Captain of My Ship, Master of My Soul: Living with Guidance 1571742476, 9781571742476

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i Captain of

Master

of

F.

My My

Ship^

Soul

Holmes Atw

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Copley Square Boston MA 02116

"I

had a few minutes yesterday and picked up

Captain of My Ship, Master of My Soul started and now I've finished it! A deep spiritureading .

.

al

quest

ating

.

—one we can

a

.

.

.

secret

all

go on

psychic

—

spy

in the

midst of cre-

program

for

the

government? That's what you'll learn about, and be inspired by, in this fascinating autobiography. This

is

a must-read for anyone interested in ESP, remote

viewing, or the

way

spirit

can be found in

modem

life."

Charles Institute of

T.

Tart,

Ph.D.

Transpersonal Psychology

Digitized

[

by

tlie in

Internet Arcliive

2015

https://archive.org/details/captainofmyshipmOOfhol

Captain

Master

My Ship^ of My Soul

of

Living with Guidance

F.

Holmes Atwater

simply realizing All That

Is."

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this

work

in

in writing

any form whatsoever, without permission

from the publisher, except in

for brief passages

connection with a review.

Cover design by Kelly O'Neil, KSO Design © copyright 2001 PhotoDisc, Inc.

Digital imagery

For information write:

Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 1125 Stoney Ridge Road Chariottesville,

VA

22902

Inc.

This book

is

dedicated

ONE

to the

"Life

is

I

love.

not something physical

and death something Substantive reality

God The

is

is

spiritual.

inclusive.

really big!

secret to

remembering

your true identity simply realizing

AH

That

Is."

is

Contents Acknowledgments

ix

Preface

xi

Introduction BY JOSEPH W. MCMONEAGLE

xv

Foreword

xix

BY dean RADIN, PH.D.

Pant One: Child, Soldier,

Counterspy

Chapter One— The Awakening

1

Chapter Two— Special Agent

19

Chapter Three— Igniting Grill Fl^me

43

Chapter Four —

SB

Remote-Viewing Training and Operations

Part Two: Scientist, Explorer. Spiritual "I

Chapter Five—

Monroe World—The New

1

La.nd of

sy

Hemi-Sync

1B1

Chapter Six—

Through the Flavor Straw Author's Note

213

Afterword

215

by paul

h.

smith

References Index

.

219 221

Acknowledgments

I

have not written or published

my

Two

friend

(mentor, editor, and publisher)

of the most important are

Hampton Roads

Publishing

book without the help of

this

others.

my

whom

spirit

I

Fay Atwater, and

Frank DeMarco of the

Company.

Joe McMoneagle, Paul H. Smith, and

with

wife,

collaborated, helped

me

my

sister,

Sunny Gates,

accurately recall portions of

journey that are quickly receding into the distant past.

My dear friend Miriandra Rota kindly reviewed previous iterations of this manuscript, supported

my

determination, and provided a

great deal of spiritual insight.

Bob Monroe and the the evolving

Thank you

And

I

human

all for

staff

spirit

of

The Monroe

your help and service to humanity.

would acknowledge gratitude

beyond the grave and

all

one with God, the

I

Am

of

"spiritual" realms

are not "physical"

and

to

my

parents from

other nonphysical assistance provided in

the writing and publishing of this book.

from such

Institute exemplify

expressed throughout this manuscript.

it is,

all,

I

would, except that being

the concept of being separate

by definition, not possible. There

"spiritual" realities, worlds, or realms

Oneness. So thank you,

God—

^which would include

ix

me and

but

by

Captain of

My

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

extension "others" mentioned above, which there can there

is

nothing outside of or other than

Okay,

I

acknowledge

it. I

wrote

this

God I Am. book.

t

be

Preface

Over twenty years itus, at

ago,

met

I

Dr. Charles T. Tart, professor

a conference in California

and then

I

SRI Interna-

government remote -viewing

tional in conjunction with the U.S.

program. Through the years

later at

emer-

have enjoyed reading

his

books on

consciousness and parapsychology. You can check out his website at http://www.paradigm-sys.com/cttart/.

One day during lunch, on a visit to Menlo Park, California, I asked how he found the time to write books, given his fascinating and very busy life. He said that there always seemed to be time when it was Dr. Tart

necessary. "Life," he said, "just available for writing."

he

said,

When

I

seemed

pressed

him

for a

more personal

answer,

"There comes a moment, or perhaps someplace outside of nor-

mal waking consciousness, when a voice down."

—making time

to arrange itself

inside

me

says stop, write this

We both sat in silence for a few minutes, he wondering why he

had shared such a personal ever hear such a voice.

I

side of himself

did and this book

and is

I

wondering

what

I

if I

would

wrote down.

The story tells a spirit journey, a particular life span. Some would say that we pass from spirit into the physical at birth and conversely pass from the physical world into spirit at death. I say that we never pass /rom the spirit, that our reverie of the world around us is just that. The physical

world

is

only a silhouette, a shadow without substance. Everyday xi

life

Captain OF

is

a

mere

aware of

My

Ship,

Master of

reflection of spirit experienced as

AM

That

an intention to become

does not journey through (nonexistent)

Spirit

Is.

My Soul

space/time but across the vastness of knowledge

realm of AH That

Our

physical experience.

currently

known

itself,

a dimensionless

We are always spiritual beings, even when having a

Is.

spiritual selves,

enlightened souls, share con-

in the physical world with AU That

what we experience

Is

(also

God).

as

Well, perhaps

should just get on with the

I

story.

During a time not so long ago, our culture teetered on the brink of an apocalypse with that of the former Soviet Union.

and

lived through these troubled times, this era of

War

annihilation called the Cold

In elementary school,

I

grew up

looming

we

self-

hid under

our classroom desks during duck-and- cover exercises so that we might survive the fact that

we

coming nuclear holocaust. History bears witness did not destroy ourselves

experienced an evolutionary psychic

and that

shift in

after the

Western

to the

war we have

culture.

In the midst of a world in conflict over material gain during the

height of the Cold War, a military remote -viewing surveillance pro-

gram emerged

—

as if to balance the insanity of

now known

program,

numerous

military

and

it all.

name

to the world by the code civilian

utive branch discovered that

The

—we

in

we

are not

are, in fact,

Star Gate,

bound by

a few in the exec-

the confines of our

more than our

cultural impact of this realization continues to

more people uncover the

this

government personnel, highly placed

members of Congress, and, without naming names, physical perceptions

Because of

details of the

physical bodies.

grow

as

more and

government- sponsored work

remote viewing. For me,

all this

began with a childhood

spiritual experiences that led

counterspy. Guided by

spirit

me

from within to

remote -viewing surveillance program recruited

and trained an

elite

filled

with extraordinary

to a military career as a clairvoyant initiate a

unique military

originally called Grill Flame,

I

cadre of professional remote viewers for

the U.S. government.

Guided again by from the

military.

spirit, I

I

new life in Virginia after retiring The Monroe Institute, a well-known

entered a

joined

research and education organization. Using the Institute's

xii

facilities, I

Holmes Atwater

F.

followed

my

and was able

spiritual yearnings

to explore a realm of

knowledge seemingly beyond the confines of my physical body. Since then, working in the nical research

with the their

true spiritual identity.

its

Through

this

I

now

spiritual roots as

book,

I

journey through

always

expanding consciousness and, working

for

the Institute, assisted thousands of others to realize

a middle -aged adult,

ing with

spirit

on methods

staff at

own

As

Bob Monroe Research Lab, I have published tech-

know life

live in a culture busily

reconnect-

envisioned by our founding fathers.

that

you too

and your

will realize

true nature as

will.

xiii

your

own

guided

you always have and

Introduction BY JOSEPH W. MCMONEAGLE

Skip Atwater came into

my

life

back

in

August of 1978.

a chief warrant officer assigned to the Emitter Location

Headquarters

tification (ELI) Office, at the

Security, U.S.

Army, Arlington,

sible to tell his rank, since

Virginia.

I

and Iden-

for Intelligence

At the time

it

was

and

was impos-

he was serving in a part of army

intelli-

gence where they don't usually wear uniforms.

Our initial an empty

introduction to one another consisted of meeting in

office

on the

third floor,

where he showed

me

a folder

The

containing numerous newspaper clippings about psychics.

newspaper clippings ranged

the incredulous. In retrospect, subject matter, sitting across

I

from

it

I

have to admit, that because of the

was very concerned about the

he was asking. This Subsequently,

from the skeptical to

in believability

me and was initial

stability of the

man

uncomfortable with the questions

assessment proved to be entirely wrong.

was through

his efforts that

I

would be recruited

into the army's secret, psychic- spy unit. Star Gate, as

Remote

Viewer #001. I

was very honored when Skip came to

introduce his book Captain of

we have been friends

for

My

Ship,

me and

23 years you would think

XV

asked

My

Master of

this

if I

Soul.

would Since

an easy

task,

Captain OF

but

it isn't.

This

describe in

who

being

individuals

I

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

primarily because his

is

entirety. First,

its is

My

isn't

an easy book to

complex history of a human

a

it's

book

probably one of the most metaphysically attuned

know.

It is

a story about his

which he has operated on

life's

journey, a journey in

on

a day-to-day basis, almost entirely

faith.

How many have

faith that

"Faith

I

it

will

work

out,"

can

"Have

or,

tell

at least that

you that Skip Atw^ater

is

"You have to

say:

faith, trust in

moves mountains"? Well, how many of

My guess is not many. Or,

way?

someone

times have you heard

is

God,"

or,

us truly operate that

not our primary focus.

one of the few human beings

I've

who operates only that way.. He not only believes that faith can move mountains, but lives his life with an expectation that it ever met

And, around

will.

What makes that

it

Skip,

you

will see

Captain of

chronicles his

life

My

Ship,

Master of

such a tremendous faith in

to live his

Soul unique

is

its

with such expecta-

life

ultimate outcome. This

cool story you'll find yourself half-believing. filled

My

from childhood to present, with a focus

on how and why he has learned tion,

mountains move.

It is

isn't

a

a heroic story,

with incredible demonstrations of faith embedded within the

everyday problems of

life

and

living.

In childhood. Skip was taught that spirit" into

the physical, such as at birth.

are always spiritual beings,

ence."

He

we

".

.

He

never pass from the

.

goes on to say:

"We

even when having a physical experi-

came to understand this even as a child. He how he managed to integrate these kinds of under-

clearly

shares with us

standings into his daily actions, and

how

they affected his

life.

Skip enlisted in the army in 1968, with an expectation that he

would never be confronted with the moral

issue of taking a

life,

a

laughable expectation for anyone aware of the ongoing situation in

Southeast Asia at the time, but for Skip, a simple act of Skip's simple acts of faith constitute a teaching

rience,

A

which we can

all

and learning expe-

benefit from.

significant portion of the

book

is

dedicated to the reasons

behind the establishment of the army's

secret, psychic- spy

and how

original

it

faith.

was done. These are highly xvi

and unique

program, insights.

F.

since they

come

directly

Holmes Atwater

from one of the individuals most involved

in the initiation of the Star

Gate

project.

As

army involve-

far as

ment, Skip could be considered one of the originating fathers in deployment. While Skip would be one of the a it

team

effort

first

to say that

and took the involvement of dozens of people

its

was

it

make

to

work, one can readily see his "acts of faith" deeply interwoven

within the pattern or framework of

being. Skip speaks with

its

authority here, since he was not only the project's

operations and training officer

As

(O&TO)

first,

but

its

only

from 1977 to 1987.

the 0'-

that to be true today as a middle-aged adult.

But, in the intervening years between then

and

we grow up

are normal.

mindful reflections, some re-membering again),

us,

and myself as normal, regular

family

something

is

and now, there were

awakening out-of-body experience

Bob Monroe was helpful, too. As Bob said at lunch that day, I had

wholeness

(as in realizing

at thirty years

old with

my

physical body,

cal,

ego -centered

a sense of self greater than

some form of Guidance, greater than my self.

But

just

what

is

this thing called

physi-

Guidance

anyway? It

way

seems to

me

that

we

use the

to express a notion that

is

prehensive, verbal explanation.

word Guidance

that

let's

Guidance

The word

is

not get bogged

metaphoric

trip, as

in

for

"LSD

The term Guidance seems

down

trip," says to

we is

this

journey through earthly

are experiencing

—electromagnetic

actually a trip of sorts, then

to con-

providing sage

is

in this quagmire, as

something

go anywhere yet experiences the world This voyage,

convenient

perhaps somewhat beyond a com-

vey the notion that something outside of ourselves advice. But

as a

I

suspect

else altogether.

us that

one doesn't

All That life, is

Is

a real

really

—

differently.

trip.

So

if

physical reality, earthly

what

life

who, what, where, and when are we?

This question, of course, has been posed before in other words

and

in other ways.

But the answer

is

always the same.

always been, and always will be one with God.

and space simply provides

The

We

are,

have

illusion of time

for a sea of experience. Realizing this,

1 1

it

Captain of

is

My

come from

easy to see that Guidance does not

there

of

is

my

nothing "outside" of All That

true spiritual identity has

childhood, in both

my

family

life

My Soul

AAaster of

Ship,

Is

outside us, for

—God. This whole notion

earthly root in

its

and

my

"normal"

religious education.

For several years, the family was very active in the Unity church.

Dad helped

my

new

and when the construc-

chapel,

was finished the family attended church regularly (should

tion

say religiously?).

My

build a

sisters

I

went

to

Sunday school and learned Bible

were involved with the church too.

parents,

who were

I

I

stories.

learned later that

very spiritual but not particularly religious,

got the family involved with the Unity church expressly to provide us a religious education

As

and some exposure

to organized religions.

turned out, the religious teachings provided a supportive

it

environment, a language framework in which to express and learn things

beyond the accepted boundaries of everyday

Throughout childhood, we had

Dad

built a

barn and

for a

time

my

Eleanor for a pet. Over the years, cats, fish, desert turtles,

this

a day or

communicated with the pet that had like, "I

a burro

named

remember having various

When

would usually com.ment within something

Sandy had

dogs,

and ducks.

animals died.

Inevitably,

sister

I

life.

a wide range of family pets.

would happen,

Mom

two that she had seen or

died.

saw [name of dead pet]

Mom would casually say in the hall.

He

told

me

and we shouldn't worry about him anymore." comments fit well with the concepts being taught

that he was fine

These

sorts of

every Sunday in church.

My

religious

education focused on the importance of a spiritual

existence beyond our perception of the physical.

The church

taught that this spiritual existence was the "real" everlasting

What we

see

around

us,

as

our physical world, constitutes the

ephemeral and limited. The act of birth to

reality.

itself positions

most of us

view the apparent world through a monocle, a lens through

which only the physical world can be perceived. Death from

frees us

this finite perspective.

Physical existence should not be taken lightly or thought of as

unimportant, however.

Some would

12

say that

we

pass from spirit or

Holmes Atwater

F.

the spiritual realm into the physical at birth and conversely pass

from the physical world into

and

my own

it is

Our

I

was taught,

we never pass from the spirit. We beings, even when having a physical experiselves experience what we experience in the

spiritual

The Sunday

physical world.

death. However,

experience, that

are always spiritual

ence.

spirit at

school teachings sought to encourage

orienting one's perspective from the spiritual and, therefore, seeing

the physical world through spiritual eyes, so to speak.

The and,

family listened to

later,

me, given

Mom

report meetings with dead pets

dead grandparents. This

my

seemed

all

reasonable to

er>'

\

formal religious education. But at

home

this

other

nonphysical world was not referred to as holy. There was no mention of heaven or

God

or Christ or

some other

religious icon.

It

was

accepted as a matter of fact that the "real" world included

just

more than what we could discern with our

As

I

got older, the family

approached

my

teens

I

left

ti\

e physical senses.

the Unity church, and as

I

was dragged along to the Science of Mind

church every Sunday. There was no more Sunday school, Bible classes, or socializing

service politely.

had

ter

I

to say, but

with other kids.

I

usually sat through the

wasn't particularly interested in what the minisI

did enjoy looking at

As far as I was concerned, Mind church was that the

all

the people

who showed

up.

the biggest attraction ot the Science

of

actor Lloyd Bridges, the star of the

Sea Hunt television for

series,

went

there. Every

Sunday,

I

would look

him standing around outside the church just before or Another attraction was that we always went out

service. after

to

lunch

church.

After child

after the

my

sisters

had grown up and

left

home,

I

was an only

and Dad's successful dental practice meant that the family

was financially secure. There was more discretionary money going out to eat. This was the late

fifties;

for

going out to eat was a

meaningful family experience.

One

particular Sunday, during the service at the Science of

Mind church,

the minister caught

my

ear with something he was

saying about taking personal responsibility. I

As

I

looked up at him,

noticed what appeared to be a blue light-bubble surrounding his

13

Captain of

My

AAaster

Ship,

head and shoulders. This was not

moved I

a spotlight; as

slightly to the right or left the

watched

My Soul

of

this "light" for several

he leaned or

bubble seemed to follow him.

minutes until

I

turned to

my

mom and asked, "What that blue light around the minister?" Mom whispered to me, "That's called his aura. Til tell you about is

it

You can pick the restaurant today." She

at lunch.

and whispered, "Be quiet

finger to her lips

body can hear what he

saying."

is

watched the blue bubble

And me

I

don't

if

left

to

so that every-

looked back at the minister and

I

remember where we went

What I do

or

if

Mom

told

remember, look-

that such subjects were addressed casually,

fifty years, is

communicate, "Everybody knows

no reason

now

for the rest of the service.

anything about the minister's aura.

ing back as

lunch?

for

raised her index

Such an

that."

attitude

doubt the veracity of such parental

to question or to

guidance.

There was something education of

my

else, too.

youth seemed to focus on a

usually talked about relative to a

physical aspect involved with

The

The church- oriented

spiritual aspect of us,

life -after- death

life,

as

religious

we know

existence,

it

and a

here on Earth.

doctrine of the church did not emphasize a distinction

between these two expressions, church teachings

did.

At home,

but, as a practical matter, the

there was less separation between

these two perspectives. Expectation and realization of a whole

being came from a family er,

life,

a behavior, treatment of

one anoth-

conversations, and an identification with a spiritual self

was, as the expression goes, in this world but not of

The

who

it.

teachings of the church would lead one to believe that

are physical creatures that

have a soul or a

spirit

we

and that these

somehow separate. At home, we were taught to make real) that we are always and always will be spirit

aspects of self are realize (to

and sometimes have physical experiences. These physical experiences never disconnect us from I

was ten or twelve years

my

parents were really

old,

I

who we

didn't understand

dumb and

Of course, when

all this. I

thought

old-fashioned.

Relatives and close friends of things as well.

really are.

My father was raised 14

my

parents spoke of spiritual

as a Christian Scientist,

and so

Holmes Atwater

F.

the concept that healing was connected to the greater spiritual reality father,

beyond the physical and

his father,

remember going remember any

about

dentists.

all

and getting medical treatment.

to doctors

talk

were

spiritual healing.

I

my And

Oddly,

filtered into family thinking.

his grandfather

I

don't

I

think behavior spoke

of healing (and perhaps getting injured or getting sick in the

first

place) as being a personal responsibility.

Recently, a friend of the family for more than

fift>^

my mother

one thing she remembered was

that the

years said

healing the

burned hands of our housekeeper. As the story goes, our house-

my

keeper burned her hands in a stove accident and yelled to

come help me!

mother, "Mrs. Atwater, Mrs. Atwater, help me!"

Mom

came immediately and calmly held

keeper's hands in her

own

had healed her hands.

I

was

Until recently, neither

sister

nor

normal around our house.

I

I

that

Mrs. Atwater

recalled this stor>' that

I

friend.

But such things

grew up seeing miracles

normal, regular, and happening to us just people

From

just a toddler at the time.

my

was so clear in the memory of our family just

how

come

the house-

until the pain disappeared.

day forward, the housekeeper told everybody

were

Please

like ever^'body else.

I

as

tell

grew up in a metaphysical or metaphysically oriented fam-

Some people say, "Oh," or, "Isn't that wonderful." Others ask, "What do you mean.^" And to them, reply with memories and little stories, like the following, of my "normal" childhood. One of my childhood chores was trimming the ivy that cas-

ily.

I

caded over a rock wall bordering the driveway.

one particular Saturday when

hood

friend,

back the

Mike. Before

I

I

wanted

remember

I

to play with

could go play,

I

had

my

clearly

neighbor-

to finish cutting

ivy.

On this particular Saturday, my forearms broke out in a rash as I showed my dad and told him that I couldn't me straight out that I had done this to myself because I wanted so much to go play with Mike. "Who, me, Dad? No, really, I want to finish my chores, but can't," was my retort. Calmly, without a change in facial expression, he told me to go I

worked on the

cut the ivy.

He

ivy.

told

I

in the

house and

tell

Mom what had happened. 15

I

found

Mom and

Captain of

My

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

showed her my arms. She asked what had happened and

"My arms want

broke out in a rash while

to go

down

heard what

if

my

arms had ever done

water and go back outside.

trimming back the I

said, "I'll

He

said,

Mike

will

do

me

When

when

cut the

Dad was

got back outside.

I

I

wash up with soap and

to

my

chore."

I

The

Today with

does.

it

that bit of wisdom, he sent

grow back, and

ivy did

on my arms, but

I

don't

bet

I'll

it

I

remember

didn't both-

was playing with Mike.

what

a child,

right.

when

it

And with

times after that one Saturday.

to the rash

at all while

As

it's

Dad was

many

what happened er

I

she had

ivy.

that;

never come again."

it

if

"Not today. Today you had better go see Mike. The

off to play.

trimmed

waited to see

I

this before

me

grow back and you can trim

ivy will

me

was cutting the ivy because

I

to Mike's house." Oops!

answered, "No, never." She told

I

told her,

said.

I

She asked ivy.

I

took away from such family experiences was

I

that you might go to a doctor to set a broken leg or repair an inter-

—whatever

nal organ but healing bility

that was

—became the

responsi-

of one's true spiritual identit>^

Another example of the "normalcy" of my upbringing took place

on the

showing

up

me

were different than ours.

My mother's point was

wrong car and I

me up from

a distinctive,

was in the days before I

tint-

didn't get into the

because one day

kindergarten, she I

went

flying

the centrifugal force of the turning

back then and the passenger

side

remember looking desperately I

and picked them

get kidnapped or something.

in front of the school.

car.

a point of

had an Oldsmobile

to ensure that

recall this car so distinctively

picked

We

The Oldsmobile had

exterior visor over the windshield. This glass.

made

that parents brought kids to school

in cars that

station wagon, circa mid-1950s.

ed

Mom

days of kindergarten.

first

somehow never

ed in midair until

hit the

Mom

into

made

Mom

a U-turn from the curb

out of the door, propelled by

car.

Cars didn't have seat belts

door had not closed properly.

Mom's

eyes as

ground, though.

stopped the

1B

when

car,

and

I I

I

I

flew out of the

remained suspendthen gently floated

F.

my

back into

Holmes Atwater

She asked

seat.

was okay and remarked that we

if I

should be more careful. At the time,

why

tion

had not been

I

anything strange of

my

Throughout her

hurt.

didn't occur to

it

And

Worn nor

neither

momentar\' suspended

Mom

lite,

although today

I

true spiritual identity.

to ques-

thought

I

state.

would occasionally

always be taken care of" She never mentioned this,

me

say,

"You

\vi\\

who would be doing

think she must have been referring to

my

suppose the kindergarten suspended-in-

I

midair incident must be the earliest memory-

I

have of the

validity

of her prophetic reminder.

When

was

I

older,

my

sister told

me

that

Mom

always talked

about herself and her high school girlfriends practicing levitation in the school g\'m.

Mom said

around

and the person

lie

in a circle,

on the

into the

As

floor

The

and she would

air,"

a teenager,

birthday.

I

in the center ot the circle

would lifted

just interested in cars.

Chex^ coupe

Willie's

me on my

My

sixteenth

for sevent>'-five dollars

1954 Ford sedan

for

one hundred

Uncle Gene gave me an old 292'Thunderbird engine, and

dollars.

went

would stand

be.

eventually sold the

I

friends

them would "imagine her being

became more than

and bought my Uncle

I

and her

1940 Chevy coupe, was given to

a

first car,

rest of

that she

to

work building

a

muscle

hundred cubic inches,

to three

car.

I

had the 292 punched out

installed

new

pistons, a three-

quarters-race camshaft, dual four-barrel carburetors, dual exhaust,

an aluminum

fl\^vheel,

and

manual transmission

a three -speed

with a hea\7-dut>' clutch. I

was seriously ready

Within two

years,

dumping the

I

San Fernando Boulevard

for

went through

clutch.

I

change out the transmission

and

Muncie

I

twenrs'- seven transmissions by

could get used transmissions at the junk-

yard for about twenty- dollars.

utes,

in 1964.

It

got to the point where

in that car in less

never missed a Saturday night.

four- speed with

I

than

I

thirt>'

could

min-

eventually went to a

Hurst linkage, which resolved the trans-

mission replacement problem.

The I

point here

had an uncanny

is

that throughout

ability-

all this I

became aware that I had to do

with mechanical things. All

1

V

Captain of

was

just think

My

about or focus

be able to see inside

it.

The

Ship,

my

first

Master of

attention

My Soul

on the

car

and

I

would

time this happened was with the

on the 1940 Chevy. I could see worn or broken parts, movement, oil flowing, etc. I began to believe that when people took their cars to a mechanic, the mechanic was skilled in doing U'joint

what seemed at

all.

to

come

natural to me.

