Press release,
10 September 2001
For more information:
Jeffrey Richelson (703) 684-8274
FROM SATELLITES TO PSYCHICS
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NEW CIA DOCUMENTS REVEAL AGENCY'S SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXPLOITS
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Washington, D.C., September 10 - The National Security Archive
today published over 40 declassified CIA and
Intelligence Community documents tracing the CIA’s involvement
in the exploitation of science and technology for intelligence purposes.
The documents illuminate some of the CIA’s most significant achievements,
from breakthroughs in overhead reconnaissance, to some of its more dubious
efforts including an attempt to employ alleged psychics for “remote viewing”
of Soviet installations and the wiring of cats for use in audio surveillance
operations. The documents were obtained by Archive Senior Fellow Jeffrey
Richelson for his latest book, The
Wizards of Langley: Inside the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology,
and include material obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the
National Archives, and the CIA public affairs office.
The documents show how the agency, in its first fifteen to twenty years
became involved in the development of satellite and aerial reconnaissance
systems, the technical analysis of foreign space and missile systems, the
analysis of foreign nuclear programs, the collection of electronic intelligence
to aid analysts of Soviet missile systems as well as those charged with
determining the vulnerability of CIA reconnaissance aircraft.
(One CIA program, PALLADIUM, involved manipulating Soviet radars to place
“ghost aircraft” on the screens of Soviet operators – and determine how
well the Soviets could detect aircraft of different sizes.) The documents
also trace the evolution of CIA’s science and technology activities and
organization during the Cold War and beyond – as well as conflicts with
the National Reconnaissance Office and Air Force with regard to satellite
development and technical intelligence analysis.
In addition to employing “psychics” to attempt to peer into Soviet
and other foreign military activities, other questionable scientific activities,
illustrated by the documents, included behavior modification research and
the attempt to use cats as mobile bugging devices (a project dubbed “Acoustic
Kitty”). A never before published document contains a rather negative evaluation
of a “remote viewing” exercise directed at a facility the CIA designated
URDF-3 (Unidentified Research and Development Facility-3).
Go to the Documents
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