!ice. 6esearch on the problems of e+trasensory perception .E3"/& this fact& an
conse)uent e!elopments leaing from it& shoul ha!e significance for professional
intelligence ser!ice. 6esearch on the problems of e+trasensory perception has been in the
hans of a few !ery workers an has not been irecte to the purpose here in min& or to
any practical application whate!er. *owe!er& ha!ing establishe certain basic facts& now&
after long an patient efforts an more resistance than assistance& it now appears that we
are reay to consier practical application as a research problem in itself.
0here are two main lines of research that hol specific promise an nee further
e!elopment with a !iew to application to the intelligence pro1ect. 0hese two are by no
means all that coul be one to contribute to that enB rather& e!erything that as
anything to our unerstaning of what is taking place in E3"& is likely to gi!e us
a!antage in the problems of use an control. 0herefore& the 6ockefeller-finance pro1ect
of fining the personality correlates of E3" an the e+cursions into the )uestion of E3" in
animals& recently begun& as well as se!eral ma1or lines of in)uiry& are all to the goo.
0he two special pro1ects on in!estigation that ought to be pushe in the interest of the
pro1ect uner iscussion are& first& the search for an e!elopment of e+ceptionally gifte
ini!iuals who can appro+imate perfect success in E3" test performance& an& secon& in
the statistical concentration of scattere E3" performance& so as to enable an ultimately
perfect reliability an application.
(e ha!e something efinite to go on in each case& an it is with this in min that we are
incline to make a serious effort to push the research in the irection of reliable
application to the practical problem of intelligence.
First& a wor about the =special sub1ect=A 7n a number of occasions& through the years&
se!eral ifferent scientific in!estigators ha!e& uner conitions of e+cellent control&
obtaine strikingly long runs of unbroken success from sub1ects in E3" tests. 0he
conitions allowe no alternati!e. #t least one of them occurre with the target cars an
e+perimenter in one builing an the sub1ect se!eral hunre yars away in another.
;ue to the elusi!e& unconscious nature of E3" ability& these same sub1ects coul not
reliably repeat& an uring the years of in!estigation uner the conitions of
e+treme limitations with which the work has ha to be one& it has not been possible to
sol!e the problem of o!ercoming this ifficulty an bringing the capacity uner reliable
control. (e ha!e recently learne of two persons efinitely reporte to be able to keep up
their rate of almost unbroken success o!er much longer stretches of time. 0hese
in!estigations ha!e been going on in scientific laboratories& an from reports in our hans
we ha!e no reason to )uestion their reliability. (e ha!e not been able to bring the
sub1ects here or e+ten our in!estigation to the laboratories concerne. 8t looks& howe!er&
as if in these two cases the problem of getting an maintaining control o!er the E3"
function has been sol!e. 8f it has& the rest of the way to practical application seems to us
a matter of engineering with no insuperable ifficulties. E!en if there is anything wrong
with one or both of these cases& this more e+tene control must come e!entually& we
think& an we ha!e ha in min many lines of research& esigne to try to bring it CaboutD.
8 shall not enlarge on the practical an technological e!elopments that woul be
followe in bringing a capacity& such as that emonstrate in these car tests& of getting
information in a practical situation. 8t will be seen that if a sub1ect uner control test
conitions can ientify the orer of a eck of cars& se!eral hunre years away in
another builing& or can =ientify= the thought of another person se!eral hunre miles
away& the aaptation to the practical re)uirements for obtaining secret information shoul
not gi!e serious ifficulty.
0he other practice on which research shoul be concentrate& we belie!e& is that of
e!eloping ways of using small percentages of success in such a way that reliable
1ugment can be mae. (hile we are still e+ploring the a!antages of this instrument of
application& we ha!e gone far enough to see how it is entirely possible an practical to
use a small percentage of success& abo!e that e+pecte by chance alone& so as to
concentrate the slight significance attaching to a gi!en trial to the point where reliance
can be place upon the final application to the problem in han. 8 belie!e you went into
this matter thoroughly enough with Cname of ini!iual or unit eleteD that 8 will not
nee to re!iew her the actual e!ices an proceures by which this concentration of
reliability is brought about.