I

soon learned

Most mechanics did not have this ability. years hence, scientists would come to

Ten

remote viewingy a perceptual technique based to mentally perceive

ability

this wasn't true

call this

on an innate human

and describe things separated or

blocked by distance, shielding, or even time. That brings to

my

when

visit I

was involved with remote viewing.

had guided me

to this point in time?

Had

been limited

my

it

den

in the

childhood or had

shadows of my everyday

life?

me back

my military What spiritual

with Bob Monroe and that point in

to

process

career forces

this divine intercession

always been with me, hid-

Chapter Two

Agent

Special

At the end of the

board discovered that

draft

"Greetings," the

first

Une

appear for a physical

m

semester o\ niv third vear

first

I

had not been

to ensure

mv

the

attendins;^ classes.

ot the dratt notice read.

exam

colles^e,

I

u

ordered to

a^

tor inilitan'

eliL;ibilirv

service.

What

a load ot crap!

I

had

just

been ottered

work. Well, there was only one thin^ to do the draft.

I

needed

day,

I

me

was going

minute

The

I

sergeant, a

that there were a

tall

number

could select a position for which

eventually serve.

The

to a\'oid

Who

I

Adonis

I

office

ot excellent jobs if

would most

immediately to Vietnam.

1

3

and

I

and

was quali-

would be trained and

easiest positions to get

—who

came

in uniform,

were the ones with

the most vacancies, the ones the army needed the most,

medics and infantrymen

at

ot Guidance.')

outstanding opportunities within the army and that fied

promotion

walked into the army recruiting

asked about joining up. explained to

I

to j(Mn the army. (Wait a

up with that? Another expression

That very

it

a

certainly

e.g.,

be sent

My

Captain of

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

An incredible calmness came over me as picked up one of the On the back cover in bold, I

small booklets from the display rack.

blue

centered below an official-looking golden insignia

letters,

were the words "Army Intelligence." Below these words,

who

said in small-font, black type, "for those

Without looking

The

sergeant replied by asking

and had

lege, I

I

ever been in trouble with the law.

for

this?"

explained that

I

Army Intelligence but me if I was interested.

He told me me for a posi-

arrested.

due to army regulations, he couldn't interview

tion with

ment

showed the back

I

"What about

me how old I was, had I been to col-

had two years of college and had never been

that,

simply

are qualified."

at the pages in the booklet,

cover to the recruiting sergeant and asked,

it

that he could set up an appoint-

Looking the poster-boy recruiting sergeant straight in the eye

and pointing I

to the

back cover of the booklet,

I

spoke

softly, as if

were repeating words being whispered somehow directly into

my

mind about a course of action perhaps charted long ago, "This is what I am here for." And with that one utterance, my childhood was

youth that had been

over, a

psychic and spiritual realities

I

filled

with "normal" experiences,

did not yet appreciate.

I joined the U.S. Army on the delayed- entry program, to delay my army training cycle so that I would be twenty- one when I grad-

uated from Advanced Individual Training, or AIT.

become

age requirement for training to cial

The minimum

a counterintelligence spe-

agent was twenty- one. Before

probably

I

left for

my first

basic training in February 1968,

adult conversation with

round, oak table in the kitchen,

I

told

1

my mother.

Mom that

I

had what was Sitting at the

was having

sec-

ond thoughts about joining the army because I didn't think I could actually shoot anyone. Without bringing up moral issues of killing.

Mom told me

that in

would be presented with many circum-

life I

stances that would temper

was not emerge. I

in It

my

my

soul

and that

if

shooting someone

best interests such a circumstance

never did.

Oh

.

.

.

she also reminded

would not

me once

again that

would always be taken care of

On

a different note, the last thing the recruiting sergeant said

2Q

Holmes Atwater

F.

to

me before

I

two months and,

as

turned out, over the rest

it

me

tary career. This veteran sergeant told all

about learning what

was

it

me over the next of my entire mili-

was helpful to

basic training

left for

that basic training was

be a soldier and that

like to

I

would

me

never forget the experience. These were important words for before

entered the

I

elite intelligence

in the intelligence field,

it

was important

the devotion of the combat

way

soldier.

just at this

moment

in

my

remember the

to

Perhaps

was divinely guided

recruiting sergeant this

community. Whatever

to

did

I

intensity',

this well- seasoned

touch base with

me

in

life.

Basic Training

On and

I

February

14, 1968,

my right hand

raised

became

1

in

Private Frederick H. Atwater

an oath of allegiance to America and

mv military- superiors. boarded downtown Los Angeles bound tor Fort Ord, California

a promise to obey the orders ot

bus in

I

and the next twenty years of my This was the Vietnam

life.

and the

era,

a

drill

sergeants at Fort

Ord

were hardened combat veterans. The lieutenants, on the other hand, had been in the army for the

new

all

day

training for

me

ing was to

what

it

tages of invisibility

A drill boots,

was.

invisible,

liners.

I

little

leadership

in their starched

quickly recognized basic

reaction (as in "perform an act that had trials

and the

and first

tribulations of basic train-

confirmation of the ad\'an-

happened within hours of arrival

at Fort

Ord.

sergeant in a freshly starched uniform, highly polished

and wearing

racks and

My

well before") to the

become

and offered

They looked good though,

recruits.

uniforms and shiny black helmet

served

lorig

a

Smokey- the -Bear hat

demanded

license to drive.

He

to

know

said that he

strutted into the bar-

any of the new recruits had a

if

needed

at least

special duty. Several lanky kids raised their

two privates

for

hands and were subse-

quently instructed to step forward. Standing with his hands on his hips, the drill sergeant

ing just had

all

looked over the group of recruits who, hav-

their hair cut

individuals but as soldiers.

He

off,

were no longer seen by him

as

picked out four qualified volunteers

21

My

Captain of

had

(they

raised their hands)

of the closet and drive

From my

invisible

My Soul

/VUster of

Ship,

and ordered them

them around

to get

brooms out

the floor of the barracks.

venue, basic training was relatively unevent-

ful Early-morning physical training, called PT, was accompanied

by the compulsory- dirge, "More PT,

sergeanti"

Each

day's

—

became a simple routine well, almost ever\' day's trainseemed Guidance was once again with me. But there were

training ing. It

some

drill

trying times.

The visit to the gas chamber scared the shit out of everyone. Once your training company had "done the gas chamber," you were considered an authority^ on such

were always vivors.

that they

company in

had

just

the barracks next door yelled out his

done the

whole company had

m

dies

about the gas chamber shared bv brave sur-

stories

A couple of days before we went into the gas chamber,

dier in the

in the

matters. There

life -and- death

gas

a sol-

window

chamber and that only three people

died.

Keep

in

mind

nobody

that

reallv

the gas chamber; they only wish they could to escape the

misery. But naive kids

becoming

soldiers don't find this out until

they too have done the gas chamber. There rience of

CS

is

nothing

like

an expe-

gas to convince everyone to treasure a gas mask.

For me, the most meaningful part of the whole basic training

experience actually happened after graduation,

I

Remembered

Military

tion, otherwise

known

Acromm)

a

for

pneumonia

as

graduated. Shortly before

I

was hospitalized with

URI, the ER\i-\

an upper respiratory (a rather pejorative

expression the army didn't like to use). Because of

unable to proceed on

my

(Easily

travel orders to

AIT

infec-

medical

this,

I

was

at Fort Holibird,

Maryland, the army's intelligence training center.

was placed

I

in

what was known

weeks. During this time,

pany the

—B Company,

home

patriots

I

was an

as

holdover status

asset of the

First Battalion, First

same training com-

Brigade

—

of my fellow basic trainees. Except for me,

had moved on

to their respective

AIT

that all

and

I

became an

had been

of my com-

schools.

This proved to be a beneficial experience, which

having been guided.

for several

I

now

see as

A new group of recruits arrived in the company

assistant to the drill instructor.

22

I

was no longer

F.

addressed ter."

the other recruits as "trainee" but as "Private Atwa-

like

The new

Holmes Atwater

me

recruits looked to

up

roll their socks, set

and some

for assistance

ance that they would survive basic training. their footlockers,

I

assur-

showed them how

and make

to

com-

their beds

pliant with the drill sergeant's standards (so tight that a quarter

would bounce

As weeks,

off the

wool blanket).

my

the days of

holdover status at Fort Ord turned into

occasionally visited with the clerks, soldiers like myself,

I

who worked

in the orderly

on my reassignment

orders.

ed to speak to the

first

the slightest

There never was.

when

He went on

to tell

me

asked him

I

.

.

.

He

there was anything

me

told

the only thing

to wait for the army.

pect that

I

I

eventually request-

to privates.

orders.

nothing

He

I

asked him

said, withtuir

at all."

that his office's only responsibility was \\

orders.

my

to find out about

the earlier paperwork associated if

came

it

in his voice, "Nothing,

lilt

word

there was any

it

sergeant, a pock-taced X'ictnam veteran

with a know-it-all attitude

what had been done

room and asked

nn bcmL:

irh

could do 1

1

tind out .ibout iny

was supposed to do was

Although he

to wait

didn't laugh out loud,

NCO-Club jokes

was the brunt of his

in rhc hospital.

sus-

I

over a beer or two

later that evening.

When

the

tioning the

Being

first

first

who he

sergeant dismissed mc,

I

realized that

mv

sergeant had been prompted by divine Guidance. was, the

sergeant didn't recognize this and

first

thought he was just talking to Private Atwater. Respecting spective,

could see he was

I

Atwater could do limitations of

ques-

my

There was

right.

little

his per-

that Private

But deep inside, beyond the

in this situation.

lowly militar>' rank,

knew

I

there was

much

that

could be done.

One Thursday

meaning,

I

was instructed to escort

assigned recruit to an office in another area of Fort

scheduled appointment of some kind.

and escort him back

When home les

I

to the

was assigned

this duty,

for basic training, the

gave

me

company I

I

was

area

when he was

remembered

number

23

Ord

for a

to wait for the recruit

through.

that before

army intelligence people

their office telephone

newly

a

in Los

to call should

I

I

left

Ange-

have any

Captain of

So while the

questions.

My

recruit

was busy with

found a payphone and called that number.

been in the hospital when

my

and that

my

My Soul

of

AAaster

Ship,

class

appointment,

his

explained that

I

had

graduated from basic training

assignment orders to Fort Holibird had been canceled

room had

or "returned," as the clerk in the orderly

The army

intelligence people

seemed

said.

to feel that

my

shouldn't have been canceled and that the basic training

should have sent

They gave me

me on my way when

a telephone

ask for the sergeant major

assignments for to explain

I

I

all

number (I

I

in the

forget his

got out of the hospital.

me

Pentagon and told

name) who was

enlisted personnel in

orders

company

Army

what had happened and ask what

I

to

in charge of

Intelligence.

was

I

should do.

The minute I hung up the phone, I placed a call to the Pentagon number and asked to speak to the sergeant major. Very politely, knowing that he probably didn't get many calls from privates, I introduced myself as Private Atwater calling from Fort Ord, California. I

do

The

sergeant major replied, "Yes, Private Atwater, what can

for you?"

A bit startled by the seemingly warm response, and told him that the Los Angeles

situation

that

I

call.

He

said,

to confirm that

that

I

I

He

my service number. minutes, then "I

get

I

my

me

complied.

file

return to

do from

me

present job was an assistant

drill

and

I

him my name for him and He put me on hold for three or four tell

line.

here, Private Atwater,"

you on to Fort Holibird

asked

him

basic training

to spell

came back on the

have your

He

assured

had completed

then asked

my

had suggested

office

"You did the right thing, Private."

had, reiterating that

instructor.

described

I

as

soon

he

said.

as possible."

"We'd better

He

told

me

to

my company as instructed; he would see what he could He ended by saying, "Thank you for calling me,

his end.

Private Atwater."

Well, that put a smile

on my

face.

been escorting and marched him back time

we

I

found the recruit

to the

company

area.

I

had

By the

got back to the company, the morning was gone. Drill ser-

geants in their starched fatigues were outside the mess hall, harassing the usual line of haggard

and hungry trainees before lunch.

24

I

Holmes Atwater

F.

delivered the recruit to his platoon and went into the mess hall to get

some chow. had

I

when

just finished eating

company

the

came

clerk

through the door and said loudly, "Private Atwater, the company

commander wants and he

you

to see

now!"

right

I

asked

if

he knew why

"You know why. Just get into the orderly room right

said,

me

now." Everybody around

me one

turned and gave

you're 'in-trouble -now kind of looks. Confident that

had been working

my

in

favor,

headed

I

ot those

Guidance

commander's

for the

office.

As

walked into the orderly room, the nervous clerks looked

I

up from

their desks. Their eyes followed

utter an

he told see

The

sergeant.

first

me

first

sergeant's eyes

official- sounding

me

to take a seat

headed

sat

I

approached the

I

met mine and before

"Reporting as ordered.

First

I

could

Sergeant,"

and that the company commander would

down, the commander came out of

first

sergeant gestured toward

attention just as the captain's eyes

come

and

into

my

office,"

he said

his

glanced at

me and

I

stood to

met mine. "Oh, Private Atwa-

as

he executed

and walked quickly back through

behind

his office

directly for the first sergeant's desk. Before the captain

could speak, the

ter,

as

in a minute.

Just as

face

me

a military

about-

door and stepped

his

Remembering my best militar>' etiquette, I the first sergeant and marched courteously into the desk.

captain's office. Just as

he

sat in his chair

and glanced up

me,

at

I

stood at

attention in front of his desk, saluted, and said, "Private Atwater reporting, Sir."

and

said

(I

He

returned the salute, ordered

think in one big breath), "Atwater,

battalion headquarters.

They

said

someone

me I

to stand at ease,

just got a call

in the

Pentagon wants

you on an airplane to Fort Holibird tomorrow. You plane, Atwater.

and the

first

It is

my

from

will

be on that

job to see that happens. Pack your things

sergeant will drive you to the airport at 0530 hours

tomorrow morning.

Do

you understand. Private?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed," he barked.

I

came

25

to attention, saluted, executed

Captain of

My

Ship,

Master of

an about-face, and marched out of

My Soul

his office.

With each

step

I

knew that I was not alone in moving into the next adventure of life. As my mom had said, I would always be taken care of There was something more to

five senses at the time.

"Surely,

my so-called me years later,

than was apparent to

all this

Bob Monroe would ask

you have a sense of

self that

greater than your physical

is

body?"

Becoming a Special Agent I

flew into

Washington National Airport and checked with the

military liaison there about getting to Fort Holibird.

was an army shuttle bus that went

out, there

port to the base.

The

staff

I

arrived at

my new

was very well organized, and

based on a class cycle. Because

Vietnam War, the they could, and

Many,

if

I

not

this

effect

I

directly

it

turned

from the

air-

on Friday afternoon.

was assigned a barracks

was 1968

in the midst of the

intelligence school ran classes through as fast as

joined a class group starting the following all,

Monday.

experiences at Fort Holibird must have been

Such experiences were

the result of divine Guidance.

profound

post late

As

on my course

in

life.

I

equipped to deal with future situations in

to

have a

was, unknowingly, being life

from a perspective of

confidence and knowledge. Classes at Fort Holibird consisted of about thirty soldiers, most

of

whom

were privates. Some

transferring into intelligence specialty

I

People from

all

immediately noticed the caliber of

my

I

was carefully

learned later that, for the most part, loyalty, integrity,

discretion, morals,

and character were apt descriptors

aspired to be U.S.

Back

classmates.

walks of life went through basic training. But at the

Intelligence School, the general population

screened.

who

and sergeants who were

were sometimes included. The ranking soldier became

class leader.

Army

specialists

from another military occupational

Army

for all of us

Counterintelligence Special Agents.

in that era, a special agent

was trained in several aspects

of physical security, document security (techniques for the protection of classified material),

and personnel

2B

security,

which

F.

amounted

The

to controlling

Holmes Atwoter

who had

access to sensitive material.

duties of the special agent included a wide range of counter-

intelligence activities, including the

conduct of personnel back-

ground

inspections

investigations,

security

and

surveys,

counterespionage and counter- sabotage investigations and activities

— and, The

in

Vietnam, battlefield counterintelligence measures.

had three months

intelligence school

to prepare us for

entry into this eUte world of intelligence operatives.

qualified soldiers of

methods used

all

to teach us

specialties.

how

I

I

thought the

demands of Vietnam

school did a great job, considering the

especially appreciated the

to interview character reterences tor

those requiring background checks for security- clearances.

become

guessed, though, that these techniques would in the future later

when

I

never

useful years

would be working with remote viewers, and

I

with out-of-body voyagers at

The

for

The Monroe

Institute.

Fort Holibird intelligence school employed actors to play

various characters typified over the years as the usual kind of people

one may encounter during the conduct of background

gations.

On

we interviewed "Mr.

stage in front of our classmates,

Jones" about "Johnny Smith"

who had

investi-

recentk' joined the army.

Mr. Jones played a neighbor, ex-employer, or perhaps a high school teacher or college professor

who had some knowledge

of the sup-

posed subject of a background investigation.

The

actors helped the students along

gave them a hard time

done on stage

on

a point

was

and

this

was

provided some per-

it

of a learning point, one of the

from the interviewee.

mend Johnny Smith

If

we asked

is

to obtain a

the actor,

for a position of trust

the army?" the actor would reply, "Well, a student, the

puzzled. But

correct

made. As

it

also allowed classmates to learn along with

covered in a background interview

As

to be

they needed

stage.

As an example

might."

when

in front of our classmates,

formance anxiety but the one

when

way

we

all

first

time

we heard

items to be

recommendation

"Would you recom-

and if

last

responsibility with

anybody asked me, this rejoinder

I

we were

soon learned that there was one, and only one,

to ask the original question.

27

The

special agent

must

Captain of

ask,

My

Master of

Ship,

"Do you recommend Johnny Smith

My Soul

for a position of trust

and

responsibility with the army?"

Another questioning technique the

was not to

actors taught

ask multiple -choice or double questions that would suggest an answer. For example, asking something

like,

"Did Johnny ever get

into trouble with the police, or was he a pretty

The

be inappropriate.

actors

Sitting there red-faced

good kid?" would

would simply answer back,

on

"Yes."

stage in front of our classmates,

we

suddenly realized that either Johnny had been in trouble with the

We

know from the actor's answer. If this was the first time in the hot seat, we were likely to get ourselves in more trouble by asking, "What kind of trouble did he

police or perhaps not.

didn't

have with the police?" to which the actor would

know.

I

didn't say that

reply, "I don't

he did."

Confident that we'd figured out the situation, we would continue, "Well,

would you say then that he was a pretty good kid?"

might," the actor would retort, there

we

"if

anybody would ask me." So

were, special agents in training, embarrassed in front of

our classmates and reduced once again to asking what

have in the

And

I

place,

first

so

on

admit that

.

growing up.

mouths

as

I

I

I

.

consider Johnny to be a pretty good kid?"

.

played these games with

hope they learned

did back so

prove valuable to

we should

"Did Johnny ever get into trouble with the

"Do you

police?" "No." "Yes."

"I

me

far

many

my

kids as they were

to think before opening their

years ago.

These same

skills

beyond the confines of my job

as a

would coun-

terintelligence special agent.

One particular event,

in retrospect, revealed that

I

was indeed on

We were about two weeks from review what we had learned. We

the right course, following Guidance.

graduation and

now had an

we had begun

to

overall picture in our

minds of the scope and duties of

the counterintelligence special agent of the late 1960s, which includ-

ed physical

From

security,

document

this perspective,

I

security,

and personnel

security.

stood up in class one day and asked

about the television pictures taken from space of the surface of the

moon,

pictures that

I

had seen on the nightly news broadcast.

SB

F.

Specifically,

I

asked

Holmes Atwater

such cameras were in Earth orbit taking pic-

if

and

tures of the surface of the Earth,

if

they were, what were

we

as

counterinteUigence specialists to do to guard against hostile exploitation of such pictures?

seemed obvious

It

me

to

that infor-

mation from such pictures would be of immense intelligence value,

and nothing had been

A

hush

filled

instructor that day, a

and

said in class so far about this threat.

the classroom as

I

finished

said in a stern voice, "Private Atwater,

sit

I

in the eyes

Do

not dis-

ot this class

Do you

is

understand.'"

answered, and sat down.

When the class was dismissed,

the instructor told

in the classroom for a few minutes. for insubordination his lesson plan.

me

down.

The purpose

to review the material covered in this course.

The

question.

young captain, looked me square

cuss or ask such questions ever again.

"Yes, Sir,"

my

because

Once he and were I

that the subject

I

I

thought that

had asked

I

in the school building.

it

remain

in trouble

ak)nc in the classroom, he

essary security clearances or an appropriate

tt^ld

a form of special intel-

was actually

was told that since

I

was

to

a question not co\'ered in

had asked about was

ligence so highly classified that

1

me

illegal to discuss

it

didn't ha\'e the nec-

I

need

to

know,

should

I

avoid discussing the subject.

asked

I

told

me

when such

discussions might be appropriate,

that conceivably during

would get an assignment where of work.

He reminded me

I

my

and he

career as a special agent

would he invoK'ed with

this

I

kind

not to discuss "the subject" again and

dismissed me. But this same inquisitive nature concerning extraordinary intelligence -collection methods would lead

me

later in life

into the world of military remote viewing.

First

Assignment

As young to graduate

privates,

and some seasoned sergeants, about ready

from AIT, we wondered

Vietnam when we became the U.S.

and

it

Army

seemed

if

we too would be

special agents for

sent to

what was then

Intelligence Agency. Classes graduated every

to us that about half the classes

23

called

week

were sent directly to

My

Captain of

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

Vietnam and the other half got assigned various places around the

One good

world.

hometown. liked to

of

my

that

I

was assigned to Pasadena, California,

friend

envied him and his assignment.

have been assigned back to

enlistment. After

all,

had joined the army

I

too would have

I

my hometown for the

the only thing

I

his

thought

to avoid getting drafted

duration

knew was

I

and sent

to

Vietnam.

sciousness of the fact) that, as

moment, I forgot (lost conmy mother had said so long ago, I

would always be taken care

When my

Wrapped up

in the intensity of the

of.

assignment orders came

through, they were not for Vietnam but another exotic land called

Alabama.

Alabama

in 1968

was a strange place

for a

boy raised in the

1950s and 1960s in white, upper-middle- class Glendale, Califor-

movement and and some guy named Martin

This was the land of the burgeoning

nia.

marches on Washington, D.C., Luther King,

Jr.

On the

Fort McClellan blessing.

I

brighter side,

it

civil rights

wasn't Vietnam.

—and Anniston, Alabama—turned out

to be a

I met my first wife, Women's Army Corp. (Women had not yet been

was on course. Guidance was with me.

Joan, a clerk in the

integrated into the "regular" army.) Joan grew up in a military family,

her father being in the Air Force, and had three brothers

were also in the

My

service.

beautiful bride

and

I

wed

who

in the post

chapel in a small ceremony attended by our friends from Fort

McClellan but without our

families.

Our loving marriage

thrived for

twenty years and was blessed with three wonderful children. Sometimes, very

little

in the larger

As

beyond

my wife and

scheme of things

I

family

knew

seemed important, but

there was more.

a counterintelligence special agent in Alabama,

through experience

how

to

I

discovered

conduct investigations, research and

cite

army

security regulations, participate in a bureaucracy, talk to

and

elicit

information from people, and work in an office environ-

ment with

others.

But

pelled by a spiritual I

I

soon found

I

was being ever so gently com-

wisdom from within

to proceed

on

course.

was involved in two fender-bender car accidents in

my

assigned government vehicle at Fort McClellan. Perhaps they were

3Q

F.

Holmes Atwater

not accidents as such but incidents manifested by

My

cause.

spirit for a

greater

administrative punishment for being invoh-ed in these

accidents in a government vehicle was office dut>' for two weeks.

For several days,

worked the Teletype machine, which was

I

high-class rapid electronic

headquarters building.

communications

One

for the late 1960s, in the

came

day, a notice

names

in requesting

of special agents interested in training to be electronic -surveillance technicians.

immediately returned the message, pressing the Send

1

key and providing the name Corporal Frederick H. Atwater Several days

came over

later, a

similar request for

names

ot special agents

the Teletype. This time they wanted volunteers for lan-

guage school. Acceptance

language training would require

for

worldwide reassignment based on

'*the

needs of the army"

language -speaking counterintelligence agents.

1

for foreign-

pressed the

Send

key again and volunteered for Spanish language training. Within a

month,

got orders to begin training on m\

1

first

request as an

electronic-surveillance technician. Language training would tollow.

Back to School Right after getting married,

I

left

Fort McClcllan tor Redstone

Arsenal, Alabama, for training in basic electronics, the of

my

training in electronic surveillance. Joan

me

joined

at

Redstone Arsenal about

(In the 1960s,

women could

is,

ice or

got

1

my

based on work performance and not

attendance

Before

at school.

we were

left

month

the ser\'ice

after the

1

to leave

first

just

real

and

wedding.

be released trom military service

they married.) While at Redstone, that

a

phase

tirst

when

promotion,

on length of serv-

was now Sergeant Atwater.

Redstone Arsenal to continue

training in electronic surveillance,

I

my

received orders to attend

Spanish language school in Washington, D.C., upon completion of

my

training in electronic surveillance. After language school,

to be assigned to the

470th

Military' Intelligence

Group

1

was

in the

Panama Canal Zone.

