READING THE ENEMY’S MIND

BY PAUL H. SMITH

REVIEW AND COMMENTARY BY CHARLES H. SULKA

VER 5-2-1 (BIBLICAL ENDING w/ ADDENDUM 1)

READING THE ENEMY’S MIND, by Paul H. Smith, is an interesting book about a questionable intelligence program dealing with the paranormal. There is a lot to be learned from the experiences and observations of the author, who was involved with the program for a number of years. It is fortunate that the author is a gifted writer who not only participated directly in the program, but who also served as the DOD program’s official historian. The writer’s access to the official records of the program — frequently cited in the book — lends credibility to a fascinating story.

The reader must be warned that this book, like all books in this genre (the occult and paranormal) is heavily biased by the writer’s personal interest in, and belief in, the subject matter. The writer is a true believer in the subject (remote viewing) and the paranormal in general. The writer repeatedly boasts of his membership in the Mormon cult, which by itself should be a warning to the reader to be circumspect. No one who believes the nonsense contained in the Book of Mormon can be considered rational or level-headed; it is self-evident that a Mormon is easily duped and will believe anything. It is hard to imagine anything that attests to credulousness more so than belief in the preposterous writings of Joseph Smith, the cult’s founder and self-styled “prophet.”

The title is misleading — probably intentionally so, as it is the habit of writers on the paranormal to be extravagant in their claims, to hype their wares in an appeal to sensationalism. Psychic hucksterism is an often-used marketing ploy. As the author makes clear, the book is not about mind-reading. Nowhere in the book is ESP, or mind-reading, or anything remotely like “reading the enemy’s mind” even mentioned, except in one or two brief passages where it is stated that such powers have never been demonstrated in relation to any of the studies or research described in this book. Moreover, such powers are presumably in doubt by the author, who surely qualifies as open-minded, even if he is not as gullible as most students of the occult. The book is clearly not about reading anyone’s mind. That being said, it is worth noting that remote viewing in general relies upon mind-reading — the practitioner reading the mind of the individual providing the target information (known as the tasker — see below.)

The subject of the book is remote viewing in its various forms, a psychic phenomenon in which images of distant locations are purportedly envisaged by the practitioner. The process of remote viewing relies entirely upon the practitioner’s ability to read minds, at least at the outset of every session. Mind reading by proxy is required by the process: the practitioner is directed to the target of inquiry by first detecting what the target is by reading the mind of a team member, known as the monitor, who will observe and record the session. In practice, using double-blind studies (the standard methodology), the monitor does not actually know what the target is either, so the practitioner must by extension read the mind of the tasker, or client, typically a representative of an intelligence agency.

Sometimes latitude and longitude are used to direct the practitioner to the target (assuming the target is on planet earth.) To ensure that a practitioner wasn’t faking it, so to speak, relying on his knowledge of Cartesian coordinates and the earth’s geography, the coordinates were often encrypted. This did not seem to inhibit the practitioner’s ability to home in on the target. At one point it was revealed that the encryption process had for years been a sham; the program director had been just making up random numbers to represent the coordinates of the target. The ability to identify and find the target under such circumstances presumably depended upon the ability of the practitioner to read the mind of the tasker who was the only person who knew what the target was. The only other explanation is that the viewer was “viewing” the contents of the sealed envelope which contained the only written information about the target, similar to the way mentalists Uri Geller and Kresgin (pretend to) do in their stage performances. The difference is, the mentalists’ trick, called front-running, is widely known, while such duplicity and sleight-of-hand would presumably have no place in a scientific study run by a military intelligence agency. Because the practitioners and program managers were all true believers in the paranormal, I think we can assume that trickery of this sort would have been unthinkable.

So, we have a triple paradox: the book is entitled READING THE ENEMY’S MIND . . . yet the author claims that remote viewing cannot be used to read minds . . . but then again the remote viewing process itself requires reading someone’s mind to get the target information. Front-loading, or giving the RV (remote viewing) practitioner advance information about the target, is frowned upon. This is not the only contradictory or illogical aspect of the book.