8f we were to unertake to push this research as far an as fast as we can reasonably well
o in the irection of practical application to the problems of intelligence& it woul be
necessary to be e+ceeingly careful about thorough cloaking of the unertaking. 8 shoul
not want anyone here in the Cwor or wors eleteD& e+cept Ctwo names apparently
eleteD an myself to know about it. (e are all three cleare for security purposes tot he
le!el of =3ecret.= 8 woul perhaps feel boun to ha!e confiential iscussion on the
matter with Cname or names apparently eleteD. Funs necessary for the support of the
work woul unerstanably carry no ientification an raise no )uestions.
8f there is no reason why there coul not be& at any time it was 1ustifie& a renegotiation of
aitional nees that might arise that cannot be anticipate at this stage& 8 shoul prefer to
procee with some restraint in estimating what such a pro1ect woul in!ol!e in the matter
of funs. 8 shall estimate a research team of fi!e persons working on this pro1ect
primarily. 0here will be no careful line rawn. 0hree will be a great eal of e+change an&
of course& no esignation in the Cse!eral wors eleteD a separate unit. For our purposes
at the moment& howe!er& the CeleteD can consier that such a test might consist of
Cnames apparently eleteD& a well-)ualifie statistician an two research workers
)ualifie not only to hanle groups of sub1ects but assist in the e!aluati!e proceures as
well. 0he total salary estimate for these fi!e people woul be between MGG&5II an
MG5&III. 8n orer to take a!antage of mechanical ai in the statistical work an such
other matters as tra!eling e+penses& it woul be a!isable to a M5&III as a conser!ati!e
estimate. 8 think M3I&III woul be well spent on the first year. 8t is almost anyone,s guess
as to what the ne+t year woul lea us into& but it woul almost certainly be more an
probably a great eal more. 8 oubt if it woul be profitable to try to fi+ it at this time.
Frustrate as we ha!e been by ha!ing to eal in short-term pro1ects an the wastefulness
of effort that accompanies the attempt to o long-term research pro1ects on that basis& 8
am about reay to say that without pretty efinite assurance of at least a three-year
program 8 shoul not want to try to assemble the personnel& eign an research program
an put the o!erall effort into what is really a ma1or unertaking like this.
Much as 8 feel the urgency of ha!ing our country ha!e as much a lea as possible in this
matter& 8 o not think it is a!isable to unertake it unless there is a certain amount of
confience on both sies of the agreement& an these short-term grants-in-ai are& after
all& usually measures of limite confience.
8 might a that& while the 6ussians ha!e both officially an through their leaing
psychologists isappro!e of our kin of work& as they woul ha!e to o because of the
philosophy of Mar+ian materialism& 8 ha!e seen at least one reference to the fact that they
ha!e one e+periments on our lines& gi!ing a materialist interpretation. 8f you can gi!e
me any information on this& 8 woul appreciate it. 3ometime we might iscuss what the
$a-is unertook to o.
ON*RESSIONA! RESPONSE2 ./3.
?etween 1969 an 19E1& classifie ocumentation regaring the 3o!iet psi research
efforts ha become abunant - but ne!er release into the public& which remaine
ignorant of the =threat situation.= 5ongressional leaers& howe!er& were pro!ie copies
an e+tracts of the most sensiti!e ocuments. 0he result was that in <une 19E1& the
5ommittee on 3cience an 0echnology of the 4.3. *ouse of 6epresentati!es issue a
staff report that calle for =a serious assessment= of parapsychology research in the
4nite 3tates.
0he report took note of =the potentially powerful an far-reaching implications of
knowlege in this fiel= an obser!e that the 3o!iet 4nion =is wiely acknowlege to
be supporting such research at a far higher an more official le!el= than is the case in the
4nite 3tates.