We

left

Redstone Arsenal

for Fort Holibird,

Mar>'land, for

technical intelligence training in electronic surveillance, and Joan

31

My

Captain of

found a job

at a

comer

Master of

Ship,

eatery near the fort.

ed upstairs rooms of a house near a

same time,

this

I

saw man's

We

lived in the rent-

Sparrows Point,

steel mill in

my

Maryland. Joan was soon pregnant with

around

My Soul

first

Somewhere walk on the moon on a son.

first

had been a

ten-inch, black-and-white portable television that

high- school graduation present from

my

So

months of Spanish language

for six

When

parents.

we moved

electronic surveillance courses,

ginia, for six

my

finished

I

to Alexandria, Vir-

training.

hours a day, two other special agents and Joan and

attended language school in Alexandria. (Spouses of service

I

mem-

bers were encouraged to attend, for free, to support the learning

environment.) This was a very

hard

for

me

time for me.

difficult

was

It

ver>^

and government

to learn a foreign language. Military

language schools immersed students in a foreign language envi-

ronment

hours a day. In

six

this case, the

Spanish instructor didn't

speak any English. Joan learned her nightly dialogs

took

me

easily,

hours and hours. Additionally, Washington, D.C.,

There was a year-long waiting language school only lasted a

an extra job

at night as a

list

for housing,

over

little

six

checkout clerk

to a

plan

all

me

for

number along.

life.

of

my

a

and the Spanish

months, so

at the local

we could pay the rent on the small apartment. As difficult a period as this was, the Spanish stayed with

is

it

member.

horribly expensive place to assign a junior enlisted service

tial

but

had

I

to get

pharmacy so

that

I

did learn

My ability to speak Spanish has been essenlife

When we

experiences.

I

think there was a bigger

graduated from language school, Joan's

pregnancy was nearly to term and

I

had

to go

on ahead

to

Panama

while she stayed with her parents in Topeka, Kansas.

Second Assignment When

the plane door opened in Panama,

landed in a sauna. This winter

I

had

just

officer at the

it

seemed

470th I

I

had

was seriously different from the snowy

experienced in Washington, D.C.

happy to see that

like

MI Group,

Fort

was not only

32

a

The personnel

Amador, Canal Zone, was

Spanish linguist but also an

Holmes Atwater

F.

They were

electronic- surveillance technician. specialist in their lab, officer in charge.

worked

there,

and

I

really liked the lab

I

environment

later

at

I

I

The Monroe for

an

in

could join me.

Jr.,

months when Joan brought him

Institute.

housing in the Canal

(I first

saw

my

son at age

Panama.) At night, we

to

could hear gunfire in the neighborhood, and one afternoon

somebody staggering down the Fortunately,

we

two months

after

didn't

have

on

Life

Panama City too long. About arrived, we were assigned gov-

Joan and Fred

Jr. I

could easily walk to work, and

room windows there was Agent Atwater had it made.

Fort

Amador

with a challenging and interesting job. sonable for an enlisted service member.

we

made

had regular work hours

I

The

cost ot living was rea-

When

Michelle was a

hired a housekeeper, and Joan took

and eventually was hired by U.S. Na\

lots

some

to

check

v Intelligence.

to

for

bugging devices in various

tary assistance groups or to teach, in Spanish, for the

the Americas. While working in the lab at the 470th, to learn intelligence

photography in addition to

surveillance certification

guessing

my

We

201

File

(my

I

and was awarded official

my

mili-

School of I

was able

electronic-

a notation of that spe-

personnel record).

counterintelligence side of technical surveillance involves

how

photograph to

college

other Central American and South

traveled occasionally

The

lit-

of friends and socialized with other couples weekly.

American countries

cialty in

Panama

a great view of

with Joan, Fred, and eventually Michelle

(born in the Canal Zone) was wonderful.

tle older,

saw

stomach.

street with a knite in his

living

Bay. Special

I

to stay in

ernment housing on Fort Amador. from our

classes

inter-

decided to rent an apartment in Panama City so that Joan

and my new son, Fred three

who

know, consciously

didn't

I

would wind up

Because there was a six-month wait Zone,

need of a tech

environment, the people

and the work involved.

anyway, that nearly twenty years estingly similar lab

in

was immediately sent to see the warrant

do with

a hostile intelligence service

would bug or wiretap or

classified discussions or material.

Much of the work has

physically searching, either by visual or instrumented

inspection. However, the agents' concepts of

33

where

to search

and

My

Captain of

what

to look for

depend on

their experience, their

the enemy's capabilities, and I

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

knowledge of

a great deal of intuitive insight.

found that intuitive insight was

my

My

forte.

out-of-body

experiences as a young child and remote viewing or intuitive

me

insights as a teenager taught

When

ways of knowing.

to trust other

searching a building for a bugging device,

ed

my

for

—remote

I

simply expand-

awareness to include the entirety of the structure and look view?

—such

a device within

awareness of myself as the structure. nical resources at

my

I

my

very self or the

would then focus the tech-

disposal toward suspicious areas. If

concerned about photographic penetration of an

would simply target area.

visualize angles that

(Good

many

This

is

when you

angles,

not as strange or are walking

your physical body.

was I

extended beyond the confines of

can do something similar by imagin-

architects

ing a structure from

I

office area,

both inside and out.)

may seem.

difficult as it

For example,

you are aware of the sense of you

When you

as

being

get into a car to drive, your aware-

ness automatically expands until

what you think of as you extends

from bumper to bumper. You become aware, to some extent, of this

new you

quite naturally.

speed, you

As you move down

become aware of

bumper of the

car, a sort

around a car or a building

a zone

the street with

beyond the

some

limits of the front

of an out-of-car experience.

Whether

(or ostensibly the universe) this

expand-

ed awareness of you provides cognitive access to data within the specified environs.

I

define this investigative form of intuitive

insight, therefore, as a simple act of self-examination. All

to

do

cal

is

expand one's awareness beyond the confines of the physi-

body and extend I

one has

have

it

throughout the structure under inspection.

also used this

concept of intuitive insight

as a special

agent working outside the world of technical intelligence. During interviews and interrogations,

I

expanded

my

awareness to include

the persona of the other individual. This simple act of intimacy

makes deception very

difficult

because an awareness of

intuitive insight reveals the thoughts

Presumably, such unity always

make

exists.

love to one another.

3A

and

my own

feelings within the unity.

This

is

what we do when we

Holmes Atwater

F.

The words "expand awareness" here.

It is less

posefully

—

a

matter of a verb

consciously?

in

made

becomes

my

back then thought

a very special agent.

When my I

available.

had

my

guess

telling

me

have

didn't

that

if

I

I

like a lot of

life

—seemed

was smooth,

1

have

didn't

a college

a skill that

would be marketable

Army

Recruiting

In

My marriage, my tamiK I

gi\'e

me

nine thousand dollars

1971,

to be going okay, so

in the

Command

would

reenlisted for six years, they

,

m\ work

—

inv

reenlLsted for six vear^.

easy, unfettered by confusion or stress;

Panama neared an end,

in

to decide

knew. The

money.

As my assignment

had

1

an assessment of my situation revealed

a nine 'thousand-dollar bonus.

sounded

thought of myself as

a sense of myself a spiritual identity-,

was married with two children, I

I

some who knew me

enlistment contract was up, and

civilian world, as far as

whole

I

physical body.

to leave the army,

degree, and

was

encompassing a

realized ("real-ized," as

is

ideas were weird, but

I

that was greater than

that

"expand" than akin to pur-

a perspective

viewpoint

this

burdensome

real through personal experience), knowledge of this

greater wholeness

whether

like

— taking up

Once

greater wholeness.

are semantically

1

It

was on course.

the quiet voice

from within began to whisper of the adventures to come. This was important, because one part ot

me

(Sergeant Atwater) had the

urge to maintain the status quo, to say to God, "Hey, stop right here; this

is

great;

I'll

stay with this for the rest of

good marriage, wonderful children, good security.

seats

and

I

was even driving a white top

—and

Life in Panama was move on was greater.

my

friends,

life."

I

had

a

and fmancial

a red convertible with white -leather it

was paid

for.

so pleasant. But the impulse from within to

Back to College

A new

few months

after

I

reenlisted, the U.S.

military-appropriations

bill

Congress passed a

allocating funds to pay for the

higher education of military personnel. In their thinking, the vari-

ous problems of the conscription

military'

35

were due to insufficient

Captain of

numbers of insanity of

My

college -educated service

Vietnam

members. (Somehow the

compute. Never mind.)

didn't

my

have the army pay

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

tuition

and

full salary for

I

applied to

a year while

fin-

I

ished a baccalaureate degree. "Sure," the army said, "Congress

gave us

leave,

of

lots

me

that gave

money

for that."

So

I

received reassignment orders

nine days to get out of Panama, take some holiday

and matriculate

could hardly believe

it.

at the University of

The army was

Nebraska

all right.

Omaha.

at

Of course,

I

was

I

in

the intelligence community, wearing civilian clothes, and not in

Vietnam shooting

was winding down by

this

successfully avoided the

Joan, the kids,

with

my

family

who

at people

time (1972), and

Vietnam

and

I

Omaha, and

I

it

looked

and Christmas

in

Kansas with in

diploma before

a

truly

was

just a "ticket

punch"

I

Joan's.

We

bought a

neighborhood

nice

could

The

of myself as living in the Midwest. it

had

I

started school at the university in January 1973.

my college

received

like

celebrated Thanksgiving in California

year in Nebraska went by quickly and effortlessly. 1

war, by the way,

fiasco.

three -bedroom house

split-level,

The

shoot back.

settle

I

in

The

was on course.

down and

think

year passed so swiftly that

as they say.

You need a college

degree? You got one.

Third Assignment

A couple of months before graduation, that after completing the program,

Korea

for

I

I

received notification

was to be reassigned

to

South

an unaccompanied short-tour of duty.

The house we had bought for $24,000 sold for $27,500, and I moved the family out to California and set them up in an apartment near my parents. After many sorrowful good-byes and with some

trepidation,

after Christmas.

I I

boarded a plane and headed trusted

always be taken care sail

of,

on the course of my

When

I

my

and

internal wisdom.

this

was surely

just

for I

Asia shortly

knew

I

would

another reach to

life.

got to South Korea,

the Military Intelligence Group.

I

was taken

The

3B

first

to the headquarters of

question put to

me when

Holmes Atwater

F.

I

"Do you plan

arrived was,

the

first

to bring your family over?" This

understanding the ramifications of think

was

time such a possibility had ever been presented. Without

so.

my

answer,

I

said that

NCO

"In that case," said the personnel

I

didn't

(noncommis-

sioned officer), "we'll send you up to the demilitarized zone with the Second Infantry Division.

They have

the highest

available personnel right now." (Translated, that

priority' tor

means

that the

sergeant of the intelligence unit there had been in his ottice

first

all

day bugging him.)

Within minutes,

I

was

sitting in a jeep

sergeant of

tirst

Detachment (xMlD) on mv way

the Second Military Intelligence

Camp

with the

Casey, South Korea. There was no consideration ot

to

my

technical qualifications, previous assignments, or experience as a special agent.

I

was simply the next warm body

tined by circumstances (so

I

thought

in countn,'

at the time) to

and des-

go north to

the demilitarized zone.

As we drove northward tbrough villages, the first sergeant,

very

little.

He

did explain that the

compound on Camp Casey Infantry Division,

short-tour and was his family.

We

finally

Second

MID

me

there.

that ho had only two

boking torward

He hoped

had

soldier, spc^ke its

own

apart trom the rest ot the

which was headquartered

gravely voice and told

and

the countryside and countless

an overweight, worn-out

to getting

He

months

back

fenced

Second

spoke in a left

to "rhc

on

his

world"

to retire soon.

approached

Camp

Casey. Driving north, a wall on

the right side of the road separated the military' post from the adja-

cent village on the

left.

There were several gates

ed by military police, both U.S. by a couple of gates, the

first

in the wall guard-

Army and South

Korean. Passing

sergeant indicated that ours was

far-

ther up the road.

Within a couple of minutes, he slowed the jeep and beeped the horn

as

we turned

into an opening in the wall. Dutifully, a

South

Korean guard quickly opened the gate and motioned us into the

compound jeeps,

own

of pale -green Quonset huts.

and the

first

sergeant told

jeep to use while

I

me

that

was in country.

3V

We I

parked in a

line of

would be assigned my

My

Captain of

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

South Korea has been an "occupied country" since the

The

overbearing presence of the U.S. military has taken

the indigenous people and their culture. Nearly in

South Korea today

know

as

we move

homeland only

their

of U.S. soldiers

not so

is

in

its

much

all

'50s.

its toll

on

the people alive

into the twenty-first century

Americanized form. The attitude

a dedication to duty but a desire to

simply survive the year so that they can get back to "the world"

and

their lives.

This attitude mirrors feelings related by Vietnam veterans.

There

is

a plastic sense of camaraderie

amongst the

soldiers,

an

ever-present odor of "we are not really here in this place," or "this

not the real world," as

is

if

they are saying that their hearts and

minds are elsewhere. Are these amibassadors of Americanism seen then

as

zombies by the South Korean people?

This attitude of unreality gives to

abandon

cultural values

many

U.S. soldiers the freedom

and behaviors that would otherwise be

precious to them. In South Korea, prostitution has been legalized

and

is

monitored by the local government. "Working

given regular medical exams and treatment

Drunkenness and debauchery

when

girls" are

necessar>^

Camp

in the village next to

Casey

provide an off-duty escape for the infantry soldiers of the Second Infantry Division.

During the day, the bars are quiet and merchants bid welcome

and

offer bargains for the

made arrangements

to live within the

for the length of their tour.

place after

When

fifty

American Such

dollar.

Some

soldiers

community and

practices

have

"rent" a wife

have become common-

years of U.S. military occupation.

was introduced to the commander of the Second MID,

I

me to tell him about my previous military assignments. He had my 201 File in front of him but said that he wanted me to describe my impressions, my likes and dislikes about my previous he asked

assignments, and what I

I

wanted

to

do while

I

was

in

South Korea.

liked his casual yet genuine approach. Unlike the administration

in Seoul, he

Since

I

was genuinely interested in

had

his soldiers.

a great deal of experience with security inspections

of various types,

I

emphasized those special-agent

3B

abilities in

my

Holmes Atwater

F.

review of military assignments. degree and suggested that

He

noted that

had

I

talk with the staff at the

I

a college

Army Educa-

operations

When he was finished interviewing me, he called the NCO, a disgruntled sergeant in crumpled clothes, into

his office

and

tion Center.

him

told

Agent Atwater Put him Get

tions.

we have

that ed. will

in

in

charge of

And

need him."

for the

The commander's

need-

is

ot the

NCO

and

Quonset

I

huts,

next twelve months.

insistence that

led to a part-time job.

one

in

him

tell

Center, as they

with that, both the operations

found an empty bunk

I

was home

Army Education

Special

and inspec-

team whenever he

a security specialist for his

See that Atwater gets to the

I

security- surveys

is

touch with the inspector general (IG) and

were dismissed.

and

quite matter-of-factly, 'This

They were

in

visit

1

need

the education center

ot teachers to support

university extension programs offered to niilitarv personnel.

I

was

hired to teach after-duty for the Los Angeles Cit>' College extension program.

I

taught psychology, abnormal psycholog>', and crim-

inology. So, by day

was Special Agent Atwater, and

I

was a college teacher

enough extra money to

Joan and the kids

My

at the

that

my

education center

1

after

was able

to

entire militar>' salary w ent back

duty

I

make home

in California.

special agent duties required

me

to visit various military

posts in the northern part of South Korea to conduct counterintelligence security inspections

Arrow (lost nuclear weapon) IG Team. I

and surveys, background investiga-

counterespionage investigations, and participate in Broken

tions,

exercises

and pro\

ide support to the

me

to be in

MID

security

wasn't sure why, exactly. Guidance arranged for

Korea, but

I

had

a lot of fun

inspection duties and being a

When

I

visited

member of the IG Team. as a member of the Second MID

an army unit

for a courtesy inspection,

mand

between my Second

channels, and

I

no formal report was

would

tell

them

that

I

filed

through com-

was there to help

them prepare for their annual inspection by the IG. In Korea, nobody usually stays in a unit more than one year, so no one knows what to expect from an annual IG visit.

39

Captain of

My

Ship,

Master of

Special Agent Atwater

During

my

courtesy inspection,

"passing the IG"

Team

depended on

arrived, there

I

would

and

Security' Specialist.

done

ever^'thing that

tesy visit.

I

I

just smile

for

my

I

if

they had

my Second MID coura big laugh.

took thirty days' leave to

the kids from California to Arizona in preparation

next assignment at the

Army

Intelligence School,

had been moved from Fort Holibird, Mar>4and, Arizona. This leave was a tough call because

South Korea

Inspector Gen-

Counterintelligence

down and have

After eight months in South Korea,

move Joan and

official

and ask them

had suggested during all sit

how much their Later, when the IG

guidelines.

as the team's

would

Then we would

Korea

stressed

I

wearing an

be,

armband designating me

eral

my

in

My Soul

to finish

my

it

to Fort

which

Huachuca,

meant returning

tour and separating from

my family

to

again

move. Tougher still was the fact that my kids did not recme when met up with them in California. was a stranger to my own children after having not seen them

after the

ognize I

for eight it all

me four

I

months. Talk about heart-wrenching emotional pain. But,

worked

out.

I

got the family

moved and

they were waiting for

Huachuca when I returned from South Korea nearly months later. As it turned out, getting the assignment to Fort

at Fort

AO

F.

Huachuca

Holmes Atwater

at that exact point in time

seemed

to be the reason

behind the Korea assignment.

Fourth Assignment At

Fort

Huachuca,

I

came

off "civilian clothes status"

a regular military uniform for the

Agent Atwater became

1970. Special

this a

life. It

was

as

though

long time before

I

The

Staff Sergeant Atwater.

assignment turned out to be a pivotal point in

and my

and wore

time since language school in

first

my

militar>'

career

was somehow destined or guided

to

consciously realized what was happening.

I

The assignment got started with the inevitable "what should we do with the new guy" interview that had with a short, balding man wearing glasses, who was named Mr. Spaeth. I

Mr. Spaeth was an experienced intelligence operati\

Cuban

days of the

became

who,

missile crisis

a civilian instructor at the

had been around

Army

Intelligence School.

way up

his

sory position in the section dedicated to teaching trol

and accountability and personnel

sent to talk to

When him on glasses

He

I

him about working

sat

down

looked back

eral pages as

I

down

began

at

my

classes.

I

"I

I

was

He

my

201

File in front

looked up at

me

of

over his

you doing here, Sergeant Atwater?" tile

and casually tlipped through sev-

to think about

my

Quite unexpectedly, an answer to

deep within me.

document con-

security in\ estigations.

he had

a desk in a very small office.

are

He

to a supervi-

in his section.

to talk to him,

and asked, "What

trom the

after military- retirement,

and had worked

a while

e

answer.

his

question emerged from

have two college degrees.

I

have taught college

have had eight years of experience conducting counter-

intelligence security inspections

surveillance types,

and

doing the same.

know

I

security regulations

I

and surveys, including technical

have worked on an inspector general team all

the army and Department of Defense

and can quote from them verbatim. In your

language, Mr. Spaeth,

my

shit doesn't stink.

document control and accountability

I

am

here to teach

for you."

This spontaneous utterance from within had been seemingly

41

My

Captain of

Ship,

pent-up for some time waiting for to think about the possible

Master of

My Soul

this particular

moment.

consequences of what

had

I

began

I

said

and

what Mr. Spaeth might do. Without the closed

my

201

slightest hesitation, gasp, glance, or gesture,

File,

"Report to Lieutenant Ray in

new document

you're his

Just then, the

me and began know

Room

201

down

I

got up and

left.

we became

met Lieutenant Ray,

Chief, Captain AUard. told

him

that

I

him

control and accountability instructor."

sized

I

had spoken

that

at Fort Holibird.

was introduced to the Section

up Allard

to Mr. Spaeth

Ray

to inform a Lieutenant

I

room while he

Over the next two years, I got great friends. As it turns out,

he might have been one of my instructors back I

the hall. Tell

he

said,

phone rang and Mr. Spaeth turned away from

Mr. Spaeth and

Before

and

again,

to talk. Feeling uncomfortable in the

was on the phone, to

me

looked over his glasses at

noncareer

as a

officer.

I

and had been instructed

would be teaching document

I

control and accountability. "Fine," Allard said as he began to

me

introduce Allard

left

us to chat.

was supposed to meet. tenant

NCOs

to the other

who had been

I

in the section.

asked about

this

Lieutenant Ray

was concerned about working

I

in the

army

all

day long whereas

1

years of experience as a counterintelligence special agent for

promotion to sergeant

NCOs

smiled and assured

They

first class,

me

said that Lieutenant

a senior

NCO.

that everything

had

I

several

and was up

All of

would be

who

for a lieu-

my

fellow

all right.

Ray had served previously

as special

agent for a number of years and then gone to Officer Candidate

School (OCS) to get since

OCS

They showed me

me

to go

his

commission. This was his

and they were

home

to

an

all

office cubicle that

for the day.

around 0900 the next day so

first

assignment

impressed with his professionalism.

They I

was

said that

to be I

mine and

told

should come back

could meet with Lieutenant Ray,

who would be busy teaching classes until then. The next day, I returned to the office and found Lieutenant Ray in the cubicle next to mine. He looked very distinguished sitting there

smoking a pipe and looking through some documents on

his desk. Before

I

could say anything, he stood up, stuck out his

42

Holmes Atwater

F.

hand, gesturing for a handshake, and Lieutenant Ray.

I've

said,

been wondering what you're doing here. You have a record, a

degrees.

good deal of experience

Why

you here?

are

"Well, Sir,"

wanted

said. "I

I

haven't you gone to to teach, to share

experienced with those just entering the

I

He

with any small

talk,

kind of guy, and

know then

where

I

OCS.

hoped

I

my

have

I

We'll talk about

it

class.

He was my

his military dut>' seriously.

would do well working life

for

him.

I

didn't

-long friends and he would

future in remote viewing.

attended a how-to-be-a-teacher course,

I

my present

and

to give presentations,

position

some

thirty years

qualified as a military instructor,

and accountability

trol

what

learned to develop and write lesson plans, to use multime-

dia training aids, off in

and took

a next step, I

OCS?"

mind, didn't dilly-dally around

his

we would become

that

play a major role in

As

fine military'

excused himself and went off to teach another

was impressed. Ray spoke

and have

field."

"All right. But you really should go to later."

file

and two college

as a special agent,

Why

Tm

"Sergeant Atwater,

been looking over your personnel

As time

passed,

I

began

to teach

classes, trading oft

we became

of which has paid

all

hence. As soon as

I

was

document con-

with Lieutenant Ray.

friends within the limitations of the

military fraternization rules. Nearly every day, at least three or four

times a week, whenever

I

saw Lieutenant Ray, he would

"Sergeant Atwater, what are you doing to go to

OCS."

I'm

teaching classes for you."

still

About

I

would courteously

here.^

reply, "Sir,

the same time that Lieutenant

who had

also

been assigned

as

thought I

I

ability

first

was introduced

We

say,

you

I

met

Staff Sergeant

an instructor to our section. It

was then

to a scientific perspective of psychic

—remote viewing.

Rob Cowart and Look

told

haven't gone yet.

We had kids of similar ages and quickly became friends. that

I

Ray got promoted and

started calling himself First Lieutenant Ray,

Cowart,

I

at Psychic Ability,

both read

specialists

this

I

discovered a book, Mind-Reach,

Scientists

by Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff (1977).

book through the eyes of counterintelligence

concerned about

hostile intelligence collection abihties.

A3

Captain of

We

saw the psychic

book

this

AAaster

Ship,

of

My Soul

remote view

ability to

documented

as

in

as a possible threat to national security. Tactical

and

advantage could be compromised through

this

strategic military

The

process.

My

perceptual

phenomenon

viewing was not strange to me, but viewing" was.

was somewhat

I

or experience of remote

this

nomenclature "remote

two

startled to find that

had written about something that

I

had taken

for

scientists

granted

all

my

life.

Rob and dered

if

I

talked about remote viewing for hours

anybody

in our

own

military intelligence

thought back to

my

interested.

I

had hinted

at the idea of satellite

and won-

community was

when

early Fort Holibird days

I

photography and was told never

to discuss such highly classified subjects outside specially designat-

Was

ed secure areas.

this

remote viewing the same

Rob and I wondered and wondered. it

be classified

the public?

if this

sort of thing?

On the other hand, how could

book by these two

scientists

was available to

We wondered some more. Neither Rob nor I had stum-

bled across anything like this in our work as special agents.

During the Fort Huachuca assignment, family

me

Joan blessed

with a second son, James.

room and

delivery

see

him come

I

was

great.

was able to be

in the

life

into our world. Birth

—what

a

wonderful event!

Housing on Fort Huachuca was great and, good,

we soon

an instructor

settled in as a family after the

at the school,

I

all

things being

Korea separation. As

worked regular hours and was able

to

be with the family a great deal. I

attended graduate school in the evenings and studied Coun-

seling Psychology, a master's

program offered by the extension

campus of the University of Northern Colorado. The course of my life

slowly emerged from the foggy future with each day that

passed.

At

my

I

was once again being taken care of

First

Lieutenant Ray's continued insistence,

Webb and

I

finally

put in

OCS. Lieutenant Colonel Webb, me of my acceptance to the prohad met several times. He came into my classes

application to go to

officer at the school,

gram.

I

a senior

informed

several times, as he did with

all

AA

instructors to monitor their

Holmes Atwater

F.

performance.

had

I

him

also visited with

and

at several office

school social occasions.

When my

reported to Lieutenant Colonel

I

exchanged

salutes

and he invited me

application to attend

and he wanted ca for

OSC

had been

to talk to

OCS me

Pentagon

sit

Webb

we

in his office,

down. He

told

me

that

had been approved by "the brass"

personally before

at Fort Benning, Georgia.

in the

to

He

told

I

left

me

Huachu-

Fort

that his last job

assignments branch for

in the

intelli-

gence personnel.