There are other glaring contradictions. For example, the author categorically claims that RV cannot be used for prognostication (foretelling future events). In the course of this research program, attempts at foretelling the future consistently resulted in dismal failures. Precognition was dismissed as impossible. Nevertheless, the author personally claims that in one session he “saw” the Iraqi missile attack on the USS Stark in unmistakable detail days before the event occurred.

The misleading title is certainly not the only questionable aspect of this story. A great to-do is made of the phenomenon of using psychic powers to bend metal cutlery, as purportedly performed by mentalist Uri Geller in his stage shows. One of the leading proponents of the paranormal, a General Stubblebine, known at the Pentagon as “spoon bender” (unofficially of course), features prominently in the story of how paranormal powers were incorporated into Pentagon research programs. The story starts out with military intelligence officers listening to a speech by General Stubblebine while examining forks and spoons supposedly bent out of shape by the Pentagon’s psychics, acolytes of Uri Geller and others who had mastered psychokinesis (another psychic phenomenon, the power over material objects). In the book we are told of soirees where these psychic powers were explored and developed, some led by the General himself. We are even given lessons in metallurgical theory (not by real metallurgists) in which it was claimed that no known cause could have resulted in the mis-shapen forks and spoons, other than mental powers. Yet, in the end, the astute reader comes away thinking, this is all a bunch of hokum. No one is ever cited who actually witnesses someone bending forks and spoons using mental powers; the scientists and critics who claim it is all a fraud are dismissed as naysayers (but their observations and arguments are never refuted); and the whole thing sounds too silly to be true. However, for those who are predisposed to believe in the occult and the paranormal (regardless of the veracity of the stories), such anecdotal evidence is offered as “background” for the military’s involvement in psychic research. So while there is a lot of talk (especially in the first part of the book) about people using psychic powers to bend forks and spoons, this purported use of the powers of the mind — which is every bit as interesting as remote viewing, the subject of the book — is only a teaser. The stories all go nowhere. We are told of spoon-bending parties attended by military intelligence officers (about as credible a group of witnesses as you can get, one would suppose) yet we are never told of anyone actually bending a fork or spoon using only the powers of the human mind. It’s quite a let-down, actually, as is much of the remainder of the book.

The author reveals that other New Age practices — offshoots of spiritism and occultism — were explored by the Department of Defense in this and other paranormal research programs. The author only hints at the CIA’s involvement in such practices. From my own personal experience, published reports, and the first-hand accounts of those involved, it is clear that the CIA and other security agencies — including such staid organizations as the FBI and DOJ, regularly dabble in the occult. In fact, it would appear that dabbling in the occult and the paranormal is the rule, rather than the exception. It seems that all one has to do to gain the attention of the security services and get a lucrative consulting contract is to claim to have paranormal powers, or claim to be a space alien, or claim to be a spokesperson for disembodied spirits. Such a preoccupation with the occult and demonic powers provides insight into the unhealthy mindset of those who are attracted by the allure of secret power over others.

The author, while a true believer in the phenomenon of remote viewing, is dismissive of both the practitioners and the methods utilized in other paranormal practices, such as witchcraft, crystal balls, tarot cards, astrology, etc. The author describes spiritism, trance channeling, tarot card reading, palm reading, etc. as having been tried or used at least occasionally in the DOD program, but always without success (bear in mind this could be deliberate disinformation — an attempt on the part of the CIA or Pentagon to conceal successful occult programs and demonic influence in the activities of the security services; remember, the author is neither a skeptic nor a whistle-blower, and could himself be a victim of an official cover-up or canard.) Did remote viewing prove to be a useful intelligence tool? No. The author expresses his own personal disappointment in what he regards as biased reviews, both conducted in-house and from outside experts, all of which dismiss remote viewing as being of no practical value. To sum it up, one evaluation stated categorically that remote viewing produced no actionable intelligence. The Pentagon’s psychic spy program is, in a word, bunk.

