Eyes Only: The Real X-Files

Despite the government's best efforts and twenty years of Congressional funding, extrasensory perception failed to locate Saddam Hussein.

By Pam Weintraub, published on November 01, 2005 - last reviewed on March 19, 2009

The code name kept changing: Scanate, Sun Streak, Grill Flame, Center Lane and Gondola Wish. Eventually known as Stargate, the top-secret psychic spy program was funded by Congress and run by the CIA, the Department of Defense and other government agencies and groups over the course of 20 years. Since its declassification in 1995, hundreds of "X-files" have been released. A few highlights are listed below:

Late 1960s and early 1970s: U.S. intelligence learns that the Soviets are conducting "psychotronic" research, and some experts worry that without a counter program, we might leave ourselves vulnerable to attack.

1972: SRI, the nation's second largest think tank, is charged with researching intelligence applications for psi under the leadership of laser physicist Harold Puthoff.

1973: Ingo Swann, an SRI psychic, is said to have described the rings around the planet Jupiter in a remote viewing experiment. Jupiter's rings aren't confirmed by scientists until 1979.

1980: Keith Harary is asked to provide psychic information on a target who turns out to be the Iranian hostage, Richard Queen. Queen is subsequently released and flown home.

1983: SRI launches a training program its authors say will enable remote viewers to generate accurate target data.

1986: Government psychics try to target Mohammar Quadaffi prior to a raid on Libya, but efforts to locate him are unsuccessful and he remains unharmed.

1991: The program becomes a hot potato and handlers move it from SRI to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), then from the defense department to the CIA. In that same year, U.S. government remote viewers are reportedly asked to locate the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein.

1995: The American Institutes for Research (AIR), charged with evaluating Stargate, recommend it be terminated, stating that in 20 years the information has never been used to guide intelligence operations. Funding is pulled and the staff dispersed.