0he report submitte the following )uestions =for congressional consieration=A =8s
funing for such research ae)uateJ (hat is the creibility of such research in the
sciences& humanities& an religionsJ *ow oes the public percei!e the creibility of
research in this fiel from both a sub1ecti!e an ob1ecti!e point of !iewJ (hat shoul the
Feeral role in such research be an what agencies are or shoul be in!ol!e in such
researchJ=
0hese suggestions an )uestions were part of a comprehensi!e 346@E% 7F 358E$5E
#$; 0E5*$7:7'% 8334E3& "6E3E$0 #$; F4046E& commissione by the
committee.
8n a section on =6esearch on the "hysics of 5onsciousness ."arapsychology/&= it efine
the issue this wayA =6ecent e+periments in remote-!iewing an other stuies of
parapsychology suggest that there e+ists an Hinterconnecti!eness, of the human min with
other mins an with matter. 0his interconnecti!eness woul appear to be functional in
nature an amplifie by intent an emotion.=
0he report note the history of stuies in parapsychology generally& an in telepathy an
psychokinesis specifically& an saiA =#ttempts in history to obtain insights into the
ability of the human min to function in as-yet misunerstoo ways goes back thousans
of years. 7nly recently& serious an scientifically base attempts ha!e been mae to
unerstan an measure the functional nature of min-min an min-matter
interconnecti!eness. =E+periments on min-min interconnecti!eness ha!e yiele some
encouraging results. E+periments in min-matter interconnecti!eness .psychokinesis/
ha!e yiele less compelling an more enigmatic results. 0he implications of these
e+periments is that the human min may be able to obtain information inepenent of
geography an time.=
0he report acknowlege there coul be =no certainty as to what results will emerge from
basic an e+ploratory research= now unerway& so that its potential importance an =its
implications for the 4nite 3tates an the worl at large can only be speculate upon.= 8t
then liste se!eral categories on which parapsychological stuies might ha!e an impact.
7ne of these categories ha to o with national efense. =8n the area of national efense&
there are ob!ious implications of one,s ability to ientify istant sites an affect sensiti!e
instruments of other humans. # general recognition of the egree of interconnecti!eness
of min coul ha!e far-reaching social an political implications for this $ation an the
worl.=
0he congressional report note that stuies in parapsychology ha =recei!e relati!ely
low funing.= 8t attribute this to the fact that =creibility an potential yiel of such
research is wiely )uestione& although less toay than e!er before.= 8t aeA =0hus far&
the )uality of research that e!en the strongest proponent of such research belie!e is
necessary has been lacking ue in part to low funing.=
3uch cautious& ob!iously well informe appraisal of parapsychology on the part of a
congressional boy was unpreceente. 4ntil then& 5ongress as a whole ha not taken
cogni-ance of E3" potentials in peace or war.
7nly one of its members& 6epresentati!e 5harles 6ose& ;emocrat of $orth 5arolina an
a member of the "ermanent 3elect 5ommittee on 8ntelligence& ha shown long-range
interest in psychic stuies generally an their warfare potentials in particular.
#gencies of the Feeral go!ernment sporaically encourage E3" research. ?ut& gi!en
the ubi)uitous nature of go!ernment concerns& such efforts often seeme no more than an
e+pression of personal interests& the cautious in!ol!ement of =closet parapsychologists= at
!arious le!els in one or another agency.
8ni!iuals an groups that might want to follow the ieas e+presse by the staff report
on science an technology were likely to be hel back by fear of riicule& wither from
within 5ongress of in the Meia.
#s columnist <ack #nerson ha phrase it& the 5entral 8ntelligence #gency ha its
=mouth watering= when it looke into 3o!iet research on remote-!iewing.