Webb

said that

he had been watching

my

during

fessionalism

assignment to

me and admired my prothe Army Intelligence

School. Finally he said, "Sergeant Atwater, keep your nose clean at

OCS

and

see to

it

if

you're commissioned as an intelligence officer,

1

And

that you get whatever assignment you want."

w w

ill

ith

that he dismissed me.

This

what

is

is

known

in the militar>' as "grandfathering."

was important to get a senior officer to look after you

It

and your

assignments, to help you to be in the right place at the right time

maximizing your career potential. Lieutenant Colonel just

Webb had

adopted me.

Back to School Again summer

In the

of 1976,

we moved

the kids were in post housing, but

than two hundred other training,

my

life.

Joan and

lived in the barracks with

officer candidates.

While

more

was away in

I

youngest child, James, got very sick and nearly died of

meningitis, the in his

I

to Fort Benning.

My

first

of many serious medical challenges he has had

father died in

November

of 1976, and

I

was granted

a few days of compassionate leave to be with the family in Glendale, California.

middle of

The

my OCS

came in the which provided for some leave

traditional holiday season also

training cycle,

time and a break in the training.

By and

I

this

knew

my life, I had been in the army nearly nine years system in and out. Many of my fellow officer can-

time in the

didates spent hours studying

army regulations and

45

policies.

An

Captain of

My

academic study, combined with the

was trying

officers,

for most. For

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

me,

imposed by our

stresses

OCS was

and

a snap

TAC

gradu-

I

ated tenth in a class of over two hundred.

Only two candidates received commissions into the gence Corps.

was one of them, and

I

was on

I

my way

Intelli-

to the Offi-

Huachuca with assignment orders in hand More importantly, I was Lieutenant Colonel Webb, an angel from God,

cer Basic Course at Fort

to eventually report to Fort Bliss, Texas.

on my way back

to

who had promised me my assignment of choice. Having me attend the Officer Basic Course at was ridiculous. I

I

could have taught nearly

reported to Lieutenant Colonel

Webb

was once again "being taken care

all

Fort

Huachuca

the classes. But

when

my face, I my mother had said so

with a smile on

of," as

long ago. "Well, Lieutenant Atwater," he said, with emphasis on the

"Lieutenant."

"Where do you want

Mind'Reachy

said, "Sir,

what

I

don't

I

Handing him the book

to go?"

know

exactly, but

I

do know that

presented in this book represents a threat to our national

is

and

security

I

would

like to

be assigned someplace where

can do

I

something about that." "Let

me

Check with my

look at this book tonight.

secretary

and get an appointment with me tomorrow." "Yes, Sir."

We

exchanged

The next afternoon his

desk before

manner. anything say

is

as

true,

salutes

and

entered his

I

left his office.

he rose from behind

office,

could report to him in the prescribed military

I

He handed me like this

I

the

book and

remote viewing

stuff.

then you are exactly

said, "I've

But

right.

if

never heard of

what these

This

is

scientists

a threat to our

national security." "Yes, Sir," "If

I

replied.

anything

like this

is

going on,

it

will

be documented in the

Pentagon. I'm going to have you assigned to the Pentagon Counterintelligence Force. will

have access to

locked to you. You

As all

will

be up to you to find

a lieutenant,

you

will

be a team chief and

areas of the Pentagon.

No

door

will

have the highest security clearances.

this project, if

AG

it

exists."

be

It will

F.

"Thank

you,

Sir,"

Holmes Atwater

He walked me

said.

I

we parted without exchanging salutes. think this may have been the last time time later that he took received a change

and

celed,

I

and

ill

died.

My

of orders.

I

to his office door

and

wish we had saluted.

I

saw him.

Anyway,

I

I

heard some

a few days later,

I

Fort Bliss assignment was can-

was to report to the Pentagon upon graduation from

the Officer's Basic Course at Fort Huachuca.

Joan and

talked about the assignment to the Pentagon.

I

On

the surface, an assignment to Washington, D.C., seemed better

than Fort

went

was no military dren,

we had lived in the D.C. area when we The cost of living was very high and there housing. As a young lieutenant with three chil-

Texas. But

Bliss,

to language school.

I

We

was going

to

have trouble making ends meet.

talked about looking for a place to live in Manassas, Vir-

ginia, several miles

west of Washington, D.C, where the cost of

housing was more reasonable.

day but

we might be

at least

day we were to leave

for

able to afford living there.

of

I

was "taken care of" once again.

Assignment

As we were packing our

VW bus and pop -up trailer for the trip

from Arizona to Washington, D.C,

me

to call the

formed

U.S.

(INSCOM)

On the very

Washington, serendipity, divine Guid-

ance, or whatever, intervened.

A Change

would have long commutes every

I

I

got a

phone message

902nd

Military Intelligence

Army

Intelligence

at Fort

and

Group of the newly Security

Meade, Maryland, about

telling

my

Command

assignment.

I

left

Joan with the kids and the packing job and went back on post (Fort

Huachuca)

INSCOM

to call Fort

informed

me

Meade. that

my

assignment orders had been

changed again (not through Lieutenant Colonel Webb's influence) and that

I

was now to report to Fort Meade

Exploitation

for

duty to the Systems

Detachment (SED). They were in need of experiofficers, and when the personnel officer at

enced intelligence headquarters of

INSCOM

reviewed

an experienced counterintelligence

47

my

personnel

special agent,

file

she

felt

I,

as

would be better

— Captain of

My

an assignment with

suited to

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

SED at Fort Meade than the Pentagon

Counterintelligence Force in Washington, D.C. there would be written orders waiting for

I

was assured that

me when

arrived.

I

I

my orders and told them that I would report as soon as I could move my family across the country. When I hung up the phone, my mind began to race. Fort acknowledged the verbal change in

Meade would be great. We would have family housing. No longer were we facing financial ruin. I couldn't wait to tell Joan and the kids the

good news.

As we drove

camping every night

across country,

with our pop-up, we talked about our

new

life,

KOA

at a

schools for the kids,

on-post housing, family medical care at a military hospital, and the post exchange and commissary,

all

of which were military benefits

we would have missed if we had had to live in Manassas. We also had friends the Compton family, who we knew from Panama

—

who were

assigned to Fort Meade.

Overcome with

my

request and ects

all

along.

I

to a

I

forgot

desire to find out about

documented

on our way

gratitude,

about

my

assignment

any remote -viewing

proj-

We

were

in the secret corridors of the Pentagon.

new

life.

But

I

was on course,

as

I

always had been

was going to be able to personally experience the

of remote viewing in a

would come

way

I

would have never guessed.

reality

Later,

I

to understand the true spiritual implications of remote

viewing beyond

its

use as an intelligence surveillance tool.

AB

Chapter Three

Flame

Igniting Grill

Fort

Meade

lies

about halfway between Washington, D.C.,

and Baltimore, Maryland,

just off the Baltimore -Washington

Parkway. in

We

found ourselves

the middle of rush-hour

traffic

on the 1-495 Capital

Beltway north of Washington, D.C., late on a Friday after-

noon. Joan and kids

I

and the three

had been on the road

couple of weeks in our pulling our

were

pop -up

all tired,

day's drive

a

VW bus

trailer.

We

stressed by the

and the cacophony

of the beltway

traffic.

But

less

than thirty minutes away was

Meade and what would our home for the next ten

Fort

Captain Atwater years (although

we

didn't

know

that at the time)

AB

Captain of

Our

My

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

on post was the quarters of Chief Warrant Offi' cer Grover Compton, who had been my military supervisor in the lab in Panama. We had kids in the same age range and our families had become friends. When he had returned from Panama en route to Fort

first

Meade, he and

Now we

Huachuca. friends

stop

me

to visit us in Fort

were assigned to Fort Meade and our old

were there to meet

Grover told

had stopped by

his family

us.

there was an abundance of three -bedroom,

company-grade housing and there probably wouldn't be a long list. We spent the weekend at the guest house on post, and on Monday Grover showed me where the 902nd Headquarters,

waiting

and Security

Intelligence

military housing for

me

assigning

to Fort

to get

Commander I

building was

My orders were waiting, just as had been promised.

located.

needed

Command (INSCOM),

my

my

family,

Meade.)

I

family settled

I

needed written orders

was told to take

as

much

and then report

to

Major Keenan,

Detachment

of the Systems Exploitation

went over

to Post

(To get

officially

or

time as

SED.

Housing immediately. Grover was

right.

was offered a choice of two different neighborhoods and three ferent sets of quarters.

because

it

I

selected a

all

living space,

the usual military

commissary, the post Exchange, the bank,

an unfinished basement, which playroom ter

I

etc.

kids each

had

their

was close to

facilities like

the

The townhouse had

completed and,

for the kids. Later, as the kids grew,

bedroom and the

I

dif-

townhouse on Buckner Avenue

had more square footage of

work, and was nearest to

I

it

at first, became a became our mas-

own bedroom

upstairs.

By the end of the week, the family was beginning to get settled and I sought out Major Keenan, who turned out to be a gruff, battlefield- commissioned officer,

of the old brown- shoe army. the green door" and

depicting

my Top

access. This tor

back

I

I

proud to have been from the era

found that the

would need

SED worked

"behind

a special identification

badge

Secret code -word security clearance to gain

work area was one of those

at Fort Holibird

some ten

"special places" the instruc-

years ago

had talked about.

Highly classified information drove the work product here.

Keenan

told

me

that

I

was to become a member of a

SO

SAVE Team.

F.

Holmes Atwater

The acronym SAVE meant mate,

ril

explain a

stand later

how

little bit

Sensitive Activity Vulnerability Esti-

about

all this

so that

you

the remote -viewing surveillance issue

OPSEC

This was the day and age of

—

under-

will fits.

Operations Security

when commanders were expected to do more than just safeguard their classified material. Due to the increased sophistication of intelligence collection methods, military commanders were required to take measures to protect

operational capabilities.

about

An

(Remember my

inspection by a

OPSEC

SAVE Team Once

status.

questions

interesting

identified, a

SAVE Team

was the ultimate survey of

a

proven

a verifiable threat (a

an installation or organization)

hostile -intelligence effort against

was

aspects of their

photography back in the Fort Holibird days!)

satellite

command's

all critical

targeted the installation or organiza-

tion using sophisticated U.S. intelligence assets, thereby testing the

meth-

vulnerability of the surveyed facility to hostile intelligence

The

ods.

entire array of

intelligence

photo intelligence (PHOTINT), signal

(SIGINT), and

human

employed against a designated army complete

OPSEC

and

visiting

I

me

or

spent a couple of weeks meeting

with people around the I

facility

profile.

Getting back to the story,

or cubicle, so

(HUMINT) was command to give a

intelligence

just shuffled

office.

I

wasn't assigned a desk

around from place to place.

up to see how

My

were

sizing

unit.

Because of my teaching background and the fact that

brand-new lieutenant, one of

I

might be best

my

first

was

jobs

peers

utilized within the 1

was a

to brief visitors

the overall mission and functions of SED. For me,

it

was

on

just a typ-

ical lieutenant- type duty.

Finally,

one day Major Keenan ceremoniously told

was about time that

I

got

this area of the building

areas, or cubicles,

my own

desk.

The open

me

that

it

floor space in

had been divided into individual work

He

with movable partitions.

walked

me

over to

a cubicle with a typical, gray office desk, a safe, a typewriter (this

was in the days before a couple of chairs.

office

Keenan

workers had desktop computers) and ,

said that this

Colonel Skotzko's desk back in the days

51

had been Lieutenant

when

the unit worked

Captain of

directly for

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

General Thompson, the army's Assistant Chief of Staff

for Intelligence it

My

(ACSI), and

I

would need

to clean

it

out and

make

my own. me my own workspace, was

This gesture, giving

symbolic of my

office. Keenan could have found me unsuitSED job and had me reassigned elsewhere with INSCOM. The SED personnel were an elite assemblage of army

acceptance within the able for the

intelligence professionals,

and

had been accepted by them

I

in less

than a month.

The Discovery I

my new work

looked through the drawers of the desk in

and found old pens and

pencils, rubber

stamps for marking

area

classi-

documents, dated memos, old notebooks, and assorted

fied

left-

over paraphernalia. Next,

I

turned

my

attention to the safe and began to look

through the drawers. As

empty

folders

and

file

I

pulled open each heavy drawer,

The

hangers.

and marked with security

file

classifications,

folders

were

still

I

found

labeled

but the documents they

once contained. Lieutenant Colonel Skotzko's work, had since

been moved or destroyed. There were four ers until

came

I

to the fifth, the

essentially

empty draw-

bottom drawer.

There, in the bottom drawer, were three Department of

Defense

classified

documents. Two of the reports detailed various

aspects of Soviet interest in parapsychology,

and the

was

third

about remote viewing at SRI-International. I

had put the whole remote -viewing thing out of my mind back

Fort

Huachuca when my

yet,

here

I

orders to the Pentagon were changed.

was thumbing through two

classified

in

And

documents about

Soviet parapsychology research and another prepared by Puthoff and Targ, the authors of that

book

I

had read back

at Fort

Huachuca!

The two classified documents about Soviet parapsychology came from the Medical Intelligence Office of the Army Surgeon General. Apparently, in the early 1970s somebody considered the Office of the Surgeon General a competent authority in the area

52

F.

Holmes Atwater

of parapsychology and assigned their intelligence resources as the lead agency

One

on

this issue.

of the classified documents was published in 1972 and

—

was called Controlled Offensive Behavior

The document

U.S.S.R.

focused on the concept that the Soviets were interested in modifying

human

behavior through the use of telepathy or telekinesis.

This wasn't exactly the same as remote viewing as described by Puthoff and Targ, but

What

my

got

was in the ballpark.

it

parapsychology research in

conducted

document said that the Soviet Union was probably being

attention was that the

more than twenty separate

at

institutions with

an

operating budget of more than twenty- one million dollars per year. In 1972, twenty-one million dollars was a lot of money principal source of their funding

and the

was from the KGB, what was then

the Soviet equivalent of our CIA.

the Soviet

If

KGB was

spending

kind of cash, they were either being very foolish or they were

this

having some promising results from their research

The

efforts.

other classified document from the same Medical

Intelli-

gence Office, published in 1975, detailed Soviet and Czechoslovakian parapsychology research. sections.

The

The

report was divided into two

Bioinformation section concerned things like telepa-

thy, precognition,

and clairvoyance

(all

of which sounded a lot like

remote viewing to me). The Bioenergetics section talked about psychokinesis and telekinesis.^

The Project

third classified

document from the

safe

drawer was called

SCANATE. It told about classified U.S. Government remote

viewing research, conducted mostly by the Stanford Research tute

(SRI)

in

Menlo

demonstrated the

Park,

ability

California.

of remote -viewing surveillance to acquire

and report information of interest

The

Project

Insti-

This convincing report

to the intelligence

community.

SCANATE report has not been declassified as have

the Medical Intelligence Office documents, but for years

I

have had

Both of these Medical IntelUgence Office documents have been redacted and declassified and are available under the Freedom of Information Act. Copies are included on the

CD-ROM

accompanying

53

this

book.

Captain of

an unclassified

on the

My

Master of

Ship,

and

draft of the report

CD 'ROM

accompanying

The authors

have included a copy of

I

it

book.

this

of the Project

My Soul

SCANATE

report were the

same researchers, Puthoff and Targ, who had written the book Mind-Reach, which had earlier fascinated Rob Cowart and myself Without any conscious effort on my part, I had been guided to this

moment

of discovery

all

even when

along,

my

"earthly" forces were controlling I

told

ments

He

Major Keenan that

in the safe in

my

and described

cubicle

for

felt as

had found three

I

though only

classified

docu-

their subject matter.

had been looking into

said that Lieutenant Colonel Skotzko

remote viewing

I

military career.

General Thompson. Keenan said that General

Thompson thought that there might be something to this phenomenon of remote viewing and took the subject quite seriously. Keenan asked if I knew anything about remote viewing and I told

him

that

safe since

1

I

did.

He

instructed

me

to keep the

was familiar with the concept.

Staff Sergeant Riley, a

He

documents also told

in

me

my

that

photo interpreter assigned to SED, had an

interest in this area as well.

I

had met Sergeant Riley before but

moment didn't know of his interest in remote viewing. Riley impressed me as a professional soldier who was an expert in his field and who took great pride in his accomplishments. until this

So, for the next couple of weeks,

ments at Fort

I

had found

in the

I

read and reread the docu-

bottom drawer.

I

Huachuca when Rob Cowart and

terintelligence implications of

thought back to the days I

talked about the coun-

my mind, Webb and how

remote viewing. In

replayed the scenario with Lieutenant Colonel

I

I

had showed him the remote -viewing book written by the researchers Puthoff and Targ. I

wondered how and why my orders had been changed from the

Pentagon assignment to the wife about finding these

and

I

didn't

one with

I

at Fort

Meade.

documents because of

know Sergeant

whom

SED

Riley well

could discuss

enough

this twist

of

I

couldn't

my

yet.

tell

security oath,

So there was no

fate, this

serendipitous

happenstance. Most interestingly, the loop wasn't quite closed

5^

my

yet.

Holmes Atwater

F.

The Request Command at Redstone Arsenal, AlabaOPSEC support, and several members of ma, had formally requested SED were selected to go to Alabama to answer the request. Since The

U.S.

Army

Missile

I

was the junior

officer in the unit,

good opportunity I

for

me

was decided that

it

to learn, hands-on, about

was invited go along to observe and play a small

this

would be a

OPSEC

support.

role.

The missile command was concerned about security because much of their testing involved ground-to-air missile telemetry, the radio signals that guide a ground-fired missile to an airborne target.

They wanted to know the actual hostile -intelligence threat posed and what OPSEC measures should be taken to counter this threat.

Much of the

data supporting our recommendations was assem-

The

on-site visit to the

to better understand

ground operations,

bled prior to visiting Redstone Arsenal.

command was

missile

interview personnel about security procedures,

and occasionally

challenge those security procedures.

For example,

if

we were

told during the official tour inspection

that only personnel wearing a certain type of security badge could

we might come back (uninvited) that night or next day and see if we could penetrate their security without a

enter into an area, the

badge or with an obviously bogus one.

When we down later

completed the on-site phase of the survey, we

to provide the

command with an exit briefing,

by a formal, written report.

bers of our satellites,

SED

I

sat quietly as the senior

mem-

entourage talked of the threat posed by Soviet

which passed over Redstone Arsenal

The OPSEC

sat

to be followed

at regular intervals.

solution was to schedule critical telemetry tests dur-

ing periods of time

when

the satellites were in orbit over a differ-

ent part of the planet.

We

also discussed the threat

posed by Soviet ships in the

Gulf of Mexico that could intercept telemetry

them

that the missile

command's

OPSEC

signals.

office

We

told

could be pro-

vided with information about Soviet ships and which ones were

known

hostile -intelligence assets.

55

Captain of

Human

command

NASA

of

list

visitors.

names provided by

contained

common

directly across

a

from

book out of

It

known

could develop a

officer

hostile agents

were in the

many more

details

and several sug-

we

said, "I appreciate all that

to protect ourselves

his briefcase

security

all

one of the project managers

table,

me

we supposed

are

reached out about.

OPSEC

to nearly every survey. Just before

from the conference

how

informa-

this

OPSEC, counterintelligence, and physical

gestions for

but

By matching

area.

exit briefing

measures

informed

classified sources of

when known

system to alert personnel

The

We

display for tourists.

hostile 'intelligence agents, their

immediate

My Soul

that U.S. Immigration could provide the

declared travel plans of foreign tion with a

of

AAaster

Ship,

agents presented an additional threat, because Red-

stone Arsenal offered a the missile

My

and

got up sitting

you have told

from thisV

He

us,

pulled

across the table to me.

slid it

I

book, wondering what he could be asking

for the

was Mind-Reachl

As I held the book in my hand, staring at the title, the missile command OPSEC officer at the head of the table abruptly asked, "What's

and

I

this all

could

tell

about?"

The

manager had surprised him,

from the sound of his voice that he was befuddled.

A hush fell over the room; cer's

project

I

turned to address the

question and spoke slowly and deliberately, the words coming

from somewhere deep inside me, "He posed by remote viewing, a tigated under classified

human

is

worried about the threat

perceptual ability being inves-

government contracts

Stanford Research Institute.

He

this threat.

beyond the scope of this survey and today's get back to you later

on

ager and he put

it

I

This subject

briefing.

I

commanded

handed the book back

I

will

is

have to

back in

his briefcase.

team leader and nodded. "Well," he

I

later."

56

the attention of

to the project

glanced over to the

said,

as

man-

SED

he turned to the

OPSEC officer and offered a departing handshake, touch with you

OPSEC

this. Sir."

For those few, brief moments,

everyone in the room.

at the prestigious

wants to know what

measures we recommend to counter

in

OPSEC offi-

"I

guess we'll be

F.

Holmes Atwater

OPSEC officer smiled and thanked us for We departed Redstone Arsenal without any

Dumbfounded, the our time and further

effort.

mention of remote viewing or the curious incident during

the exit briefing.

On that

all

the trip back to Fort Meade,

couldn't stop thinking about

I

had been happening. Less than three months

Alabama

trip,

an assignment involving the

Fort Huachuca, for

posed by remote viewing. Even assigned to the Pentagon,

Meade and

prior to this

had been asking Lieutenant Colonel Webb, back

I

I

when he had

security threat

arranged for

had discovered the

I

safe.

This was amazing.

me

was unexplainably redirected

the SED. Just a couple of weeks prior to this

vey,

secret

I

to be

to Fort

OPSEC sur-

remote -viewing documents

A warm smile filled my face.

at

in

my

was on course.

to offend the senior member of the SED team Alabama by going over his head, so I first asked him if I should tell Major Keenan about the remote -viewing question that had come up in the exit briefing. He told me he was glad to have me do it because he didn't know what to say. The following week, I asked for a meeting with Keenan to tell him about the exit briefing at Redstone Arsenal. Since Keenan was I

didn't

want

had gone

that

to

familiar with the secret

my

safe, I

I

felt

remote -viewing documents that

I

held in

comfortable bringing up the subject with him.

had been

in

Major Keenan's

office before,

and

his

desk abutted

a small conference table so that he could have several staff bers in his office at the

same time. As

an armful of documents and a yellow

"What can

I

do

for you. Lieutenant?"

legal pad, I

mem-

entered his office carrying

I

he said

set the papers

cordially,

on the small

conference table and began to explain that during the exit briefing at

Redstone Arsenal an unusual

Keenan than

sitting

invited

me

behind

his desk,

to

sit

OPSEC

down and he joined

request was made.

tell

me

him more. And,

at the

conference table.

This gesture indicated a willingness to talk as peers.

around behind

his

rather

Had he gone

desk as "the boss," the discussion that followed

might have had a different flavor altogether. I

started off slowly, explaining

Alabama and

that

I

how

was sure the U.S.

well things

Army

had gone

Missile

in

Command

Captain of

My

Ship,

would be very appreciative of thanked him

also

"how

to" of

sending

for

OPSEC

Master of

INSCOM me

My Soul

and the

along so that

support provided by SED.

I

efforts of I

OPSEC

recommendations

I

was

talking,

him managers had

to protect themselves

documents

leafed through the

I

had

I

my

from

did you

table in front of us.

him?" asked Major Keenan as he glanced

tell

the documents ("evidence") that

I

fin-

I

fanned out the secret remote -viewing documents

on the

safe

"What

I

on

set

the small conference table, and with perfect timing, just as ished speaking,

from

remote viewing.

hostile surveillance by

As

I

casually told

that at the end of the exit briefing one of the project

asked for

SED.

could learn the

on the

table before him.

command OPSEC

told the missile

at

explained

I

officer that the

concerns

of his project manager about remote viewing were genuine but that his

query was beyond the scope of the present survey.

how

"Good," said Keenan. "But

are

you going to answer

his

question. Lieutenant?" "Yes, Sir,"

and

that's

said. "I

I

why

I

know

needs to be answered,

his question

asked to meet with you."

The Plan we needed to determine remote -viewing phenomenon posed

explained that

I

exploitation of the threat.

if

first

hostile

a probable

was obvious from open-source material (newspapers,

It

magazines, books, etc.) and published classified documents that

remote viewing constituted demonstrate

its

a possible threat but that until

we could

probable exploitation by hostile intelligence, there

was no need to address the concept of countermeasures.

Keenan smiled and

said,

haven't you. Lieutenant?" told

him

that

I

needed

He

to see

"You've been thinking about

asked what if

I

this,

planned to do next.

there were more, or

I

more up-to-

date, classified

documents on remote viewing, and that

check to see

there were any outstanding Intelligence Collection

if

Requirements (ICRs)

(The

CIA

I

needed to

for the hostile exploitation of remote viewing.

compiled a

list

of ICRs, as they were called back then.

5S

F.

Holmes Atwater

to address the identified needs of the intelligence list

sometimes chartered

tion,

but many ICRs

community. This

specific agencies to obtain the informa-

invited contributions from any appropriate

organization.) I

explained that

we had an

ices,

OPSEC

if I

could demonstrate the probable exploitation

human perceptual

of this unique,

ability

by hostile intelligence serv-

obligation to address countermeasures with our

expertise

and

Keenan brought our

policy.

short meeting to

a close by saying, "You're probably right. Lieutenant. Find out

you can and get back to "Yes, Sir."

had been

—

in

had

I

more ways than

my search,

I

I

was aware. The

listed the publishing offices,

to query those offices for

little effort

In

set

documents that

classified

took

me when you've got something substantial." my papers and left his office.

picked up

I

My course

what

and

it

updated material.

found another secret document prepared by the

Air Force Systems

Command,

Foreign Technology' Division,

Wright- Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and published by the

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). This document was called

R

Paraphysics

& D— Warsaw

Pact."^

This was a very comprehensive

review on the state of the parapsychology research in the Soviet

Union and Warsaw-Pact

countries.

in the research, institutions, I

reviewed the

responding to a

list

classified

and funding. ICRs and found that the

I

was

discovered that there was a civilian

DIA by the name of Jim Salyer who was the point of with DIA on this subject, among other things. Jim was a standoffish fellow, but he

remote -viewing that

When

I

I

interests for

some

had been involved with DIA's

time. lie

was the

met who knew what was going on

first

in this field.