The book concludes with the messy details of the program’s collapse, with remnants of the DOD operation presumably being picked up by the CIA. The CIA’s involvement in the occult is legendary, if shrouded in secrecy. I personally have had three female CIA employees — all three Israeli moles in the CIA, by the way — pressure me to participate in occult practices, from the seemingly innocuous uija Board to more obvious examples of witchcraft, such as palm-reading. One of these CIA witches even prepared a colorful astrological artifact for me (I have since learned that these stylized artistic graphical representations are called “astrological charts”.) Let’s face it, we live in a world of superstition, stupidity, and evil desires for undeserved power over others, with occult practices reaching all the way to the White House — President Reagan’s schedule, and possibly his political doctrines, which have proven to be disastrous, having resulting in the ruination of the greatest nation on earth, were influenced by his wife’s involvement with a Beverly Hills psychic and astrologer. I know from direct experience of the government’s involvement in the occult and paranormal: government goons and New Age flakes (psychologists and like-minded pseudo-scientists) connected to the CIA have tried mind-altering drugs, hypnosis, and other experimental techniques to induce me to participate in their paranormal research. My only interest is as an investigative journalist; the security services have been relentless in their retaliation for my attempts to expose their widespread criminal activities and their involvement in the occult.

As an interesting aside, the author (Paul Smith) published a series of internet blogs refuting critics of remote viewing in the mid-1990s, writing under the pseudonym of “Mr. X.” As an author who used this pseudonym myself in the 1980s and early 1990s, I resent the exploitation of my own “trademark” secret identity, especially when used to advocate the occult and paranormal. It is probable the author may have had access to my own (self-published) “Interviews with Mr. X”, if only because he was an Army Intelligence Officer and I myself was for years the subject of illegal surveillance by U.S. Army Intelligence as part of an ongoing training operation (“practicing their game,” they call it, when spying on Americans or subjecting people to secret mind-control drug experiments.) “Mr. X” was also the press moniker for an as-yet unidentified “mole” in the U.S. security services who was guiding the espionage operations of Jonathan Pollard, convicted Israeli spy. It is regrettable that all these Mr. X stories will only confuse the public as to the identity of, activities of, and publications of, the real Mr. X.

One justification for military research into the paranormal was the so-called “psychic gap”, akin to the Cold War “missile gap” wherein it was believed the Russians had a vast array of nuclear-tipped missiles aimed at the U.S. (now known to be paranoia on the part of the intelligence agencies, and nothing more.) Military planners are ever vigilant that the U.S. not fall behind in any promising area of weapons technology. Memories of the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor are enough to ensure funding of even the most esoteric technology if it has potential military applications. Does not the Bible tell of the Lord putting fear and confusion into the minds of Israel’s enemies, ensuring victory even when the Israelites were vastly out numbered by a superior force? If the power of the human mind could be harnessed to serve as a weapon, or if the enemy could be brought to his knees by interference with his mental faculties, should this nation not be the one to control such terrifying powers? On television, psychic detectives find crime victims and solve crimes when traditional police work has failed to produce results; should not such abilities be put to good use at the FBI and CIA?

If the book “READING THE ENEMY’S MIND” has any value, it is that it demonstrates one more instance of how the U.S. Military and this nation’s intelligence services squander taxpayers’ money, in this instance through a worthless program of psychic spying. It is easy to foresee the next step in this area of research — exploring ways to violate the integrity of the human psyche and penetrate the very minds of human beings . . . to use psychic powers to change peoples’ minds, alter their beliefs, or simply wipe their minds blank for mind control purposes . . . or even as punishment for “ThoughtCrime” — harboring unapproved thoughts. The thought of government spies using psychic powers to peek into the privacy of the bedroom, for example, (sad to say, the security services, like the Catholic Church, have more than a small number of perverts in their ranks), is so repulsive as to leave one speechless. Reading minds, invoking evil spirits, now psychic voyeurism . . . there appears to be no limit to what factions in the U.S. government will do in search of secret power and control over others. A truly terrifying thought is ESP, mind-control, and remote viewing techniques — should such experiments prove promising — falling into the hands of the Scientologists (the mind-control cult most likely to embrace such technology if it were to exist.) If such secret programs are allowed to continue, it looks as if this nation could literally incur the wrath of God. Some might see the destruction of America a fitting end for a nation whose people failed to keep its all-too-powerful and errant government under control.