#nerson wrote on March GI& 19E1A =(ho, nee a mole in the 9remlin is a psychic
sitting at a esk in (ashington coul -oom-in mentally on a super-secret 3o!iet missile
site or a "olitburo meetingJ=
7ne of #nerson,s researchers& 6on Mc6ae& was alerte to what he interprete as serious
arme forces interest in the psychic when he rea :t. 5ol. #le+aner,s article in
M8:80#6% 6E@8E(& late in 19EI. Mc6ae tol another (ashington writer& 6any
Fit-geral& the article ha con!ince him =there were people in the "entagon who were
really taking it seriously.= #nerson-Mc6ae erroneously claime that a psychic task
force& bugete at M6 million per year& ha been establishe in the "entagon =basement&=
an that the $ational 3ecurity #gency was e+amining the use of e+trasensory perception
in its coe-breaking work.
#nerson,s flippant terminology seeme esigne to riicule his finings or allegations.
*e wrote of =wacky pro1ects= that co!ere =E3" weapons that can brainwash or
incapacitate enemy leaers by thought transfer& eli!er nuclear bombs instantaneously
thousans of miles away by psychic energy& or e!en create a protecti!e Htime warp, to
make incoming 3o!iet missiles e+ploe harmlessly in the past.= *e aeA =0he 58#&
though historically less alarmist about the 6e Menace than the "entagon spooks are& also
has been monitoring 3o!iet E3" research an ponering the possibility of less bi-arre
psychic weapons.=
(hile the 195G E3" pro1ect mentione earlier may ne!er ha!e been unertaken& it seems
certain that the 5entral 8ntelligence #gency i engage in psychic e+periments. 7ne
source of information on this sub1ect is e+-58# employee @ictor Marchetti& who wrote
se!eral books base on his fourteen years with the agency.
Marchetti& who tene to be critical of the 58#,s acti!ities& has sai that it once sought to
establish meiumistic communication with the spirits of agents who ha ie. *e
recalle that the agency,s =scientific spooks= were =progressing into parapsychology&
e+perimenting with meiums in efforts to contact ea agents& with psychics in attempts
to i!ine the intentions of the 9remlin leaership an e!en with stranger phenomena.=
Marchetti asserte that the 58# ha trie to make contact& through a meium& with 7leg
"enko!sky& a colonel in the 3o!iet #rmy who ha been one of its most !aluable contacts
uring his lifetime. 7n May 11& 1963& "enko!sky appeare before the 3o!iet 3upreme
5ourt in Moscow& where he was eclare guilty of treason an sentence to be shot to
eath. #s a colonel in the military intelligence branch of the 3o!iet #rmy& he ha been
assigne to artillery in a =ci!ilian capacity.= "enko!sky was a member of the 3o!iet 3tate
5ommittee for the 5oorination of 3cientific 6esearch #cti!ities& with responsibilities in
omestic an international technological liaison an e!elopment.
"enko!sky ha been an agent for (estern intelligence agencies& presumably ?ritish
ser!ices as well as the 58#.
0here is a simple kin of logic in trying to keep in touch with such a !aluable agent& e!en
after eath. 8t is speculati!e& of course& whether such contact can actually be establishe&
whether spirit communication can be specific an reliable& coul be checke against
information from other sources& or merely use to fill gaps in e+isting ata.
8t may be regare as imaginati!e rather than foolish to ha!e trie to reach someone like
"enko!sky through a meium .or se!eral meiums& cross-checking any resulting
information for correlations an e!iations/. ?ut the number of )ualifie meiums is
limiteB it woul be ifficult to keep such an assignment secret& e!en if the meiums
concerne i not know whom they were e+pecte to contact.
Marchetti sai that& after "enko!sky ha been e+ecute& someone in the 58# ha
suggesteA =(hy on,t we contact himJ= an that this suggestion ha le to the agency,s
becoming =in!ol!e with meiums.= *e sai& =0hey began to contact our own ea
agents& as well as ea agents from the other sie.=
8f the pro1ect e+pane beyon an attempt to get in touch with the spirit of "enko!sky& it
may be assume that at least some of the meiumistic messages ha been satisfactory or
at least promising to 58# staff members. =0here is no inication that they ha!e stoppe&=
Marchetti sai& =an no reason why they woul.= #t any rate& Marchetti,s recollections
suggest that the 58# ha been alert to psychic potentials& no matter how unpro!e& in the
ser!ice of intelligence-gathering.
