Mind Over Matter: US Gov't Secret Psi Files Exposed
Did the US military really spend millions on psychic spies?
Imagine discovering that your government spent nearly $20 million over two decades secretly training people to see through walls, peer into enemy facilities, and even glimpse the future. In 1972, three Scientologists and a chess grandmaster's brother-in-law convinced the U.S. military to launch what became known as the Star Gate program — a classified psychic espionage operation that ran until 1995. Damien Broderick's review of the recently declassified archives reveals a twilight world where intelligence agencies seriously pursued remote viewing as a tool of national security. What did they find in those hidden files, and why did it take so long for the public to learn about it?
Historical review of declassified government programs that investigated psychic abilities for intelligence gathering.
The U.S. government's $20 million Star Gate program represents the most extensive official investigation into psychic phenomena in modern history, revealing how seriously intelligence agencies once took remote viewing research.
Key Findings
The review reveals extensive government documentation of remote viewing research programs that operated for over two decades with significant funding from defense agencies.
What Is This About?
Historical essay review examining archival materials from the Star Gate remote viewing program and related psychic research initiatives.
Provides historical context and analysis of declassified government psychic research programs, particularly focusing on remote viewing operations.
How Good Is the Evidence?
This is an essay review, not an experimental study, so traditional research quality measures don't apply. The author examines historical archives and declassified documents. No pre-registration (this concept doesn't apply to historical reviews), no experimental controls, and no statistical analysis. The value lies in historical scholarship and document analysis rather than empirical testing. Published in Journal of Scientific Exploration, a specialized journal for anomalous phenomena research. Limited citations (2) suggest modest academic impact.
This is an essay review rather than original research, providing commentary on archived materials without independent analysis. The author notes that success or failure of individual efforts were rarely revealed for security reasons, limiting evaluation of actual effectiveness. The review format prevents systematic assessment of the underlying research quality.
Mainstream: Government psychic programs were wasteful pseudoscience driven by Cold War paranoia. Moderate: These programs produced some intriguing results worth studying, even if operationally limited. Frontier: Star Gate demonstrated genuine psychic abilities that intelligence agencies continue to use covertly.
To settle questions about government psychic programs, we'd need complete declassification of all related documents, independent analysis of original experimental data, and replication of key findings under modern protocols. This review contributes historical context but cannot resolve the underlying scientific questions about psychic abilities.
Essay review examining the Star Gate Archives, presenting historical fragments about psychic research programs including a $19.933 million military program devoted to psychic powers launched in 1972.
Stance: Mixed
What Does It Mean?
For over two decades, while the public remained unaware, the U.S. government was secretly funding psychic spies who claimed to mentally travel to distant locations and gather intelligence. The fact that this program continued for so long suggests the results were compelling enough to justify millions in taxpayer funding.
Historical reviews like this one provide valuable context for understanding how scientific controversies develop, but they cannot substitute for controlled experiments when evaluating specific claims.
Understanding Terms
What This Study Claims
Findings
The Star Gate program was a $19.933 million military initiative devoted to psychic powers that began in 1972
moderateThe Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was the major funder, not the CIA as commonly rumored
moderateInterpretations
Multiple intelligence branches sought psychic research due to concerns about Soviet advances in this domain
moderateThis summary is for general information about current research. It does not constitute medical advice. The scientific interpretation of these results is debated among researchers. If personally affected, please consult qualified professionals.