ADDENDUM 1 (02-26-2012)

A little more of the history of the government’s experiments in remote viewing and psychic phenomena is revealed in a Washington Post article by Theresa Vargas (02-26-2012):

http://washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/at-the-monroe-institute-a-spiritual-experience-could-just-be-a-beat-away/2012/01/27/gIQA9RdrXR_print.html

In her article about the Monroe Institute — a leading “New Age” center and pioneer in the human potential movement which is utilized by the security services and various military intelligence programs (most now thoroughly discredited) — we get another glimpse of the remote viewing project. Joe McMoneagle, a “true believer” in psychic phenomena who was “Remote Viewer 001”, the first remote viewing practitioner in the Star Gate project, describes his involvement in this highly classified secret project . . . .

A man in dress slacks and a collared shirt sits cross-legged on the floor. He introduces himself as Joe McMoneagle and says he was the first member of the U.S. government’s experimental psychic spying program. He was Remote Viewer 001, he says, capable of sitting in one place and describing in detail another location. (According to documents declassified in the 1990s, the program, started in the 1970s and eventually dubbed Star Gate, was first run by the CIA, then the Defense Intelligence Agency. A government-commissioned group eventually found it too unreliable and inconsistent for spying purposes.)

McMoneagle says he worked under five presidential administrations. “Going to work every day was like a knife fight in a phone booth,” McMoneagle says. “You never knew who your friends were.” Other countries, such as Russia, were much more embracing of similar programs, he says. “I’m not the only person to go out of body. Terrorists can. It’s stupid to bury your head in the sand.”

McMoneagle says he first came to the Monroe Institute in the 1980s. He wanted to find a way to “cool down” more quickly from one remote-viewing assignment to another. For 14 months, he worked directly with Monroe, who eventually created a recording just for him.

More than 10,000 people across the world have been tested for remote-viewing skills and not one person has shown zero capability, McMoneagle says. “So, I’m sorry, you are all psychic,” he tells the group. “It’s part of being human.”

McMoneagle describes how, during the Iran hostage crisis, he tried to psychically distinguish the Americans from their Islamist captors. On the subject of UFOs, he says, “To think we’re the only intelligent species is ridiculous.”

Broadman raises his hand. He says that he is struck by how McMoneagle believes with certainty that these often doubted phenomenon exist.

“I also know psychic ability is real,” McMoneagle says.

[STARGATE]

[REMOTE VIEWING]

[PARANORMAL & THE OCCULT]

[MILITARY INTELLIGENCE]

[STUBBLEBINE]

[MONROE INSTITUTE]

[JOE MCMONEAGLE]

[PAUL H. SMITH]

CITATION:

Washington Post Newspaper artile by Theresa Vargas (02-26-2012):

http://washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/at-the-monroe-institute-a-spiritual-experience-could-just-be-a-beat-away/2012/01/27/gIQA9RdrXR_print.html

This document is classified: FOR UNOFFICIAL USE ONLY.

© Charles Sulka 2011, 2012

Charles Sulka is an investigative journalist and independent researcher specializing in national security matters. A political activist as well as Christian apologist, he directs the US CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES (USCENCON.COM) efforts to outline an agenda of sweeping political reform based on the principles of personal integrity, corporate responsibility, and government accountability.

Updated: 08-20-2012 0916 -0500 / Reposted 06-30-2021 0857 -0500