#ERE T$E IA EFFORTS ,USTIFIED4
0he 58# was certainly 1ustifie in keeping an eye on 3o!iet stuies. 6eferences ha!e
earlier been mae to a report on 3o!iet parapsychology commissione by the 5entral
#gency from the #i6esearch Manufacturing 5ompany of 0orrance& 5alifornia.
0he research group,s e+perts suggeste that& in !iew of 3o!iet stuies& the 4.3.
go!ernment shoul initiate e!elopments in what it calle $o!el ?iophysical 8nformation
0ransfer Mechanisms .$?80/ that =are functional&= although =they may ha!e no
relationship to common parapsychological phenomena.=
0he report .<anuary 1F& 19>6/ a!ise that such stuies shoul be interisciplinary& as
this type of research =crosses so many wiely ifferent scientific isciplines.=
0he report note that on 3o!iet researcher "rofessor 'ennay 3ergeye! of :eningra&
appeare to ha!e perfecte a mechanism capable of measuring human brain function
from a istance of fi!e meters. 0he report obser!e that 3ergeye!,s instrument was
classifie an that =no creible escription of it is a!ailable - only allusions to its
e+istence.=
0he #i6esearch report trace reference to the 3ergeye! e!ice in 6ussian scientific
literature& while noting that =there is reason to oubt the 6ussian claim.= 8t speculate
that =it is possible that a sensiti!e electric or magnetic sensor& or some combination of the
two& woul etect electrical signals from a human boy at a istance of fi!e meters.
=#lthough it is unlikely that the output of such an instrument woul be a irect measure
of the EE'& it woul pro!ie information of interest to a police interrogator& such as the
strength an rate of the heartbeat& the tensing an rela+ation of &muscles& the epth an
rate of breathing& an perhaps the electrical properties of the skin. 0he uses to which the
instrument woul be put are reasons enough for official secrecy about its operating
principles.=
0he report note 3ergeye!,s professional competence& conclue its analysis with the
assumption that 3ergeye!,s remote sensor =oes e+istA in some form& an e+amine the
possible e!elopment of remote sensors by 3o!iet researchers& =following the inicate
lines of in!estigation.= (here& the report aske& coul 3ergeye!,s finings leaJ 8t mae
this cautious forecastA ="erhaps the 6ussians ha!e& in fact& e!elope such instrumentsB
perhaps they are going to o so. "erhaps they ha!e trie an ha!e not been successful.
"ossible sensor e!elopments iscusse in the following paragraphs are not meant to be
e+hausti!eB rather& they are speculati!e an offere as e+amples of what may or might beA
=# tuneable antenna for etecting low-fre)uency& !ery-low-fre)uency& or e+tremely-low-
fre)uency electromagnetic raiation coul be use. 0he 6ussians belie!e both in mental
telepathy an in a prosaic physical mechanism for it. 0he most probable mechanism is
electromagnetic raiation.
=# tuneable antenna coul be use in two types of e+perimentsA trying to etect the
raiation from the telepathic agent an trying to generate raiation of the right fre)uency
to interfere with telepathic receptions.
=# neutrino etector may be use. ?oth the 6ussian <e. "arno! .$#49# 8 6E:8'8#&
$o. 3& pp. FF to F9& 1966/ an the #merican Martin 6uerfer .$E4068$7 0*E76% 7F
EL06#3E$376% "E65E"087$& in #?306#503A 1st 8$0E6$#087$#:
57$FE6E$5E 7F "3%5*7067$853& @ol. G& "rague& pp. 9 to 13& <une 19>3/ ha!e
suggeste neutrinos as the means of transmitting thought from one min to another.