ICRs published by

This document has also been redacted and declassified and

Freedom of Information Act.

nying

this

government

asked about the work at SRI by Puthoff and Targ, Mr.

Salyer explained that in response to outstanding

the

air force

on remote -viewing

at

somewhat

official

detailed personnel involved

of requirements for information

and psychic phenomena. employee contact

It

is

available under

A copy is included on the CD-ROM accompa-

book.

53

Captain of

My

Ship,

AAaster

of

My Soul

the CIA, information about Soviet remote -viewing experiments,

and those of other nations

as well,

had been

He

collected.

said

that in the case of intelligence information about foreign remote-

viewing experiments, one way to determine the probable truth of the information was to replicate the reported experiments. Salyer said that this was the basis for the government-funded

remote -viewing research iments to see et

if

at SRI.

They were reproducing

the exper-

the reported successes in remote viewing by Sovi-

and other foreign research

were

facilities

valid.

From time

to

CIA itself would task SRI's remote viewers against the own foreign targets of interest. Some of those "test" results

time, the

CIA's

have been published elsewhere. I

learned from Mr. Salyer that an

air force civilian

employee by

name of Dale Graff was the point of contact at Air Force Systems Command, Foreign Technology Division. Dale was the principal author of Paraphysics R & D Warsaw Pact. Before leaving DIA, I asked Mr. Salyer how to get in touch with Dale and he prothe

—

vided the necessary contact information. I

took a

trip

out to Wright- Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio to

meet Dale Graff Dale was employee whose

intellect far

a

soft-spoken,

exceeded

been investigating remote viewing on genuinely interested in

my

inquiry^

material about foreign research chic

mid-level civilian

his job assignment.

his

own

for years.

He had He was

and candidly reviewed the

on remote viewing and other

phenomena with me without holding anything

psy-

back.

It was clear from what Dale showed me that, as far as the SoviUnion was concerned, the principlal-funding source for this research was the KGB. The presumption was that the KGB was

et

investigating remote -viewing surveillance as a possible source of intelligence information.

Coupling

this

hypothesis with the remote -viewing success in

the government-funded SRI research,

had found evidence

I

made

found others

inquiries

who

looked to

me

as

though

I

to demonstrate the probable exploitation of

remote viewing by hostile intelligence

As

it

services.

around the intelligence community,

agreed with me. But

BO

how was

I

I

going to

F.

explain

all this

Major Keenan?

to

implications of what

me do next?

Holmes Atwater

he understood the

OPSEC

had discovered, then what would he have

I

decided the best course of action would be to ask the

I

DIA

authoritative Mr. Salyer from the

Meade and

If

brief

if

he would come to Fort

Keenan.

Within in a week, Mr.

Salyer,

Major Keenan, and

around that small conference table in Keenan's

I

were

sitting

Salyer

office.

explained that the U.S. Government had been following remoteviewing research for some time but only recently had taken an increased interest effort

came

He

when evidence

of

KGB

funding of the Soviet

to light.

reviewed the

efforts of

and showed us some

results.

and

that researchers Puthoff

I

SRI

to replicate Soviet experiments

confirmed, for discussion purposes,

Targ, the authors of Mind-Reach,

were

the ones under government contract. Salyer showed several startling

examples in which SRI's remote viewers had correctly described

Union. The implication

strategic military facilities in the Soviet

OPSEC

was

against U.S.

vividly clear. If

The DIA

office.

I

I

around, Mr. Salyer and

all

I

and left

after

Major

walked Salyer to the door and thanked him

the briefing. Watching building,

remote viewers were targeted could be expected.

briefing lasted about forty-five minutes

courteous handshakes

Keenan's

KGB

facilities, similar results

wasn't sure

him descend the this

if

for

stairs

on

his

for

way out of the

would be the end of my involvement

with military remote viewing or perhaps the beginning of an even

deeper participation. As

I

was returning to

leaned out of his office doorway and in

my

office at

my

desk,

Keenan

"Lieutenant Atwater, be

0900 hours tomorrow morning."

The next morning, briefing

said,

had gone

well.

junior officer, telling

I

woke up

earlier

than usual.

I

thought the

Rather than me. Lieutenant Atwater, the

my commander

that

I

had found evidence

that remote viewing constituted a probable threat to national security,

an

argument

official

for

representative of the

DIA had

presented the

me. I had made several contacts within (DOD) and in turn revealed to them

In pursuit of this evidence, the Department of Defense

B1

My

Captain of

INSCOM

that

had an

SED

my

saw that not only was

project" but that

from the

seemed

moving

busy with some "special

I

I

1

I

kept a watchful eye on the coat rack

saw that

I

his braided, field-

hat sat on the shelf above the hangars.

knew he was

in his office.

doorway outside Keenan's looking as

much

as

could

I

At 0900,

1

Once I could

showed up

at the

office

with a yellow legal pad in hand,

like

was interested but not anxious to

I

hear what he had to say to me. "Lieutenant Atwater," he

"come table,

in

and have a

me?

was to meet with him the next morning?

office cubicle,

officer's

board,

doorway, in a voice that everyone

his

outside Major Keenan's office until

see his hat,

new guy on

Why did Keenan want to see

pretty fast.

he announce from

From my

and co-

was getting an unexpected amount of attention

in the office could hear,

grade

fellow officers

boss: This junior lieutenant, this

to be

Why did

I

My Soul

interest in the security impUcations of

remote viewing. At the same time, workers in

of

AAaster

Ship,

As

seat."

he went around behind

I

down

sat

his

at the small

said,

conference

desk and assumed a command-

ing position.

"Would you

like

some

"No, thank you,"

1

coffee?"

replied. In this dance, the junior officer

not expected to accept the coffee. social

dynamics

"I

day.

1

want

offer

was

just setting the

for the meeting.

thank you

to

The

was

for the

meeting with Mr. Salyer yester-

was impressed."

"Yes, Sir,"

"But you

replied cautiously.

1

still

haven't answered

my

question."

"Sir?"

In a rather stern voice, he said,

going to

tell

the missile

seemed

to

at

Redstone Arsenal.

to protect themselves, their mili-

from remote -viewing surveillance."

"Yes, Sir, that's correct," it

asked you what you were

command down

They asked what they could do tary operations,

"I

me

I

continued, "and as

that in keeping with the

step was to determine

if

SED

I

told

you before,

mission, our

first

remote viewing presented a probable

threat."

"And with

yesterday's

DIA

briefing

B2

it

would appear that

it is."

Holmes Atwater

F.

"Yes, Sir,"

OPSEC

I

went on. "In keeping with SED's way of providing

support, our next step

surveillance

on the

would be

command

missile

remote -viewing

to use

ourselves to demonstrate

its

vulnerability to this form of hostile -intelligence collection to the

commander, U.S. Army

Missile

Command, Redstone

Arsenal,

Alabama."

"And how do you propose we do "Well,

seem

at

Sir,

that. Lieutenant?"

SRI they have some remote viewers who would

to be capable of performing such a task, but there

a prob-

is

lem with using them."

"What do you mean? What problem?" would seem

"It

larger is

than

to me.

just the missile

Sir,

that for us here at

command

in fact a hostile -intelligence threat,

army

installations, operations,

"What

you

are

Alabama.

then the

and assorted

If

the issue

is

remote viewing

OPSEC posture of all vulnerable."

facilities are

saying, Lieutenant?"

the remote viewers at SRI are basically research subjects,

"Sir,

and they work SRI.

in

SED

as

independent consultants or subcontractors to

They do not have the appropriate

security clearances or the

much of the sensitive classified inforcommand or other army facilities. And if we

proverbial need-to-know for

mation

at the missile

genuinely see remote viewing as a probable threat, include

in our

it

army commands "Yes.

I

OPSEC for

vulnerability estimates for

which we provide

SRI remote viewers wouldn't have that."

Coming out from behind

will

need to

many

of the

service."

what you mean. Lieutenant," he

see

we

said slowly.

"The

security clearances for any of

his desk,

he

sat

down

at the small

me and asked, "So what are we going my chair and glanced down at the blank, in front of me. As my eyes slowly rose to

conference table across from to

do now?"

I

leaned back in

yellow legal pad

meet

his,

on the

my mind

"Major Keenan,"

own

— —

people

clearances

thought

this

table

raced for an answer to his question. I

said carefully,

"we need

to train

some of our

intelligence professionals with appropriate security

to be

remote viewers." In the back of

sounded pretty good.

I

my

mind,

I

continued, "Once trained,

these assets could be used repeatedly to provide remote viewing in

63

Captain of

My

AAaster

Ship,

OPSEC- support

support of SED's

My Soul

of

mission. Just as

intelligence -surveillance assets such as satellites,

and

intercepts,

use other

OPSEC

penetration agents to demonstrate

facility

vulnerabilities to

we

communications

army commanders, we could use these trained

remote viewers to demonstrate vulnerabilities to

unique form

this

of surveillance."

A

pensive

stillness

filled

the

room

Keenan gathered

as

thoughts. "Lieutenant Atwater," he announced, "you're right!"

his

And

"How do we train our people to be remote viewers?" I didn't know exactly how to answer his question. How do you train someone to do something that to me seemed a natural aptithen he asked,

tude?

And

what training was

yet, that's

all

about, bringing out or

developing natural aptitudes. You can't train people to play the

some inherent

piano, for example, unless they have

Maybe remote viewing worked

the same way. But

identify people with this natural aptitude?

people for training

would want

to

who had some chance

tive

my

I

I

to select I

would have backup

thoughts raced on, very

time passed back at the small conference table.

from within that was always with

could

of being successful.

have several people trained so

and multiple sources. As

how

would want

I

aptitude.

little

objec-

The wisdom

me emerged and

I

answered

Keenan's question. "Sir,"

I

said

with authority,

researchers at SRI in

"I'll

Menlo Park and

need

to

check with the

several other organizations

about available training programs.

We may be able to train personnel

with these organizations

with an eventual goal of in-house

ity

initially

we need to decide or determine our responsibiland commitment to remote -viewing surveillance as an issue ot

training.

But

first,

national security." "That," Major Keenan said, "will be a decision for General Smith,

Deputy Commander, INSCOM." Keenan spoke slowly it

through, "This area of inquiry

budget, and the deputy

on new

projects. If

OPSEC

he thought

beyond the scope of our planned

is

commander must approve any expenditures

he were to approve our looking into

would, in turn, be setting policy consider the

as

—

official

authority for

this,

it

INSCOM

to

ramifications of remote -viewing surveillance."

Holmes Atwater

F.

He

stood up. "Lieutenant, prepare a briefing for General Smith

during his

covering the rest of the al

Work up

next week.

visit

fiscal year.

a travel budget for yourself

Prepare a document for Gener-

Smith's signature, providing us the authority to train our per-

Make

sonnel in remote viewing.

Smith the threat information covered I

my

rose from

chair

you review with General

sure

in Mr. Salyer's visit."

and stood across the

and obediently responded,

"Yes, Sir."

He

table

from Keenan

smiled and extended his

arm, inviting a handshake, a gentleman's agreement that taking the appropriate action. gestured, tossing his

I

of here. Lieutenant, and get to work."

I

office

I

He

"Now get out my yellow legal my own cubicle.

head toward the door and

pad and headed out of his

we were

took his hand and smiled back. said,

picked up

and back

to

spent the next several days preparing to brief General Smith.

When

the briefing schedule for the office was posted,

intelligence officers in

SED

began to come around

fellow

my work

"Remote Viewing" and

curious about the posted subject

my

area,

teasing

me

about briefing the deputy commander.

General Smith was a short, skinny,

was

left

of his silver hair cut very short.

ing about his appearance were the stars

looked a

little

too big for

him

would spend day

after

with what

command-

on

his shoulders,

which

to be carrying around.

seemed the general had

It

man

only thing

feisty old

The

a reputation. Officers

and

NCOs

day collecting backup documentation,

preparing lecture notes and graphics, and rehearsing their presentations.

When

the day and the hour would finally arrive for

to stand in front of General

the conference

soon

as they

room ready

—we him Snuff/ Smith — they would march smartly

Smith

honor of the cartoon character

time.

had witnessed

I

I

in

to dazzle him.

More

often than not, as

their briefing, the general

lines of, "I

know

all

about

that.

Get out of here." this

myself several times.

me

My

peers were

about General Smith's eccentricities and were sure would be immediately and summarily dismissed when my

teasing that

my

called

into

announced the subject of

would say something along the Don't waste

them

time came.

B5

My

Captain of

It

me

appeared to

in fact get briefings

My Soul

of

AAaster

Ship,

that the general, because of his position, did

from a number of different

He

times subjects would overlap.

uninformed or ignorant to

not want to appear as

also did

his junior officers.

General Smith had been passed over

for

and many

offices,

The rumor was

that

promotion and was on

way out and had been assigned the deputy commander a way of easing him into retirement.

his

position as

The Approval I

my

knew

when my

that

spiritual

journey through

mander would approached,

my

time finally came,

I

best

my

life,

turn to brief the general

on

As

the

didn't bring

moment

room with

and one by one we were called

in

a variety of subjects.

My name came up early on the list, so I

com-

briefing the deputy

those interests.

serve

was on course with

stood in the hall outside the conference

fellow intelligence officers,

long.

if I

I

didn't

have to wait very

any graphics or briefing notes, but

the classified remote -viewing documents

I

did carry

in case the general asked

them.

for

my

In an attempt to bolster

knowledge of the subject matter, conference room saw that

I

lished classified documents.

professional deportment I

made

was carrying several (I

and

sure that those in the officially

pub-

was fighting the alhday-in-the-

documents on the conference table next to the podium and when my eyes met the general's, I smiled and attempted to establish some rapport by askarmy-lieutenant factor here.)

ing,

"Are you enjoying your "Get on with "Yes, Sir,"

I

it,

said.

tinued. at

SED

mander

the

briefings this morning, General.^"

"This briefing concerns a subject about which fully

Major Keenan glanced I

set

Lieutenant," he barked.

you have not been kept

Snuffy (whoops,

I

informed." at

the general to see his reaction.

mean General Smith)

"More importantly,

Sir, this is

a decision briefing.

the

future

of

BB

con-

We

here

as

deputy com-

Army OPSEC

procedures,

are soliciting a policy decision from

affecting

I

didn't bark again, so

you

Holmes Atwater

F.

INSCOM's

support responsibilities, and, from a larger perspective,

a broad range of national defense issues."

He

held up his hand, motioning

Keenan, "What's

Keenan

me

to stop,

and turned

to

Major?"

this all about.

Atwater has had ten years of

replied, "Lieutenant

experience as a counterintelligence special agent and has unique

knowledge of

this particular topic.

up to speed on

As

this subject so

I

have asked him

you can sign

off

on our action

you

plan."

stood there waiting. General Smith shuffled through the

I

papers

on the heavy, mahogany conference

When

he

peruse

it

me

to bring

finally

found the briefing schedule, he took a

and then looked up

at

me and said,

about remote viewing. This sounds Well, there

table in front of him.

was.

I

secure conference

I

like

"Lieutenant Atwater,

it's

to

tell

going to be interesting."

hadn't been thrown out.

room

moment

I

stood there in a

before General Smith, the Deputy

Com-

mander of INSCOM, prepared to tell him about remote viewing. It had only been a few months since I had mentioned to Lieutenant Colonel Webb, back at Fort Huachuca, that involved with remote viewing and intelligence

and

Staff Sergeant

security issues.

Rob Cowart and

It I

its

wanted

to be

obvious impact on national

had been

had

I

last

less

than a year since

discussed and

mused over

the counterintelligence ramifications of remote viewing.

Somehow I knew this was another one of those pivotal times in my life. There was a sense, an overwhelming feeling, that all my previous life focused on this one moment and that in the future this briefing

would be thought of as

crucial in tracing the history of

army remote -viewing operations.

Deep inside, I knew somehow to be a history of army this outside-of-time

that years into the future there was

remote -viewing operations. This experience,

knowingness,

filled

me

with self-confidence. So

without trepidation or even the slightest inkling of a doubt about

my

future,

I

told General

"Remote viewing," defined as the

human

objects using the

I

Smith about remote viewing. began,

"is

a natural, perceptual faculty

ability to describe locations, activities, or

power of the mind without the use of our con-

ventional senses."

BV

Captain of

My

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

"What do you mean, Lieutenant? Give me an example." Major Keenan,

"Yes, Sir. If

example, were asked as an

for

intelligence officer to describe the current activities at a particular

Soviet weapons depot, he would probably want to review curintercept

rent

and look

traffic

surveillance that might be

on

file. If

any overhead

at

activity at the

satellite

depot was con-

sidered a particularly critical target, perhaps having been identi-

an indicator of

fied as

HUMINT

some

hostile intentions, there

might even be

(informants or agents paid by U.S. intelligence)

available as well. "Still

another way for him to find out about the current activ-

supposed Soviet weapons depot would be through

at this

ities

An

remote viewing.

experienced remote viewer might be able to

accurately describe, by mental

means

alone, elements or goings-on

These descriptions could provide corrobora-

at this Soviet depot.

tive or additional information to intelligence analysts." "Is this

remote viewing some sort of mental telepathy

sort of

thing?" I

went on, adjusting

my comments

to address his question.

"The concept of telepathy implies some

sort of

exchange of information. Remote viewing,

would appear

stood,

to be different.

If,

mind-to-mind under-

as presently

by way of example here,

were able to contact a Soviet soldier at

this

we

supposed weapons

depot by means of telepathy, any intelligence provided through

such contact would be limited to that site. It

tion.

soldier's

knowledge of the

would seem that remote viewing does not have

An

experienced,

reliable

this limita-

remote viewer could describe

aspects of the depot, perspectives

and

activities

beyond the con-

fines or perceptions of personnel located there."

"But, Lieutenant,

is

such a thing possible?" he asked

as

he

leaned forward in his chair. "Yes, Sir,

it is,"

Keenan interrupted and then pointed

at

me.

"You only have a few minutes with the general, so move along, Atwater." "Yes, Sir,"

I

ued, "General,

replied. Structuring I

will

my

remaining time,

I

contin-

be discussing four topics of interest to you.

BS

F.

First, scientific

Holmes Atwater

evaluation and proof of remote viewing; second,

KGB funding of Soviet research,

phenomenon;

of the

exploitation

and

responsibilities;

which implies

INSCOM's OPSEC

third,

Major Keenan's proposed course of

finally.

SED. Our purpose here

action for

hostile intelligence

is

to get your approval for this

proposed course of action." "I

there proof,

don't have time for

on the

I

said slowly

Do

that, Lieutenant.

table in front of

and the Soviet

"Yes, Sir,

all

you cover

activities

and

all

that

all

those documents

stuff,

with the exception of our proposed course of action,"

and pensively.

"Well," he barked, "what

do you propose

to

do about

I continued, "During a recent survey Redstone Arsenal, Alabama ..."

Cautiously,

command mand

at

he snarled,

"Yes,"

the scientific

that?" he asked bluntly.

"I

know where

the U.S.

Army

all

this?"

at the missile

Missile

Com-

is."

"Sir,"

raised

I

command

has

my

voice and looked directly at him, "the missile

officially

asked us here at

INSCOM

what

OPSEC

measures should be taken to counter the threat of Soviet remoteviewing surveillance."

"Oh." to

He

do about

turned toward Major Keenan.

this.

"What

are

we going

Major?"

Keenan gestured toward me with 'em wink,

a nod and said with a go-gethim what we are going to do, on that budget document you

"Tell him. Lieutenant. Tell

and get the general's signature brought with you."

General Smith turned and looked

him what we would

do.

"SED

me

right in the eye as

skill.

Once

room

right

now, in

this

like

those

remote -viewing

trained, these trusted personnel will be able to provide

remote -viewing descriptions of U.S. mands. These descriptions to assess

told

will train professional intelligence

personnel with high-level security clearances, people here in the conference

I

OPSEC

will

Army

installations

and com-

provide us with an accurate means

vulnerabilities to hostile

remote -viewing

surveil-

lance of these same organizations. "It is

our opinion. General Smith, that

BS

this issue

is

of vital

Captain of

My

Ship,

Master of

INSCOM has a responsibil-

importance to national security and that ity to ties.

provide the appropriate

INSCOM's OPSEC

in

support to U.S.

Army

Major Keenan's detachment, SED,

Further, because

element

OPSEC

My Soul

head

the lead

is

the logical and appro-

effort, it is

priate national-level organization to

this operation."

how

are

brought with

me

"This sounds like a good idea," the general said, "but

you going to

With

activi-

train these folks?"

that,

I

picked up the budget request

I

and, avoiding his direct question, replied, "Since this training clearly falls outside the parameters of this fiscal year's budget, as

deputy commander need to approve

"How much

are

we

you

course of action."

this

talking about?" he asked, as

SED

from behind the podium to hand him the

I

walked out

remote -viewing

action plan, cloaked as a budget request. "Just a couple of

end of the

thousand to cover travel expenses until the

fiscal year,"

I

said casually.

Having handed him the budget um, turned, and began to speak,

request,

"If we

.

I

returned to the podi-

and he cut me

off mid-

Lieutenant," he said,

"Here's your approval.

sentence.

." .

while

handing the budget request to Keenan. The general had apparently signed

it

while

I

was returning to the podium. Looking

he asked, "What's next. Major?" Keenan looked up gruffly ordered, "Atwater, tell

at

Keenan,

at

me and

Captain Cole out in the

hall he's

next with his briefing on personnel security issues." "Yes, Sir,"

uments. As

I

I

replied

my docKeenan passed me

and without another word picked up

headed out of the conference room,

the remote -viewing action plan that the general had signed.

As

I

left

the conference room,

I

could see Captain Cole wait-

him and told him that Major Keenan said he was up next. After Cole went into the conference room, everyone else waiting wanted to know how it went for me. I just smiled and waved the signed budget authorization and action ing patiently in the hall.

plan in the

As

I

I

smiled at

air.

walked back to

my

cubicle,

things were

moving and how

weeks since

I

far

I

I

began to

had come

got assigned to Fort Meade.

My

realize

how

fast

in just the several

plan was to use the

F.

Holmes Atwater

funds the general had just authorized to zations

and come up with

SRI and other organi-

a training plan to teach professional intel-

ligence personnel remote viewing.

a

visit

Working with the DIA,

I

arranged

with Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ at SRI in Menlo Park.

visit

Meeting the Scientists As

the airplane sped

dered through the years.

many

its

way

my

to California,

business trips

official

thoughts mean-

had taken over the

I

looked around the plane, eavesdropping on

I

sengers.

I

wondered how we

my

fellow pas-

came together on this flight. student returning home; a family on

all

A business man; a college

vacation; the stewardess with the tired feet

—did they have any

them was an intelligence officer developing program for government personnel? What

idea that right next to a

psychic- training

would they think

if

they knew?

Would they be proud

government was acting quite responsibly tionally

guaranteed freedoms?

These were rhetorical questions that hostile intelligence services activities

been

for,

would

to reduce the probability

find out about our

and implement countermeasures, what

classified Secret

and designated

as

an

Grill

when

it

Flame. Over the years,

it

OPSEC

I

was doing had

official

Special Access

Program (SAP) with a code -word caveat. (The was

that their

to defend their constitu-

first

code name

changed several times, and

was declassified in 1995, the project was called Star Gate.)

During the

flight,

I

amused myself by reading the Jane Roberts I could never com-

book The Further Education of Over soul Seven. pletely understand the original soul Seven

Much

Seth books but the

books were in a story format and

I

series of

really liked

Over-

them.

of Further Education describes adventures in nonphysical

realms and

how

malleable these worlds are based on our precon-

ceived expectations. According to the book, even other entities are robbed of their own true form and show themselves on our expectations of how they should appear.

to us based

This understanding made me feel ashamed. How disrespectful and impertinent! In the middle of Chapter Nineteen, I put the

71

Captain of

book down on my

My

Ship,

and bowed

lap

Master of

My Soul

my head

in silent prayer.

"God,

when I die, please let me have the wisdom to allow others to be who they really are and not lay my expectations upon them." Suddenly Guidance spoke with a voice in

my

voice, like when the voice of God is "What do you think is happening now?"

booming movies. I

body

opened else

only one

my

portrayed in the

eyes and looked around the cabin to see

had heard.

was

It

who had heard

returned. Apparently,

How many

head, a loud,

I

cool. Everything

the voice.

didn't

beings had

And

was okay.

then

my

any-

was the

embarrassment

have to die to begin working on

encountered throughout

I

I

if

my

life,

this.

seeing

them only through the eyes of my own expectations, not allowing them to be who they really were? Divine expressions of God I Am, angels all! And I was on my way to meet two more. I

signed in at the security- control desk at SRI, and the

receptionist called upstairs with notification of

my

arrival. Tall,

lanky Russell Targ, with his bushy hair and thick glasses,

He

downstairs to meet me.

looked every

one might expect to be involved

we were

years,

to

become

friends,

bit like the

in psychic research.

but

this first

impression of him, would not be described in to

mad

scientist

Over the

encounter,

my official

came

my

first

trip report

Major Keenan. Upstairs,

wisdom too

met

I

Dr.