7ne of the collaborators of the present stuy& <. Eerkens& ha a plausible hypothesis about
the prouction an etection of neutrinos that coul be e+perimentally teste by relati!ely
moest e+penitures for e)uipment an labor. =# magnetic fiel or fiel graient
etector coul be use. 0he 6ussians an other Eastern Europeans are greatly intereste
in owsing& or fining groun water. # currently popular theory of owsing is that the
human boy is sensiti!e to small changes .temporal an spatial/ in the magnetic fiel of
the earth& such as might be prouce by water near the surface of the groun. 8f the
human boy can generate as well as sense magnetic fiels& such a human magnetism
might be the basis of some form of thought transference or psychokinesis.=
8n conclusion& the #i6esearch stuy suggeste fi!e areas of research as =the most fruitful
lines of in!estigation&= as followsA
1. 0*E "3%5*7"*%387:7'% #$; "3%5*7:7'% 7F #(#6E$E33 7F $?80
0his area inclues such )uestions as what are the moes of awareness that facilitate
$?80J *ow to select an train ini!iuals for high resolution an reliable performanceJ
(hich of the possible transmission mechanisms can humans utili-e for $?80J
G. 06#$3M83387$ ME5*#$83M3
0his area inclues such )uestions as what are possible $?80 transmission mechanismsJ
*ow is information transmitte from the source to the recipientJ
3. 0*E "*%387:7'% #$; ?875*EM8306% 7F *4M#$ 06#$3;45E6
ME5*#$83M3
8n this area& research woul be conucte on physiology an biochemistry of reception
an receptor mechanism.
F. 30#083085#: ;E@E:7"ME$0
0his area inclues nonstationary analysis of ranom ata& e!iation from normally
istribute ata& an new e!elopments in communication an information theory with
respect to noisy channels.
5. ;E@E:7"ME$0 7F $7$-57$0#50 "*%387:7'% 3E$3763
0his area inclues e!elopment of ME'& thermography& low- fre)uency electric fiel
monitors& an other sensors.
0ranslate from its technical terminology& the report suggeste to the 58#& or other 4.3.
go!ernment agencies& that the conitions uner which telepathy an relate capacities
operate shoul be more fully e+plore. 3uch a stuy woul& of course& be esigne to
harness& control& boost& an irect telepathic an other psi abilities.
#mong (ashington,s superstitious fears was concern o!er scathing criticism ispense
by 3enator (illiam "ro+mire& ;emocrat from (isconsin. 0he monthly ;8357@E6
.February 19EG/& which was consistently skeptical of parapsychological claims& spoke of
him as =one of the capital,s most !isible an colorful politicians& an certainly one of the
wittiest.= 8t wroteA =#n energetic foe of go!ernment waste an boonoggles& "ro+mire is
perhaps best known for his 'olen Fleece of the Month #war& intene to publici-e
what the senator consiers to be e+amples of foolish feeral spening.= 0he maga-ine
conclue that the senator at times isplaye a =know-nothing attitue about science&= but
creite him with =being bright enough to know that scientific curiosity ha been
responsible for many of the ci!ili-ation,s greatest a!ances.=
8maginati!e research was gi!en strong support by "resient 6onal 6eagan on March G3&
19E3& when he a!ocate intensifie stuies in so-calle =3tar (ars= technology.
0he "resient spoke of futuristic means& esigne to =eliminate= nuclear weapons. 3pace-
base lasers& particle-beam weapons& an similar e!ices were publicly iscusse. %et
open-ene e+ploration of antinuclear weaponry might well inclue =min amplification=
an other psychic warfare elements. (ashington,s ilemma o!er psi stuies place it
firmly between the recommenations to the 5ommittee on 3cience an 0echnology an
the real or imagine wrath of 3enator "ro+mire. 8t was thus caught s)uarely between the
two ?ig 5sA 5ourage an 5aution.