Hal Puthoff, a

soft- spoken

man

filled

with

great to be confined in his small stature. Dr. Puthoff

me

members

With perfect timing, an SRI vice president happened by the office to meet me. To him, I was the new government guy with money and he wanted to make sure he met me. After the formalities, Puthoff, Targ, introduced

and

I

what

to other

of the office staff

adjourned to a small conference room and I

I

began

to explain

was doing there.

The

idea of training

someone

to

do remote viewing interested

both Puthoff and Targ. Most of their work had been done with "naturals,"

people

who

brought their inherent psychic talent into the

laboratory environment.

They

said,

however, that in their experi-

ence almost everyone could do remote viewing. They knew because Targ would routinely guide

72

visitors to the lab

this

through a

F.

remote -viewing exercise were studying. didn't

I

Holmes Atwater demonstration of what they

as the ultimate

was not to be subject to such an

need convincing that remote viewing was a

Hoping

some

to discover

illustration, as

real

phenomenon.

mechanism

sort of screening

I

that

I

could use with intelligence personnel to identify remote -viewing candidates,

asked

I

if

they had identified any personality

temperament types that seemed

to take to

Puthoff and Targ were reluctant at in this way.

They were

physicists,

that the best screening

traits

or

remote viewing.

first

to

approach the issue

not psychologists. They insisted

mechanism would be

a

performance

test

and evaluation through the use of the established, tried-and-true remote -viewing protocol documented in their book. I

asked

how many

people they could test in a few months.

They

guessed that they could test three people over a period of four to

months. So I

I

asked

if

they had identified any personality

might use to find candidates

tion to

them

in this

six traits that 1

.

2.

for

such

testing.

manner, they told

seemed

me

traits

Having put the ques-

that there were perhaps

to be characteristic of

good remote viewers.

They felt that candidates should be at least open to the idea of remote viewing. Candidates should have an of

using

this

talent

to

artistic talent

describe

their

and be capable remote-viewing

impressions. 3.

People

who were

highly regarded by their coworkers

supervisors did better at remote viewing than those

were

not.

and

who

The implication was that "office outcasts" or make good remote viewers.

"weird guys" did not

who had the ability to in-flow data, or absorb a great deal of information without being compelled to form tentative or spurious conclusions, scored higher within the strict confines of scientific remote-viewing protocols.

4. Individuals

5.

Candidates should be highly motivated volunteers rather than be "ordered" or "assigned" to do remote viewing.

6.

Potential remote viewers should be able to quiet their minds and focus their attention on the task at hand, setting aside the mental noise of daily trials and tribulations.

"73

six

that

My

CAPTAIN..OF

They these

insisted that

traits,

even

Ship,

if I

AAaster

My Soul

of

was able to identify

with

soldiers

they would want to interview the candidates, and even

under these conditions, there was no guarantee that these people

would be able

to

do remote viewing or be

trained.

found

I

this

comment amusing in light of Targ's previous claims that almost everybody who tries remote viewing has some success. Thinking back,

I

imagine they thought

I

would

select as

remote

viewers some highly skilled, snake -eating special forces types

had been kept away

some

in

camp because Whatever they were only way to determine

secret guerrilla- training

they could no

longer function in society.

thinking, their

bottom

line

someone's remote -viewing

some

sort of

On

performance

was that the

trainability)

(or

ability

was through

test to identify particular aptitudes.

the flight back from California,

of action to present to Major Keenan.

would have

who

to interview several

I

It

began to develop

seemed

to

me

a plan

that

SED

dozen people to find a few that

fit

the criteria outlined by SRI, and the candidates would need to be available for special duty with

SED. The greater Washington, D.C.,

area contained hundreds, perhaps thousands, of

ian intelligence professionals within

INSCOM

ment of the

sufficient resources

militar^-^

INSCOM. With

commander, there would

and

civil-

the endorsedefinitely be

from which to draw.

Puthoff and Targ had tentatively agreed to accept a contract to train (they preferred the

term "evaluate") a few selected army per-

sonnel in remote viewing.

Major Keenan that

and

SED

I

decided that

screen a

I

would recommend

I

fully

also

INSCOM

number of

establish a contractual relationship with

SRI

to

personnel

to train them.

thought that because SRI's "evaluation" method was

documented

in Mind-Reach,

SED

could, with a

little effort,

complement the SRI contract and do our own remote -viewing skills testing

As

and evaluation.^

the plane sped eastward,

briefcase

and drafted a

This process

is

I

trip report

took out a yellow legal pad from

and a

list

my

of recommended actions.

detailed in the article, "Remote- Viewing Replication: Evaluated

by Concept Analysis," by Russell Targ, published chology, vol. 58, September 1994.

-7A

in

The Journal of Parapsy-

F.

Holmes Atwater

Further Approval

When

returned to

I

report and routed

him

for

to

office at Fort

Major Keenan.

more than two weeks,

Unknown mander

it

my

to me,

so

I

I

typed up

didn't hear anything

my

from

busied myself with other duties.

I

Keenan had been

to brief General

Meade,

Thompson

told by the

at the

INSCOM com-

Pentagon about SED's

remote -viewing endeavor. General Thompson, the ACSI, had personal interest in remote viewing and was the one inally interested I

who had

a

orig-

Lieutenant Colonel Skotzko (the guy whose desk

took over)

General Thompson agreed with the recommendations in

Keenan

report and encouraged Major

within

INSCOM. At some

know where)

,

me

SED's

point in the chain of command

the decision was

made

remote -viewing program under one called

to continue

into his office, he told

me

to consolidate the office.

that

(I

When Keenan

finally

my recommendations had

I

Watt, a veteran intelligence

carry out this project.

The remote -viewing

effort

don't

INSCOM

been approved and informed me that officer, to

my

efforts

was to work with a Major

would operate

as a separate unit

Detachment G, with its own operating budget. From this budget, we would fund travel expenses, contracts with SRI, and whatever else became necessary. Major Watt would be my direct called

supervisor,

and together we would conduct INSCOM's remote

viewing program. At the time, being unaware of

on up the chain- of- command,

I

thought

all

this

had gone

that

was

all

Major

Keenan's idea.

Major Murray Watt

—Scotty

He had

professional military officer. intelligence

So

I

didn't

—was an extremely

a great deal of experience in

know anything about remote

viewing.

was to be the remote -viewing "expert" and Watt the one who

knew nity

work but

to his friends

his

way around the bureaucracy of the

intelligence

commu-

and could ensure we stayed on track with the military coun-

terintelligence focus of our mission.

Major Watt handled the administration of Detachment

G and

represented the unit to the brass and numerous other intelligence agencies and offices.

He was

perfect for the job.

75

I

was responsible

Captain of

for the

own

remote -viewing

office

down

My

Ship,

AAaster of

activities of the unit.

My Soul

We

were assigned our

the hall from SED, and as the weeks passed, Watt

worked on formalizing

a contract with SRI.

Together we came up with a plan to screen

INSCOM

person-

nel assigned throughout southern Maryland, northern Virginia,

and Washington, D.C. Since we train a cadre of

want

to reveal our plans to

remote viewers, we decided to use a

Our plan was supervisors

didn't

ruse.

we questioned, as well as their to and commanders, that we were conducting a survey for

the commander,

tell

those

INSCOM,

asking

INSCOM

personnel for their

opinions on the idea of police using psychics to help in criminal investigations

and whether they thought psychically derived

infor-

mation might be of assistance to the military-intelligence community.

We collected several newspaper clippings about the police use

of psychics and took the articles with us to the interviews.

Recruiting Our

first

INSCOM unit commanders and them about our survey and asked personnel for us to interview. We told them we

step was to contact

office supervisors.

them

to suggest

were looking their

We

told

for opinions

coworkers and were

from those likely to

who were most

respected by

speak openly to us about our

survey.

Based on their recommendations, we began our interviews. As we spoke with INSCOM personnel, we gently elicited information regarding the six criteria provided by Puthoff and Targ. At first. Major Watt and I conducted the interviews together, and when we gained some confidence that we knew what we were doing, we interviewed separately then met later to discuss our findings. Altogether

we interviewed between one hundred and one hundred

twenty-five

When

INSCOM one of us

interviewed,

personnel. felt

we reviewed

favorably about his

personnel

would reinterview that person

someone

file,

that

we had

and then the other

to double -check the finding.

By

comparing notes and accepting each other's recommendations, we

VB

Holmes Atwater

F.

we

decided that between twenty and thirty of the people

viewed seemed to meet the

We went back

to

criteria outlined

inter-

by Puthoff and Targ.

the supervisors and commanders of the qual-

interviewees to determine which of these personnel would be

ified

available for special duty with identify twelve military

and

We were able to INSCOM personnel who

Detachment G.

civilian

could be freed up for extra duty.

We to

then contacted each of these individuals and asked them

meet us

in the secure conference

not

tell

them

ing.

We

only told

On

the day they arrived, they

individually that there

them

that

room

Meade.

would be others

we wanted all sat

at Fort

do

to

We

did

meet-

at the

a follow-up interview.

around the conference table

before the meeting started, sort of wondering what they were doing there.

The from

my

job

fell

to

me

them what was going

to tell

seat to address them,

I

As

on.

I

looked thoughtfully at each.

I

rose told

them we hadn't been completely truthful when Major Watt and I had spoken with them before. I held up a copy of Mind-Reach and told them about visiting SRI and talking with Puthoff and Targ. I showed them the classified remote -viewing documents I had and reviewed the hostile threat perspective published by the I

went on

G

Detachment

to explain that

air force.

was forming a cadre of

remote viewers and that we were recruiting volunteers to be trained as remote viewers.

I

told

them

that,

based on our

initial

we felt they might be interested. them asked questions about the materials I presentmeant by "volunteers to be trained as remote view-

interviews with them,

Several of

ed and what ers."

I

I

answered the questions about SRI and the

When

but sidestepped the training questions. tled

down,

I

asked, "Based

do any of you want

told

you up to

to volunteer for special duty with

G?" All twelve answered

Watt

on what I have

classified studies

the discussion set-

in the affirmative.

It

this point,

Detachment

was time

for

Major

all

to sign

to take over.

"Before

we can

continue," he began,

a security oath regarding this program."

"I

must ask you

Major Watt explained that

the Special Access Program had been given an official code

"7 "7

name

Captain of

My

and that only those read- on cuss the project.

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

program were allowed

to the

By signing the Special Access Program

to dis-

security

oath as we others had, the volunteers agreed to these conditions. All of the volunteers were professional intelligence personnel

and were famiUar with code -named

projects, so this process

was

not entirely new questions that

for them. Major Watt and I answered various came up concerning Detachment G while they were

signing their security oaths. After ed, we took a talked among

and sharing

all

the paperwork was complet-

and during the break the volunteers

coffee break,

themselves, finding out where each other worked

stories

about what they had told Watt or myself dur-

ing their interviews.

When we to

me.

I

resumed, Major Watt turned the agenda back over

told the group that

Detachment

G had a contractual rela-

tionship with SRI and that Puthoff and Targ

Meade

would be coming

to

Menlo Park for training. I explained that others were to be trained at Fort Meade using the methods that had been developed at SRI. I showed them some examples from Mind-Reach and the classified docuFort

ments

I

had.

to select several of

Then

I

them

to go to

described a typical SRI remote -viewing sce-

nario as follows:

A at a

remote viewer and an interviewer

sit

alone in a

room

prearranged time. The interviewer prompts the remote

viewer to describe a remote while a third person

is

site

unknown to either of them The third person is

visiting the site.

assigned a random target location selected from a

list

of near-

While the interviewer and the remote viewer are not told the target location, the remote viewer is nevertheless asked to draw and describe impressions of the target being

by

targets.

visited

by the

third party.

Because both the viewer and

inter-

viewer are unwitting, the interviewer can ask questions about the viewer's mental perceptions

and help

clarify descriptive

elements. After the remote-viewing period

is

over, all the

descriptive data are collected and both the viewer and inter-

viewer are taken to the target

site.

While

visiting the site, the

viewer's descriptions are compared with apparent surroundings and the activities of the third person during the viewing

VB

Holmes Atwater

F.

period. Similarities, differences, and missing or distorted per-

ceptions are discussed. During this post-viewing visit to the target site, the viewer

presumably learns

to

improve descrip-

tions of the remote- viewing experience.

At

this point,

what was of

G

reminded the Detachment

I

interest to

INSCOM

volunteers that

was the degree to which the

remote -viewing process could be used by hostile intelligence agencies as a surveillance

method

to

In the classified documents ples of

compromise our own I

had shown

SRI remote viewers describing Soviet

much

question wasn't so

if

security, but the severity

security.

them were exam-

to

So the

military sites.

remote viewing could compromise our

and depth of such

a

compromise. Our

mission was not to replicate the scientific work of SRI but to assess

on

the strategic and tactical impact of remote -viewing surveillance

the operational security of the army.

Major Watt ended the meeting by welcoming the volunteers

to

Detachment G. He told them that they when the SRI scientists were coming to Fort

their special duty with

would be notified

He

Meade.

provided them with our Detachment

G

Mind-Reach, and sent them back in

office

phone

own copy

number, recommended they buy themselves their

of

to their respective "regular" jobs

INSCOM. It

Fort

had been

less

Meade and

drifting

than a year since

seemed

I

to be floating

toward a future that

Rob Cowart not

so very long ago.

that

had happened

my

me

for

life

up to

this

It

for

effortlessly

my

discussions

in

seemed that everything

point had been preparing

what was happening now.

This concept that there was some plan or purpose to

was not new

when

duty to

downstream,

had envisioned

I

with

in

had reported

I

life

to

my

life

me. But, in the days in the Panama Canal Zone,

seemed so complete,

I

had never thought

I

would some-

day be training a cadre of military remote viewers. So perhaps fore-

knowledge of

my my

my

course through

threshold of awareness. true spiritual identity,

I

life

was meant to remain below

wondered

had known

ing.

V3

if

all

some

greater part of me,

along what was happen-

Captain of

My

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

Several weeks passed before Puthoff and Targ

came

to Fort

Meade. As Major Watt had been negotiating a contract with them he had been discussing the concept of

to train our volunteers,

training three.

When we

told

them we had

identified twelve peo-

them to meet, they were a bit overwhelmed. They thought we wanted them to train all twelve, and everybody sort of panicked, but they agreed to come to Fort Meade without resolvple for

that

ing this "numbers" issue.

Our

twelve volunteers met as a group with Puthoff and Targ

and

early in 1979. After a group introduction

each of the volunteers individually. As each

entists interviewed

completed their interview. Major Watt and sent

them back

discussion, the sci-

I

thanked them and

INSCOM jobs with an assuring

to their respective

"We'll be in touch."

After Puthoff and Targ had finished interviewing didates,

Major Watt suggested that we go

we avoided

to lunch.

all

During lunch,

and took

talking about the remote -viewing project

know each

advantage of the time to get to

learned, for example, that Dr. Puthoff

had been assigned

to Fort

Meade

know one another was

just

other better.

had been lived.

what was needed

We

navy and

in the

for a short time.

ed out the neighborhood where he had

the can-

He even

point-

This getting to

to further our after-

lunch discussions.

When we

returned to the

know what Puthoff and the other hand, were

office.

Major Watt and

I

wanted

to

Targ thought of our volunteers. They, on

somewhat focused on generating

contract to support their work.

I

say

a lucrative

somewhat focused because they

started the afternoon discussion rather sheepishly by explaining that in their opinion

all

the candidates looked fine and they were hard-

pressed to pick only three out of the twelve.

been Watt's strategy

all

along ...

if

I

think this must have

they became enamored with our

people they would be more flexible on their contract terms. It

was understood by

all

of us that, while Watt and

I

used the

scientists felt that

what

they offered was more akin to an ability or talent assessment.

They

words "training remote viewers," the SRI

weren't so sure anyone could be trained to do remote viewing.

SO

F.

The

contract would, most assuredly, say training, as this was a

palatable concept

things

and

Holmes Atwater

—government personnel were

—but none had ever been evaluated

trained to

do many

for a psychic talent.

Watt

always told our volunteers they were being trained to be remote

I

viewers, even though that might not have

So impossible was

it

for

been the case

in fact.

Puthoff and Targ to reduce our twelve

candidates to three, they proposed that the contract include two phases.

The

phase would involve working with

first

six

candidates

The second

to determine the best three performers of those six.

phase would involve in-depth work with those three candidates

who showed

the most promise.

Major Watt asked about

costs

and they

said that there

be no increase in amounts previously discussed. candidates in mind.

six

at

me

to see

if I

uously nodded

Watt stood

hand and

said that they did.

I

asked

my

if

they had

Watt glanced over

thought their proposal was okay, and

I

inconspic-

approval.

up, extended his hand,

men, your proposal his

They

would

is

acceptable.

smiled. Contracts

We

and announced, "Gentle-

have a deal." Puthoff took

would have

to be signed later, of

we were essentially on our way to SRI and remote -viewing history. (At some point, Stanford Research Institute changed its name to SRI International to distance itself from Stanford University. The name change didn't have anything to do course, but at this point

with

its

involvement in remote viewing, and

the institution as SRI

became SRI

The

when

in fact at

continue to refer to its

proper

name

International.)

Training

Military duty

is

a balance

you are a tank driver and there occupy your time training

between operations and isn't

an ongoing military

for that eventuality.

ongoing ground war, the foot soldier trains cal training to

training. If battle,

you

When there isn't an

for one. Besides physi-

keep their bodies in shape and personal weapons

training, military personnel

ticing

I

some point

spend hours rehearsing

maneuvers, and planning operations.

S1

tactics, prac-

Captain of

Detachment training officer,

my

I

G

My

was no

Ship,

As

different.

was responsible

official Officer Efficiency

for

.

Report,

Operations Officer for an sitive intelligence collection

My Soul

Master of

.

the unit's operations and

well, here

.

it is

copied from

DA Form 68-7:

INSCOM

special access, sen-

program. Responsible to plan,

schedule and implement individual collection requirements

and prepare intelligence reports based upon information obtained. Training Officer for division personnel. Responsible to organize and execute the division training program;

conduct specialized training to enhance individual capabilities

and integrate new collection techniques into the current

program; maintain an expertise in state-of-the-art technology.

Member

of the Military Intelligence Excepted Career Pro-

gram [nickname: Great It

was

my

Skills].

responsibility, then, to

remote -viewing training program the months,

programs

I

and Targ about pretty

much

wanted

down

for

had been reading up on

at various organizations.

to scientific

develop and implement a

specific

Detachment G. Through different

When

I

remote -viewing

talked with Puthoff

remote -viewing techniques,

remote -viewing protocols, they told let

as

me

opposed

that they

the individual remote viewers do whatever they

to during the perceptual process. If viewers

or meditate, that was perfectly acceptable.

wanted

One

to

lie

of their

viewers had some "lucky socks" that she liked to wear while

remote viewing.

The Puthoff and Targ

perspective was basically

this:

viewers

should be encouraged to sketch or draw elements of the target

and provide

short, perhaps one- to three -word, descriptions of

their perceptions. tle

site

Their personal habits or ceremonies were of

relevance. Stated another way, based

performance verses

results,

on

their observations of

they didn't feel there was any behavior,

special state of consciousness, or physical or

particularly conducive or

lit-

mental preparedness

enhancing to remote viewing.

Another highly respected

researcher, William G.

Braud from

the University of Houston, Texas, theorized a "PSI-conducive

syndrome," or

set of

circumstances that seemed to be related to

B2

F.

Holmes Atwater

increased psychic performance. These circumstances involved

such things

as percipients

being physically relaxed, receptive, and

attuned to internal perceptual processes, an environment of

reduced raucous sensory stimulus, and

a psychic task of

evant importance. These concepts seemed to

some

rel-

in the blanks"

"fill

not addressed by the physicists at SRI.^ Charles Honorton and his colleagues at the Psychophysical

Research Laboratories in Princeton,

New

Jersey, offered

another

point of view. Operating within the concept that psychic or remote-

viewing information presents

awareness and

is

therefore

itself

below the threshold of conscious

overwhelmed by physical

sensation, they

postulated that neutralizing the physical senses would help this

lower-amplitude mental information bubble up into awareness. Further,

remote -viewing experiments had shown that spurious

sensory data often contaminated remote -viewing descriptions.

For instance, elements within decorative pictures on the walls of the remote -viewing target

descriptions.

room sometimes showed up

By neutralizing such sensory

remote -viewing information was expected improved signal-to-noise

for

"whole

to

data,

valid

increase

— an

ratio, so to speak.

Honortons neutralization process was

(German

in the viewer's

field")

called

the Ganzfeld

technique. Translucent acetate hemi-

spheres (Ping-Pong ball halves) were put over the remote viewer's

White noise was played through the headphones. Eyes remained open when wearing the translucent eye shields, and a bright red light was shown through the shields, which provided a homogeneous visual field. eyes,

and headphones were placed over the

Tactile stimulation

ears.

was reduced by having the remote viewer

recline in a comfortable chair

and do relaxation exercise

to reduce

muscular tension. Operating within

this

Ganzfeld environment, the remote viewer

was then cued to perceive the selected

unknown

See the

to the viewer.

article,

target,

The viewer remained

which of course was

in the Ganzfeld setting

"PSI Conducive States," by William G. Braud, published in the

Journal of Communication (1975).

S3

Captain of

for

My

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

about thirty minutes, reporting via a microphone any perceptions

of the target. According to

my

review of the literature, forty-two

Ganzfeld studies conducted by investigators in ten laboratories reported average hit rates of about expectation, based

on judging

statistical probability

thirt^'-five

criteria,

percent with a chance

The

of twenty-five percent.

of getting a thirty-five percent hit rate across

forty-two studies was highly significant, greater than a billion to one.^

The

idea of quieting the

nitive processes

mind

to

was not limited to

researchers. This idea

become aware of subtle cogHonorton and the Ganzfeld

was the cornerstone of many traditional

eastern meditation techniques. quiet one's prosaic thoughts

It

seemed

to

me

that the ability to

and focus one's attention might have

do with successful remote viewing.

a great deal to

My own "remote viewing" experience was more itive

tion.

process

—

direct

akin to an intu-

knowledge coupled with introspective observa-

This stream of consciousness united two distinct experiences.

In the

first

case,

immersed within some task or

curiosity,

through an adventure, seeking only to achieve a particular the second case, ing

my own

I

moved

I

goal. In

became aware of my own mental content,

notic-

thoughts about what was happening to me.

The content

of the second- case observation differed from that

of the first-case adventure. In the first-case adventure, oriented intention aligned

my

perceptual venues.

It

my

goal-

was a form of

pure knowing unencumbered by the need to conform the data perceived to conventional wisdom.

My

intention in the second case was to

make some

of what was happening and to validate or place

within an acceptable social framework. case experience

became the

my

The content

sense out

perceptions

of the second-

"past-lived" pure experience colored

by outside thoughts, memories, and emotional opinion.

Seemingly incorrect remote -viewing information may be the result of reporting the second- case experience along with

The complete

history of Ganzfeld research

and Charles Honorton

in the

its

was summarized by Daryl

inher-

J.

Bem

January 1994 issue of the Psychological Bulletin

of the American Psychological Association.

BA

F.

Holmes Atwater

ent overlay. (These inaccuracies can be reduced through the use of a mediator or coach to help the remote viewer objectify the direct

knowledge of the

first- case

Bringing together what

I

experience.)

learned from Puthoff and Targ and

other respected scientists, a review of the pertinent literature, and

my own

personal experience, a generic framework for training

began to emerge. From

became

this perspective,

I

began to develop what

the army's remote -viewing training program.

If successful,

trained remote viewers would be able to assess

the strategic and tactical impact of remote -viewing surveillance the operational security of the army. But, as in

my

change throughout our culture

for

realize,

this

whole episode

'

to

connect with the des-

ignated area and describe the prominently displayed words.

This provided some intriguing information about remote viewing.

When

words were accurately reported,

that the viewer

it

was easy

had connected with individual

104

to

letters

assume

and put

F.

them together

to

Holmes Atwater

form the words.

telepathic

explanation here.)

researchers

mixed up the

for display.

For example,

won't even get into a possible

(I

To

the randomly selected

word was

the scientist put the letters T-E-L-C-T-A written

tle,"

display in the room.

But the remote viewers

rect word, cattle, not the

jumbled

still

SRI

the

word when they put

letters of the if

concept,

this

test

it

up

"cat-

on cards on

reported the cor-

letters.

So can a remote viewer read? Maybe. But

find

I

it

easier to say

that a remote viewer can "describe" information about written material.

The

other thing done during the second-phase training/evalu-

ation at SRI was a sort of

Why

evaluation.

skill

related to previous experiences in ational interest to us at Fort

view a nuclear weapons

life?

Meade.

some remote

specific talents

This was of immense oper-

we were going

If

would

facility,

did

Were

viewers do better than others at some tasks?

it

to

remote

be beneficial to train a

nuclear physicist to do the remote viewing?

One

of our remote viewers, by

have a superb

this

was because he had worked

radio direction-finding specialist during the

haps

was an innate

this

talent.)

remote viewing to a degree

I

to

perceptions with relation to the

ability to orient

compass directions. (Perhaps

way of example, seemed

Vietnam

as a

era, or per-

This talent carried over into his

have never seen in another remote

viewer.

Once he connected with to the north, south, east,

him

to

move by

distance and direction:

east of your location

together that

all I

would proceed

a target, he could describe

and west of the

and describe."

had

to say to

him

We

site.

"Move

The

official

three miles south-

eventually worked so well

"Work the compass." He what was around him (his

was,

to accurately describe

perceptual remote -viewing perspective) in

SRI

what was

could even instruct

I

all

directions.

report of the second-phase training/evaluation at

detailing the results of the research remains classified

code -word caveat. But the SRI

work without

Back

at Fort

I

hope

I

under

have provided some explanation of

disclosing classified information.

Meade, we too moved beyond the basic out-bounder

105

Captain of

My

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

protocol into alternate cueing methods and different types of tar-

ties

and

my job became

of

gets. Part

and

individual

skills,

on unique

targets.

As

to determine the operational capabili-

remote viewing, to identify and develop

limitations of

to evaluate the accuracy of

remote viewing

the weeks turned into months, and into years,

establish a

knowledge base.

I

knew what

I

began to

kinds of intelligence tasks

could be accomplished by remote viewing and which remote viewers

could best accomplish them.

with technical

sites like

nuclear

sites like train stations

movement was

detection of

well with "people targets"

making

Fort

or a missile

And

important.

where the

others did very

activity at a site or

Remote Viewing

Meade remote

viewers' 4,

first

Army

Of course,

requested that

operational mission,

1979, was not an

sion. Instead, the Office of the Assistant

aircraft.

factories, or

firing,

still

—describing human

which took place on September gence for the

munitions

contact with people at designated locations.

telepathic

Operational The

facilities,

viewers were better

equipment. Others seemed to have a better track

specific pieces of

record with

Some remote

OPSEC

Chief of Staff for

we help

locate a

mis-

Intelli-

downed

U.S.

neither the interviewer (myself) nor the remote

viewer had any idea where in the world the plane might have gone missing.

But in

provide the

name

just

name

of a major terrain feature later identified as the

of a mountain into which the aircraft had crashed, and

provided a

map

close

site

remain bound by

much

of the crash.

my

original secrecy oath

and cannot

dis-

about operational missions. (For interesting insights,

would suggest Jim Schnabel's book Remote Viewers: The tory of

we

location "guess" that proved to be within fifteen

miles of the actual I

one remote -viewing session we were able to

Americas Psychic

rity restrictions,

I

am

Spies,

I

Secret His-

published by Dell.) Because of secu-

unable to provide the names of the various

agencies that requested remote -viewing information or the nature

of the requests themselves. But as

I

10B

examine the

official

logbook of

Holmes Atwater

F.

all

the operational missions conducted while

Meade remote -viewing

unit,

I

I

was with the Fort

we completed

see that in 1979

which required a number of remote-

seven operational missions, viewing sessions, and during

my

tour of duty with the unit

I

con-

ducted 122 operational missions consisting of many hundreds of

number of

separate remote -viewing sessions with a

individual

remote viewers.

SRI used a standard of remote -viewing

efforts.

agencies to

us

value.

tell

if

We

blind differential discrimination to judge

Meade

at Fort

simply asked the tasking

the information provided was of intelligence

But by the nature of intelligence work,

involved

difficulties.

Many

this

sometimes

remote viewers provided accu-

times,

were

rate descriptions of areas of interest, but those descriptions

not necessarily o* value. For example,

if

a tasking agency

wanted

type of aircraft was located at a designated

to determine

airfield,

remote viewer with the geographic coordinates of that the viewer had field,

no overt idea that she was targeted

a remote viewing session that described

an

a certain

if

we would cue against

area.

But

if

an

air-

provided

some evidence that the viewer had "connected" with the the session provided

Since

airfield.

airfield

the

target

no information that could confirm

or refute the presence of the suspected aircraft, the session

rated by the tasking agency as having

no

would be

intelligence value, the

viewer not having connected with the information of interest. Let's look a little

more

you're given a camera and a

closely at the issue. Imagine that roll

of film and told to take pictures

of a certain building. You go out to the neighborhood, taking a

few snapshots along the way. You find the address, and you begin to

photograph the building. The person who told you to take the

pictures actually wants to

know

if

there

of the building but didn't want you to client's special interest,

from

as

many

angles

is

a red car parked in front

know

this.

Not knowing

the

you take some nice pictures of the building as

you think appropriate. After you're

through, you take some more pictures of the neighborhood, including the cars in front of the building.

Now, when you

take the pictures back, your client thumbs

1

ov

-

Captain of

through them

My

rapidly, tossing

pictures of the building but of

of the building at

all.

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

most of them

no

aside.

Some are good Some are not

intelligence value.

A few pictures, however, clearly show the red

car parked in front of the building and, as luck would have

of your extra pictures

is

one

it,

of the car itself

In the same manner, certain remote -viewing missions provided

information of intelligence value. special military ers. tle

Some were

quite spectacular,

commendations were awarded

and

to the remote view-

Others were great examples of remote viewing but provided

no information of direct

or

lit-

intelligence value. Still other sessions

were complete misses, demonstrating that remote viewing

among other

is,

by individual differences. Even the

things, constrained

best baseball sluggers only get a hit about thirty percent of the time

they are at bat. That's what "batting 300" means.

This idea of

intelligence value

went

OPSEC

to the core of our

we

evaluation of the remote -viewing surveillance technique. In

fact,

had been chartered

remote

to determine

if

hostile exploitation of

viewing surveillance was a threat to national security. According to the official logbook, during

my

tour of duty as the operations and

training officer, forty^-seven percent of the operational projects

ducted were rated by the tasking agency value.

I

con-

as being of intelligence

(Again, due to continued security restrictions,

cannot

I

describe the detailed results of specific operations.)

Special Considerations The

use of remote viewing as an intelligence surveillance tool

carries with

some

it

special considerations. In

sources over the years, the intelligence

bona

a rating system to attest to the

working with

community has

fides of

human

established

an individual human

source and the authenticity of the information provided.

The bona with

A

fides of the source

meaning that the source

been correct

in the past).

that the source

is

The

is

is

rated by letter from

A

to

F,

absolutely reliable (has always

relatively

low rating of E

signifies

nearly always unreliable (has always or nearly

always been wrong in the past, though even an unreliable source

1

OB

Holmes Atwater

F.

may

The lowest source unknown reliability (e.g.,

occasionally provide accurate information)

rating of

F

signifies that

the source

of

is

.

perhaps a first-time or unevaluated source)

The authenticity of the information provided is rated by a number from 1 to 6, with 1 indicating that the information provided

is

almost certainly true because

it

has been corroborated by

A

other significant or reliable information.

information

is

5 signifies that the

almost certainly wrong, often because other,

ably correct information contradicts ticity rating is a 6,

The

it.

indicating that the probable veracity of the

information provided by the source

is

unknown

or unconfirmed by

any other source but that no information discrediting either.

certifi-

lowest level of authen-

known,

it is

Information obtained from a U.S. intelligence agent

who

has always been accurate in the past, reporting something that

is

substantiated by other sources would be rated A-1, whereas infor-

mation reported by a known

liar

that the

moon

is

made

of green

cheese would be rated E-5. It's

entirely possible to

E-1, C-2, etc.

of

unknown

have source/information ratings of A-5,

A rating of F-6 would mean essentially that a source veracity has provided information that can, at this

point, neither be confirmed nor denied.

An

analyst

would take a

wait-and-see attitude with this sort of information, with hopes that

would either corroborate or

further intelligence from other sources reject the F-6 information.

The human- source rating system long used by the intelligence community is of little value when dealing with remote viewers. Throughout

history, all of the serious scientific inquiry into

viewing has demonstrated

its

veracity.

These same investigations

have, however, repeatedly indicated that the

mechanism behind remote viewing

is

human

behavioral

neither understood nor

able and, therefore, that the information reported by a

viewer

is

remote

reli-

remote

characteristically undependable.

The information stream

objectified by a

remote viewer can be

The remote viewers themdetermining which. From the perspective

erroneous or valid or a mixture of both. selves are of

little

help in

of a behavioral model, remote viewing would

109

seem

to

have two

Captain of

My

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

principal dimensions. First, can the remote viewer acquire the target,

and second, how well can the remote viewer become aware of

the target and describe information of interest about the target?

Ken Kress

of the

CIA

developed an operational protocol with

two characterization methods to deal with these dimensions. Before the remote -viewing session, features, which,

he or she had example,

few obvious

described by the remote viewer, would

at least

show

some contact with the designated

new

site.

that

For

some

there was

and the remote viewer began by

ballistic missile

objectifying factory buildings site,

select a

the intelligence mission was to describe the construc-

if

tion of a

if

Ken would

and smokestacks known

level of confidence that the

to be at the

remote viewer was

able to establish contact.

During the

session,

a quality characterization was accom-

plished by periodically asking the remote viewer to describe specific

known

features of the

descriptions

would be used

The accuracy

site.

of these "audit"

to estimate the quality of the unverifi-

able remote -viewing information.

Through

application of this

became

operational protocol, remote -viewing data

intelligence

information.

Some

time

ability issue

later,

SRI became

and developed

sensitive to the operational reli-

a simple, straightforward calibration

system. Their view was that remote viewers were either "on" or "off"

and that they had good days and bad days

To provide the

intelligence customer with

like

some

anyone

else.

level of confi-

dence about the remote -viewing information, viewers were given a

randomly selected training target both before and tional target. If they did well with

both the

after the opera-

verifiable training targets,

the assumption was that the information provided about the operational target

was probably accurate

to

some degree. This

calibra-

tion system was also helpful in building a sense of suret>^ for the

remote viewer.

If

the viewers did well

on the

training targets, they

away from the operational mission with a sense of contributing even if they could not be given feedback on could, in effect, walk

the operational I

always

site.

felt

that remote viewing was modulated by

1 1

many

of

F.

Holmes Atwater

the same factors that affect other expertise, based

on previous

human

abilities.

An

practice, contributes to the ability to

remote view. Psychological and sociological factors meteorological and solar/geophysical conditions

formance of remote viewers. Simply a headache, lack of sleep,

mood, personality

remote view. With so many variables

depend on a

as well

all affect

as

the per-

stated, one's focus of attention,

expectation, state of consciousness, etc.,

propriate to

individual's

single factor

at

traits,

affect the ability to

all

work,

such

motivation,

it

would be inap-

mood

as

or

even previ-

ous experience to estimate the reliability of a remote viewer's

when

information

reporting to a consumer.

Remote viewing

A complex

dynamic.

is

multifaceted, interactive, nonlinear,

systems approach

is

stand remote -viewing performance. By observing a ditions (psychological, physical, physiological,

data) during training sessions successful performance,

which could be used

I

way

the only

and

to under-

number of con-

and environmental

and then matching these up with

was eventually able

to establish profiles

to rate the dependability of

remote -viewing

(An excellent article by Dean I. Radin, Ph.D., "Towards Complex Systems Model of PSI Performance," Subtle Energies and

sessions.

a

Energy Medicine Journal, vol.

7,

no.

1

[1996]: 35-69, describes the

use of 149 relevant variables divided into eight categories personality,

beliefs,

meteorology,

behavior, PSI performance, artificial I

solar/geophysical,

and composite

factors

—mood,

abnormal

— used

in

an

neural network to successfully predict PSI performance.)

also

found that we could increase the probability that we

could respond to intelligence requirements with information of value by using multiple remote viewers.

Knowing

that the best

remote viewers don't always provide accurate information,

I

devel-

oped operational scenarios employing several remote viewers against the

same requirements.

Working

we were able to produce results more frewe had used just one remote viewer. If a baseball depend on just one player to get all the runs in a game,

quently than

team had it

to

as a team, if

would be hard-pressed,

especially since the best sluggers only get

a hit thirty percent of the time.

Working

111

as a team,

however,

it

has

My

Captain of

a

much better chance

number

of getting a

My Soul

Master of

Ship,

of scoring runs and win-

ning the game. Earlier in this chapter,

I

explained that military duty

is

a balance

When there isn't an ongoing military train for one. When the remote viewers weren't

between operations and operation, the troops

training.

—-practicing

involved in an operational tasking, they were rehearsing

with dozens and, in some cases, hundreds of training sessions.

Training

More Personnel

The number

of operational activities slowed

to time as the unit

down from

began to experience the normal

time

attrition of

any

began to move on

military organization. Military personnel

to

other assignments. Unit commanders changed several times. Efforts

were made to retain the most qualified remote viewers, but some

wanted

to

move on because

they

felt

would

that their careers

stag-

nate and they would not be able to compete with their contemporaries for

promotions

if

they stayed.

We

were only able to keep one

of the original remote viewers with the unit over the years, and one

other returned to the unit after a European tour of duty.

We needed to recruit and train new remote viewers and continue We went out to the Army Intelligence School

operational missions. at Fort cer's

Huachuca, Arizona, and recruited two graduates of the

Advanced Course. These new

recruits

Offi-

were scheduled to attend

an external training program developed under contract with SRI. This

program was based,

training set forth

Ingo's training efforts.

Although

retically

for the

most

part,

on

theoretical concepts

by Ingo Swann, a renowned remote viewer.

sound,

it

program was somewhat

it

I

from previous

had been thoroughly evaluated and was theo-

was widely

criticized.

detractors of Ingo's training program.

held promise, and

different

I

Even SRI had

his

number of

thought that Ingo's program

looked forward to seeing

would perform. Ingo called

a

how our new

recruits

technique Coordinate Remote

Viewing, as this cueing technique somewhat represented his calling card.

It

was intended

for individuals

who had

little

rience or understanding of the remote -viewing

1 1

2

or

no

prior expe-

phenomena.

Holmes Atwater

F.

What follows

training program. If this

the

somewhat cumbersome explanation of Ingo's

a

is

you are uninterested in the

program, then perhaps you should

flip

specific details of

forward a few pages to

"Training with Challenge Targets." Again,

section called

because of my personal involvement in

this,

I

felt

obligated to pro-

vide a comprehensive account.

Coordinate Remote Viewing Ingo

Swann

defined Coordinate

Remote Viewing (CRV)

as the

process of remote viewing using longitude and latitude geographic

coordinates for cueing.

As

I

noted before, nowadays Ingo prefers

Remote Viewing, as the fundamental not dependent on the use of geographic coordinates.

the expression Controlled structure

is

Paul H. Smith,

and the other Ingo

who now

teaches remote viewing professionally,

trainees in the unit put together the Coordinate

Remote Viewing Manual which was published by the Defense

Intel-

Agency on May 1, 1986. The manual adhered as closely as possible to what Ingo Swann delivered when working with trainees ligence

one-on-one.

When

Ingo reviewed the manual, he complimented

Paul and his colleagues on producing "such a comprehensive and accurate document." In Ingo's opinion, remote viewing

and decoding

is

the process of detecting

a "signal line" that provides information about

what

he called a "Matrix" of information about persons, places, things,

Note that

or events.

tional concept that a

this

is

somewhat

different

from the conven-

remote viewer somehow "travels to" or "sees"

the target location or information of interest. In Ingo's theory, the

remote viewer contacts the signal ical site itself.

He

feels that the

line of the Matrix,

not the phys-

remote -viewing session consists of

the remote viewer's contact with the signal line as well as the interaction between the viewer

In this

On

the

CRV

CD-ROM CRV process.

companion

illustrating the

and the interviewer/monitor.

technique, the monitor and remote viewer

included with this book there

113

is

sit

an interactive

at

file

Captain of

My

AAaster

Ship,

of

Skip with Paul H. Smith opposite ends of a table.

The monitor

more

Each

(right)

cues and guides the remote

CRV

viewer through a carefully structured discreet, progressive stages.

My Soul

process divided into

stage deals with different

detailed aspects of the designated target.

on the information in the previous From the CRV Manual:

Each

stage builds

stage in a natural progression.

The Matrix has been described

as a huge, nonmaterial,

highly structured, mentally accessible "framework" of infor-

mation containing

data pertaining to everything in both

all

the physical and nonphysical universe.

open

to

and comprises

all

.

.

.

The Matrix

is

conscious entities as well as infor-

mation relating to everything else living or nonliving by accepted

human

definition.

It is

this informational

from which the data encoded on

framework

the signal line originates.

This Matrix can be envisioned as a vast, three-dimensional,

geometric arrangement of dots, each dot representing a discrete information

bit.

Each geographic location on

the Earth

has a segment of the Matrix corresponding exactly to the nature of the physical location.

When

the viewer

is

prompted

by coordinate or other targeting methodology, he accesses the signal line for data derived from the Matrix. By successfully acquiring (detecting) this information from the signal then coherently decoding

it

line,

through his conscious awareness

11^

and

Holmes Atwater

F.

and

he makes

faculties,

it

by himself or

exploitation

Remote viewing

available for analysis and further others.

made

is

possible through the agency of a

hypothetical "signal line." In a

manner roughly analogous

standard radio propagation theory, this signal line

wave, which

inductively modulated

is

information, and viewer.

and

its

The

may be

by

its

intercourse with

detected and decoded by a remote

signal line radiates in

many

different frequencies,

impact on the viewer's perceptive faculties

known

through a phenomenon the remote viewer ifests itself as

first

to

a carrier

is

is

controlled

when

as "aperture." Essentially,

detects the signal line in Stage

I, it

a sharp, rapid influx of signal energy

—

man-

repre-

we

senting large gestalts of information. In this situation,

therefore speak of a "narrow" aperture, since only a very nar-

row portion of

the signal line

allowed to access the con-

is

sciousness. In later stages involving longer,

enduring waves, the aperture

is

slower,

more

spoken of as being "wider."

Under a subcontract to Ingo Swann, SRI agreed to train our two new recruits in the first four stages of Inge's program. This "basic" training took place in Menlo Park and eventually in New York. The training lasted several

months and consisted of two -week

sessions

with Ingo, followed by two weeks of practice at Fort Meade. Since practice continued at Fort tively transferred to us.

Meade, the

Our

CRV methodology was effec-

goal was to eventually be able to train

technique in-house. Before describing Ingo's stages,

this

sary to explain a

Ingo line

The

is

felt

little bit

more about

that a remote viewer's

his

it is

first

contact with the signal

unconscious and stimulates the autonomic nervous system.

signal line

is

thus expressed as a reflexive nervous response of

the muscles controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

same

At the

time, the signal passes into the edges of awareness.

In Stage

I,

the remote viewer takes advantage of this

tact by objectifying a

major

neces-

remote -viewing theories.

initial

spontaneous graphic expression of the

gestalt, called the

ideogram.

ideogram in writing in terms of

con-

target's

The remote viewer describes

the

"feeling/motion" and one's

first

its

analytic response to the signal line. This description represents the

remote viewer's

first

elementary awareness of the target.

115

Captain of

Ingo

felt this

My

Ship,

AAaster

So valuable were

they are worth repeating here from the .

.

My Soul

process of emerging awareness carries with

tain inherent behaviors.

.

of

the normal

his thoughts

on

it

cer-

this that

CRV Manual:

waking consciousness poses

certain prob-

lems for remote viewing, occasioned largely because of the analytic

linear,

thought processes which are societally

enhanced and ingrained from our

earliest stages

of cognitive

development. While extremely useful in a society relying heavily on quantitative data and technological development,

such analytic thinking hampers remote viewing by the manufacture of what

is

known

as "analytic overlay," or

up across the limen and

the signal line surges

AOL. As

into the thresh-

old areas of consciousness, the mind's conscious analytic

process feels duty-bound to assign coherence to what

at first

blush seems virtually incomprehensible data coming from an

unaccustomed source.

It

make

must, in other words,

a "logi-

on the impressions being received. Essentially, the mind jumps to one or a number of instantaneous conclusions about the incoming information without cal" assessment based

waiting for sufficient information to

ment. This process

when

is

make an

accurate judg-

completely reflexive and happens even

not desired by the individual involved. Instead of

allowing wholistic

which the

[sic]

"right-brain"

processes (through

signal line apparently manifests itself) to assemble

a complete and accurate concept, untrained "left-brain" based

upon whatever bit of information seems most familiar and forms an AOL construct based on it.

analytic processes seize

The manual continues with an example

of what Ingo was

describing: ... a

viewer has been given the coordinates to a

girder bridge.

A flash of a complex,

may impinge on

large, steel

manmade

structure

the liminary regions of the viewer's

mind but The con-

metal,

so briefly that no coherent response can be scious mind, working at a

much

made

to

it.

greater speed than the viewer

expects, perceives bits and pieces such as angles, riveted girders, it

and a sense of being "roofed over" and paved, whereupon

suggests to the physical awareness of the viewer that the

1

1B

site

F.

Holmes Atwater

The "image" is of composed of factual elements, though these have been combined by the viewer's overeager analytical processes to form an erroneous conclusion. is

the outside of a large sports stadium.

course wrong but

is at

least

In his training, Ingo acted as monitor and

knew

the target to

be described as he read the geographic coordinates, longitude and latitude, to the

remote viewer. There are numerous objections to

having the monitor knowledgeable, but Ingo ing

it

was

vital to

He

early stages.

felt

that during train-

guide the remote -viewing process during the

attempted to do

this

without leading the remote

As

viewer's descriptions by providing very limited feedback.

remote viewer scrawled the ideogram and described tor provided limited, very controlled feedback

it,

the

the moni-

words indicating to

the viewer that he was responding appropriately to the signal

line.

A remote viewer could take the coordinate cue several times

until

perceptions solidified. plete, the

Stage

II,

Once

the Stage -I perception seemed com-

remote viewer moved on sequentially within structure to

signal-line data relevant to physical sensory input.

Speaking of structure, here Structure gy. is

what the manual

says:

the key to usable remote-viewing technolo-

through proper structure-discipline that mental noise

It is

suppressed and signal line information allowed to emerge

cleanly. tent er.

is

is

As expressed by one

be damned!"

As long

obtained

the universal motto of the remote view-

as proper structure

may be

about content depart

is

from proper

and viewer

is

is

maintained, information

relied on. If the viewer starts speculating

—wondering

inevitably result.

Con-

early student, "Structure!

"what

structure,

One

it

is"

—he

will begin to

and analytic overlay

will

of the primary duties of both monitor

to ensure the

viewer maintains proper structure,

taking information in the correct sequence, at the correct stage,

and

Stage

II,

in the

proper manner.

in Ingo

Swann's

CRV

structure,

is

described as

equivalent to the sensory experience remote viewers would have if

they were physically present at the designated target

signal-line information,

which centers on the

117

site.

This

five physical senses,

My

Captain of

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

usually rises into awareness as small groups of sensory-rich words: light color, rough,

The in Stage

II

texture,

pungent odor,

etc.

thought to come into awareness more slowly

is

and provides the remote viewer with a more intimate

contact with the tive,

bumpy

signal line

site.

During

very specific feedback

monitor provides posi-

training, the

when

the viewer correctly objectifies

sensory aspects of the target.

For example:

As

Viewer. Green, cool.

Monitor: Correct.

Viewer: Loud.

Monitor: Correct.

Viewer: Feels funny.

Monitor: Can't feedback.

Viewer: Tastes fresh.

Monitor: Probably correct.

Viewer: Moving, flowing.

Monitor: Correct.

the Stage -II perceptions mature, dimensional elements

begin to emerge from the unconscious into awareness. Remote viewers begin to objectify

in structure

dimensional words relating

the concepts of vertical, horizontal, angularity, volume (space),

and mass. They use words

As dimensional

like big, long, high, etc.

characteristics are objectified, a threshold

reached for the transition into Stage the signal line and awareness (Stage aesthetic impact.

The concept

III.

is

This further decoding of

III) is

usually

accompanied by

of aesthetic impact

is

related to a

plethora of information impacting the unconscious and provoking a subjective emotional response. Objectifying aesthetic impact

an important, ic

if

not

critical, factor in

is

reducing subsequent analyt-

overlay.

Drawings and sketches are the structure

CRV. True dimensional stage. Stage-II

for

Swann's Stage -III

aspects of the site are expressed in this

dimensional elements, expressed as words, repre-

sent individual portions of the site whereas Stage -III sketches

drawings represent a composite of inherent Initially,

during the

site aspects.

remote viewers are not usually aware of their

ceptual perspective or relationship to the initial objectification

site.

own

per-

This suggests that

of Stage -III perceptions the remote

viewers are not consciously aware of ships of various site

and

all

the dimensional relation-

components. The viewers 1 1

B

rely

on various

tools

F.

Holmes Atwater

outlined in Swann's training to organize the increased information

perceived in Stage

III.

Again from the manual: With the expansion of the aperture and of AI, the viewer site

is

make

prepared to

dimensional aspects with pen on paper.

idly executed general idea of the site. In

after dissipation

representation of the

A

sketch

some cases

is

it

a rap-

may be

highly representational of the actual physical appearance of the

site,

yet in other cases only portions of the site appear.

The observed accuracy of

aesthetic qualities of a sketch are

not particularly important.

The main function of the sketch

is

while

to stimulate further intimate contact with the signal line

continuing to aid in the suppression of the viewer's subjective

from

analytic mental functioning. Sketches are distinguished

drawings by the convention that drawings are more deliberate, detailed

representations and are therefore subject to far

greater analytic (and therefore

AOL-producing)

interpreta-

tion in their execution.

With the

successful objectification of Stage -III perceptions,

the remote viewer's contact with the

site

expands, and she

A

becomes aware of an enormous amount of information.

IV

objectification structure

is

implemented to

the viewer's focusing of perceptions

In Swann's view, this array

decoding of the signal

line.

is

a

on

facilitate

Stage-

and guide

details of the site.

more complete and

The viewer

objectifies

detailed

Stage -IV

responses, usually as single -word concepts, under designated headings or categories within

columns are

columns

in the structured array.

These

labeled:

S2 for Stage-II sensory perceptions;

D for dimensional AI

Stage-II perceptions;

for aesthetic impact;

EI for emotional impact (perceived emotions or feelings of people at the site or of the remote viewer);

rfor tangible aspects of the

site (solid

or "touchable" objects or

characteristics of the site, e.g., cars, foliage, buildings, odors,

noises);

113

Captain of

My

Ship,

AAaster

of

My Soul

/ for intangible site aspects (abstract qualities such as purposes,

"museum,"

categorizations, e.g., "foreign," "medical," "church," "library," etc.);

AOL

AOUS

and

matches

As

analytical

overlay that coincidentally

site data.

in Stage

mation in

for

the viewer seems to

II,

Within the

clusters.

become aware of this

discipline of Swann's

these clusters are objectified in the Stage right

between individual structure

is,

clusters.

CRV structure,

IV array generally

and top -to -bottom with some degree of

infor-

left- to-

vertical spacing

A complete understanding of the CRV

therefore, critical in interpreting objectified site data.

In Stage -IV

CRV, the remote viewer can

exercise

some degree

of control over the order of information entering awareness and

subsequently objectified. By placing his pen in a particular column in the array effectively

(S2-D-AI-EI-7-I-AOL-AOL/S),

prompt

or,

in the

the viewer can

words of the manual, "induce the

nal line to provide information pertinent to the

column

sig-

selected."

In the Stage -IV process, awareness of site information expands rapidly

and care must be taken

they come.

If

to accurately objectify the data as

the flow of information (awareness) slows, viewers

can encourage further contact with

—and awareness of—the

site

by placing their pen in the "EI" array column to further stimulate, in the

words of the manual, "signal

With

line activity

the completion of Stage -IV

Swann, our new

recruits

had completed

CRV

and

acquisition."

training with

"basic" training

Ingo

and were

integrated into operational missions. In between our operational jobs,

we continued

training practice with a variety of targets

trained other remote viewers sion of Swann's "basic" recruited

CRV

we had

and

cross-

recruited using an in-house ver-

technique. Four additional people were

and matriculated into

"basic" training with

Swann.

Training with Challenge Targets

As I

part of

my

responsibilities as operations

and training

was charged with determining the operational

1

20

officer,

capabilities

and

Holmes Atwater

F.

limitations of remote viewing, identifying

remote -viewing

skills,

and

remote viewing on unique

testing

and developing individual

and evaluating the accuracy of

targets.

Completion of the formalized training was not the end of remote -viewing training

members of the

for

other military training program, skills

and

it

As with any

unit.

was necessary to hone

The

to stretch their capabilities.

their

viewers needed practice

with complex targets rather than the lakes, islands, mountains, or bridges typical of "basic" training.

They needed

to be tasked with

the responsibility of collecting specific information. So what

could remote view a football

field?

From an

if

they

intelligence perspec-

—

we needed specific information like, was there a terrorist bomb in the stadium? The Natural History Museum in San Francisco is an example tive,

of a challenge target

enough

to acquire

I

used for such training.

If

viewers were skilled

and describe the building and further

classify

the building as being open to the public or as a tourist attraction,

they were then asked to explore the building further. Within the building, the challenge began.

The

was arranged

inside of the building

as a spiral

walking tour

through historical panoramas. As viewers began to objectify their findings,

many would become

dence in

disoriented and begin to lose confi-

their contact with the site.

With

practice

and

in con-

junction with careful interviewing techniques, remote viewers eventually learned to control their focus of attention to specific tasking and not

become mired

Some remote

viewers became so skilled that,

the Natural History

Museum

to describe a specific display

#A-125,"

as

in the complexity of the overall site.

though the

challenge target,

I

could task them

by cueing something

display's designation

when viewing "Describe

like,

was a coordinate

within the museum. Such training paralleled operational tasks, as

when remote

viewers were directed to describe specific rooms

within a foreign embassy or a designated area within a weapons factory.

Occasionally, during this challenge -target training, gets that

had

to

do with

I

used

tar-

extraterrestrials or unidentified flying

121

-

Captain of

My

Ship,

AAaster of

My Soul

objects (UFOs).'^ Since, by protocol, the remote viewers never

knew when what

would use one of these

I

they were blind as to

targets,

None

they were remote viewing.

of these controversial chal-

lenge targets were ever directed or approved by higher military authority.

authority resulting

I

was the operations and training

on the use of

and the

officer

these as training targets.

from these training sessions was never

The

sole

information

officially

reported

and, presumably, has been destroyed in the years since the project

was closed.

The

controversy surrounding the use of remote viewing for

exploring these topics

is

worth mentioning. From some

scientists'

perspective, such targets are a detriment to acceptance of remote

viewing. Their view seems to be that comparing a viewer's description with an observable object or location will eventually lead to

an understanding of the phenomena and

human

perceptual

ability.

UFO

With

its

acceptance as a valid

targets there

is

hardly ever

anything to compare with a remote viewer's description. Additionally,

some

any association with the

as pejorative and, therefore, best avoided.

Alternatively,

more adventuresome

viewing surveillance (as

UFO phenomena may be seen by

is

unbound by the

we understand them),

extraterrestrial

and

UFO

it is

folks feel that, since

constraints of time

remote

and space

the ideal technique for exploring the

realm. How^ever, several of these people

have become overzealous and have forgotten that the information stream objectified by a remote viewer can be erroneous or valid or a

mixture of both. Remote viewers themselves are of

little

help in

determining which. Therefore, without some sort of protocol to

determine

if

the remote viewer acquired the target and,

if so,

how

well she described information of interest about the target, such

remote viewing sessions may amount to nothing but

My

feeling

is

folly.

that the use of remote -viewing surveillance as a

UFO

corroborative

information source concerning

appropriate.

a thousand people in Phoenix, Arizona, report see-

If

Included on the

reports

is

CD-ROM accompanying this book is an example of this type of

challenge targeting.

1

22

R

ing a

UFO

find out

if

on

Holmes Atwater

happened,

a certain date, as has

local radar detected anything or

if

it

seems

there

logical to

any photo-

is

graphic evidence of such a sighting (which there was).

me

seems logical to

"blinding" protocols,

Enough

with appropriate

would provide further information of

inter-

said.

Advanced As

also

that remote -viewing surveillance of that par-

ticular space -time coordinate, carefully tasked

est.

It

Training

the weeks and

months turned

into years

own

viewers continued to develop their

and our remote

expertise,

we wanted

provide our adept viewers with some form of advanced

to

training.

Ingo further developed his training methodology and offered two additional stages within his

sonnel

who

New York

for Stage -V

Stage -V

(what

I

CRV

technique.

One

originally attended his "basic" training

CRV

would

of the two per-

was sent

off to

and Stage -VI training with Ingo.

does not rely on a direct link to the "signal line"

call further

contact with the

site)

but access to infor-

mation theoretically "in the brain and autonomic nervous system," available

below the liminal threshold. Swann hypothesizes that

information

is

when

deposited in earlier stages

this

the signal line pass-

es through the system and "imprints" data on the brain by causing

cognitrons, or neural- cell assembly, to form through the rearrange-

ment of the

brain's

The remote

neuronal

clusters.

viewer, through prompting,

"stored" in a cognitron.

When

can access information

properly prompted, the Stage

V

information emerging into awareness consists of the subelements that together form the complete cognitron objectified during earlier

CRV

Stages.

From

the

CRV Manual:

... the concept "religious" may be represented by one complete cognitron (cluster of neurons); each neuron would store a

subelement of that cognitron. Hence, the cognitron for

"religious" could have neurons storing data for the following

elements: "quiet," "incense," "harmonious chanting," heads," "robes," "candles," "dimly

123

lit,"

"bowed

"reverence," "worship,"

Captain of

My

Ship,

AAaster of

paid to what underlies the con-

"respect," etc. If attention

is

cept of "religious" as

originally

subelements, which

mation

far

beyond

may be broken

it is

may

My Soul

evoked

in Stage IV, the

themselves provide valuable infor-

their collective

meaning of

"religious,"

out and assembled.

These Stage -V subelements of previously perceived data called emanations, as

Swann felt

are

that these concepts literally issued

from or flowed forth or were actually emitted by subliminally

known

aspects of the

site.

Training the remote viewer to bring this

information above the liminal threshold and objectify

it

was again

a matter of proper structure. Stage -V structure consists of dividing

the possible types of emanations obtainable into four categories: Objects, Attributes, Subjects, and Topics.

The viewer prompts tion by saying

concept,

e.g.,

the release of subliminally held informa-

and writing the previously

objectified lower-Stage

the "I" (Stage-IV Intangible) "religious," and under

that writes the

name

of a Stage -V Category,

e.g.,

"Objects," and

below that writes the word "Emanations," followed by a simple question

mark

(?).

Using the "religious" example from above, the

Stage -V objectified structure might look something like the chart

on the following

page.

The word "Emanations" "religious" cognitron that

represents the subelements of the

emerged from below the liminal thresh-

old (in Stage IV) as a collective concept for these subelements.

Swann

theorized that the overall cognitron- concept possesses

the combined neural energy of

its

components and therefore

easily

passes into the awareness of the remote viewer. This assumes that

the individual subelements themselves do not have sufficient

impetus to break through the liminal barrier into the consciousness of the viewer and must be invoked intentionally.

The dered to

operational value of Stage -V its

subelements and

CRV

is

obvious.

details, earlier-stage

Once

ren-

perceptions pro-

duce a wealth of additional information of use to the intelligence analyst. In the

enough

above example, the "religious" perception might be

to testify to the validity of

remote viewing. But Stage

V

goes far beyond this simple proof, providing useful information of

1

2^

F.

Holmes Atwater

STAGE V STRUCTURE (EXAMPLE) Possible Types of Emanations for the

Word "RELIGIOUS"

religious

Objects

Emanations? robes candles incense religious

Attributes

Emanations? quiet

dimly lit echoing large religious

Subjects

Emanations? worship reverence respect

harmonious chanting religious

Topics

Emanations?

mass Catholic priest

communion potential intelligence value.

It's

easy to imagine

how

Stage -V

CRV

could be used in a strategic or tactical intelligence remote -viewing surveillance mission.

With Stage 'VI CRY sible.

the

site's

ever,

three -dimensional modeling of the site

Conceptually, Stage VI

it is

is

is

pos-

a continuation of the objectification of

physical characteristics

begun

in Stage

commonly implemented to objectify

125

III.

In practice,

how-

the interrelationship of

Captain of

My

Ship,

"T" (Stage 'IV Tangibles) elements

at the site.

VI both

interaction with the site in Stage

My Soul

Master of

The

facilitates the

kinesthetic

assessment

of relative temporal and spatial dimensional elements of the

and

effectively focuses the

remote viewer's attention to

site

specific

locales.

In training and practice, the remote viewer establishes a struc-

tured array identical to the one in Stage

IV The

array sheet

is

labeled "Stage VI" for record keeping purposes and to indicate that

the array pertains to a specific the entire

site,

site locale in

which would be

space/time rather than

a Stage -IV array.

The remote viewer also has easy access to modeling material (usually clay). Cueing on Stage TV "T" elements, the viewer conmodels and records information per-

structs three-dimensional

ceived from the "signal line" in the columns on the prepared

Stage -VI array sheet. During the Stage -VI

CRV

remote viewer must focus awareness on the "signal model.

The model does not have

manual emphasizes,

"It

from the modeling that

is

is

line,"

the

not the

an accurate rendering. The

the objectified information resulting

important."

Advanced

Alternative

to be

process,

Training

Rather than CRV, other members of the unit adopted a more meditative -based style of remote viewing.

I

coined the acronym

ERV. (Army people love to make up acronyms.)

ERV

stood for

Extended Remote Viewing, because the remote -viewing sessions took longer to conduct.

As good in receiving

ment

as these

remote viewers were, they expressed an interest

some form of "advanced"

position,

I

too wanted to see

if

training.

their

From

a

manage-

remote -viewing

skills

could be enhanced. Since the foundation of their remote -viewing

behavior was based on the notion of achieving a special state of consciousness conducive to the detection and acquisition of relevant data

— the proverbial information of

mend Hemi-Sync

training from

The Monroe

interest

Institute.

—

I

site-

recom-

Aside from

any out-of-body expectations imbued by Robert Monroe's books. 1

26

Holmes Atwater

F.

Hemi'Sync

the

training process offered a pragmatic, scientific-

based method of teaching people to access levels of cortical arousal

supportive of a variety of focus states of consciousness.

With

and

practice, a graduate could willfully

reliably enter a

propitious level of cortical arousal without the aid of the

Sync sound technology.

I

hoped

Hemi-

that our remote viewers could be

trained to access arousal levels conducive to the five behaviors

had outlined years

based on what

earlier,

Puthoff and Targ, other research

and

erature,

As tists,

my own

I

had learned from

review of the pertinent

lit-

personal remote -viewing experiences.

the years passed,

their

labs, a

I

learned a great deal from the SRI scien-

I

remote viewers, and Ingo Swann himself, and from work-

ing with our

own

original thoughts

cadre of army remote viewers.

about the

five basic

It all

reinforced

becoming aware, and

relaxing, connecting, listening,

my

behaviors of remote viewing: reporting. If

the viewers could develop their expertise in these behavior

skills,

chances were that their remote viewing would improve. Yes, they

would have good days and bad days and

a variety of factors

surely influence their performance, but

any "advanced" training

would

supportive of these basic behaviors seemed appropriate for the

ERVers, and

The Monroe

Institute offered

such training.

Hemi-Sync and Remote Viewing We

McMoneagle, our best ERVer, a period of first

one

for

Monroe

work with Joe ten nonconsecutive weeks over

contracted privately with Robert

year. Joe discussed his training

to

with Monroe in his

book. Mind Trek. Joe, a beefy

officer

when

I

man with

recruited

lished himself as our

hardly any neck, was a first-rate military

him

for the unit

and since then had

most accomplished remote viewer.

During these training

sessions,

Monroe worked one -on- one

with Joe, experimenting with him and teaching him different levels of arousal.

The

how

to access

recipe for this training involved sev-

eral identifiable processes. First

estab-

was learning how to physically 1

relax.

Captain of

My

AAaster of

Ship,

My Soul Monroe coached

a

relaxation process directing Joe's focus of attention to various parts of

encouraging

his

body,

him

to tell these areas of

his

body

to "relax, let go,

Monroe

Next,

sleep."

coached him

to attend

to his breathing, to slow

respiration

his

and

to

imagine that his breath represented the flow of

Joe McMoneagle then suggested that he

Monroe

life-energy.

set his intent for this session

through a

process of affirmation.

Once

these

three ingredients were solidified,

first

coached Joe to focus

his attention

another way, become aware of his "noise" of the physical senses.

The

on

his internal

world

own mental realm

Monroe or,

stated

without the

final ingredient in this training

recipe was the addition of Hemi-Sync, an audio technolog>^ capable

of altering one's state of consciousness or first-person experience

by altering the brain's cortical level of arousal. Properly applied, this recipe

would enable Joe

ceptions. This

to orally report and/or journal his per-

Monroe formula seemed

aspects to the behaviors that

I

had

to

me

very similar in

many

identified as conducive to the

remote -viewing process.

Each

training week,

I

conducted an audit remote -viewing

sion to try to determine any

improvement

in Joe's

ses-

remote -viewing

performance. During these sessions, we were able to monitor physiological

changes from electrodes placed on Joe's

of these "audit" sessions proved to be strative training sessions

During one of these, structures

I

I

had the

fingers.

A couple

some of the most demon-

privilege of conducting with Joe.

decided to use coordinates ot some unusual

on the planet Mars

that Puthoff

reclined with headphones in a soundproofed

12S

had provided. Joe

room

in the lab at

,

Holmes Atwater

F.

The Monroe

and Bob Monroe and

Institute,

I

sat in the adjacent

control room.^^ In preparation for this exercise,

Mars, one million years card, sealed

B.C." on

the envelope in his breast pocket.

know what cific

I

Bob

"The planet

written,

(and, of course, Joe) did not

had written on the index

coordinates (unseen by either

with me.

had

opaque envelope, and asked Bob to put

in a small,

it

I

a standard three -by-five index

Bob

card.

I

kept the

list

of spe-

or Joe) provided by Puthoff

When Joe finished his cool-down period,

I

directed Joe to

focus by saying, "Using the information in the envelope ..." and

then read him the

Hemi'Sync

Martian coordinate. Bob adjusted

first

Joe's

patterns.

Joe seemed very deep

incomplete sentences)

—

a

really got into the process.

(slowed respiration; slurred speech;

good

mate" in "some distant place," reviewed the

list

sign.

He

usually did well

When he began I

to describe

when he

an "arid

knew he was probably on

cli-

target.

I

of Martian coordinates provided by Puthoff and

directed Joe to "move" from his present location to the next set of

coordinates on the

Of course, er,

if

list.

he had started

off

by describing an aircraft

a factory, a person having coffee, or

locale,

I

some other

would have figured that the session was

a bust

carri-

irrelevant

and would

not have continued with the Martian coordinates.

When

directed to focus

on the time period designated

in the

sealed envelope, Joe reported the "aftereffect of a major geologic

problem."

When asked

to

move

to a time before the geologic prob-

lem (perhaps thousands or tens or hundreds of thousands of years) he reported a

"total difference" in the terrain.

He

also

found a

"shadow" of "very large" people. Joe went on to explain that by

"shadow" he meant that they weren't there anymore. Once again I

asked Joe to

were I

still

move back

in time

—

to the period

when

the people

there (again, perhaps thousands or tens or hundreds of

have included the unedited audio recording of this unique remote-viewing ses-

sion

on the

CD-ROM accompanying this book. Martian reconnaissance imagery

in the presentation

shows the

sites

Joe described

tieth century.

129

—

at least in

terms of the twen-

My

Captain of

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

thousands of years). Joe described "very large people"

who were

"wearing very strange clothes."

As

it

turned out, Joe described eight different coordinate-

When

designated locations on Mars.

Joe began to describe the

unusual structures on Mars, Bob did not

know

if Joe

was on

target;

me what was happening. As he continued to adjust the Hemi-Sync sound patterns, he asked repeatedly about Joe's he asked

descriptions.

I

gestured, "Wait," several times until

I

turned

finally

Bob and winked while saying simply, "Joe is on Mars." Bob listened carefully to Joe's intriguing descriptions of an ancient race of "very large people" and a cataclysmic disaster that caused them to abandon their home. At one point, Joe was in teleto

pathic contact with one of the Martians. During this deep-contact period, Joe's skin-potential voltage (measured from finger electrodes) reversed polarity

—

crossing the zero or null point

—

indi-

cating a discrete shift in perception.

Bob and

After the session.

I

debriefed Joe before revealing the

contents of the sealed envelope. Joe reiterated his feelings of having been "a long

than

his previous

way

and that

off"

this session

was very

different

remote -viewing experiences. Joe did a great job

during this audit session. Again, his comments on this unique

remote viewing are in

The importance

his

book Mind

Trek.

of this remote viewing for Joe

(and the rest of us) extends

far

McMoneagle it may

beyond the implications

have

for the exploration of the planet

tury.

What

Mars

in the twenty-first cen-

I'm iterating here relates to what this session did for Joe

He was

back in 1984. lions of miles

able to extend his consciousness across mil-

and millions of years

(in

terms of space/time

reality).

This must have had a tremendous impact on Joe's concept of self

He

not only experienced his consciousness extending beyond the

confines of his physical body but also reaching across our solar sys-

tem,

spanning millennia, and bonding

another being. is

Who

is

this

(telepathically.^)

guy named Joe McMoneagle?

And

with if

he

an example of our true nature, who are we?

The

final

results

Hemi-Sync

of this

training

cannot be

explained in terms of better or higher-resolution remote viewing.

1

30

Holmes Atwater

F.

Hemi'Sync

training did not necessarily improve the overall remote-

viewing quality but rather the

of the remote viewer.

reliability

The

training provided remote viewers with a dependable tool that they

could use to access beneficial states of cortical arousal, states conducive to relaxing physically and mentally, to connecting with the to listening quietly to internal perceptual processes,

target,

becoming aware of the information of

interest,

reporting (objectifying) such information. says that the process helps

him

and

(When

to

to accurately

asked, Joe simply

relax or prepare himself)

McMoneagle retired from military service shortly after completing the Hemi-Sync training. No other remote viewers were ever trained personally by Robert Monroe. I felt that the Gateway Voyage, a Hemi-Sync training program for the public, offered a sufficient orientation to the Hemi-Sync process at a greatly reduced Joe

cost.

But of the several remote viewers with an

process that were selected and attended the

gram, none ever did quite as well as Joe,

affinity for the

ERV

Gateway Voyage pro-

who

admittedly was a

superb remote viewer even without the Hemi-Sync training. In terms of

reliability or dependability,

perhaps the prolonged ten

weeks of Hemi-Sync training was better

after

all.

Closing the Remote-Viewing Chapter of In June 1987,

I

relinquished

Life

position as operations

Gate remote -viewing program.

training officer of the Star

been some ten years since

my

My

I

It

and

had

had shown Lieutenant Colonel Webb

the book Mind-Reach and had asked for a military assignment in

remote viewing.

I

December, when

I

I

retired

stayed

on with the

unit as an advisor until

went on terminal leave and moved

from military service in February of 1988.

to Virginia.

My personal

experience with military remote -viewing surveillance had objectively

demonstrated the validity of a process

ing throughout

my

life.

I

had been experienc-

There was a greater cultural impact

too.

Through Star Gate, two presidents, members of the National Security Council, CIA, FBI, etc., and numerous military and civilian government personnel discovered that what we know and

131

My

Captain of

experience

is

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

not bound by the confines of our physical percep-

Our ver\' being extends beyond the physical body in a ver>^ way. The impact of this realization continues to grow as more

tions.

real

and more people

are uncovering the details of the

government-

sponsored work in remote viewing. Today, hundreds of people are learning

Viewing Association selected

scientists

(see

and

how

The

ing through a variety of techniques.

to

do remote view-

Remote

International

website at IRVA.org), organized by

encourages

practitioners,

sound research, provides ethical standards, and

scientifically

offers

overview

educational information to the public. This widespread interest in a consciousness-expanding discipline reflects a basic realization by

individuals of their for

own

and a

true spiritual identit>^

cultural desire

reconnecting with the spiritual foundation of humanity.

These implications have not gone unnoticed by me. In ment,

I

headed

to

The Monroe

Institute,

where

adventure "through the Flavor Straw" to

had done so many years

before.

I

I

retire-

would once again

my own

awareness as

I

was on course.

Looking Back, an Epilogue

My

experiences with remote viewing have become

experiences, a part of

life

rapidly

stories imprinted in the retreating

past-life

becoming "remember-when"

memories of my mind.

Over the years, as I have talked with people about remote viewing, some have reacted with indignant disapproval, others with skepticism, and others with enthusiasm. interested and wish to get to the

bottom

of

Some it

are seriously

(whatever that

means). These varying reactions seem to be the result of differing educational backgrounds, of spiritual or peak experiences in their

own

lives,

of their level of openness to

new

information, etc.

In the course of their lives, people don't necessarily maintain

one certain concept of the world ing).

(or

opinion about remote view-

Experience changes and shapes ways of thinking, our very

concept of reality. Over the years, some with

have changed.

132

whom

I

have spoken

F.

Those with

Holmes Atwater

a materialistic perspective disregard the notion of

remote viewing because of the incapacity of proving objective mechanisms responsible for the observed perspective

deem remote viewing

effects.

Those representing

They phenomena. They

impossible from the

therefore search for causes that might explain the

this

start.

suppose deceit, sleight of hand, or mistakes by the experimenter.

A physicalist perspective holds remote viewing to be possible as either conscious or unconscious

human being.

mental processes in the

Extra-dimensional considerations of the

Numerous

discarded as being speculative.

are

living

phenomena

protocols

invoked to demonstrate the efficacy of remote viewing.

are

Statistical

models, behavioral profiles, double -blind cueing, analytical techniques, etc., are the calling cards of these "true believers."

The

(not

spiritualistic

meaning holy) approach

the possibility that remote viewing represents our

mensional nature and that senses

tell us.

I

reality

have found that

is

own

open

to

multidi-

more than our physical many who publicly avow a is

physicalist perspective are closet spiritualists, especially the

ones

who

are psychically experiential themselves. This group

endeavors to improve remote -viewing methods and techniques with the aim of getting better and more frequent "hits" demonstrating their abilities.

want

Additionally, these particular "true believers" different applications for

nosis

and healing or

remote viewing,

early

due caution and a

critical

test the validity of individual

risk of getting tangled in

their

own remote -viewing

is

easily

seduced into putting

view of themselves. They neglect to

remote -viewing sessions and run the

dependence and an skills.

Some

consider

irrational belief in trivialities

tradictory absurdities to be the "ultimate truth"

announce the

or con-

and may even

said "truths" as doctrine. In so doing, the legitimate

endeavors for responsible remote viewing

An

to develop

remote medical diag-

warning of imminent danger of future

events. In their enthusiasm, this group aside

i.e.,

ethical or conscientious

may be

approach to

discredited.

all

this takes into

the above approaches.

The

materialistic perspective advocates guarding against deceit

and

account the reasonable aspects of

all

133

-

My

Captain of

Master of

Ship,

(Of course, some would say

trickery by unscrupulous practitioners.

government involvement

that any

is

My Soul

unscrupulous by definition.)

The physicalist approach points out that our unconscious minds may be a repository for remote -viewing information and that careful scientific investigation of the phenomenon may help us understand our boundless perceptual abilities.

The spiritualistic viewpoint suggests that reality itself is greater than we know and that we truly are more than our physical bodies. Is remote viewing real? Those who research the field may come to convince themselves of scientific

its

veracity based

on the accumulating

evidence of the psychic phenomena. Psychologically,

however, these well-meaning truth seekers remain protected by a defense mechanism. belief systems

that

into their old

the research

all

is

bogus and

couldn't possibly be true.

it

I,

They can always escape back

under the guise that

however, do not have the luxury of this psychological safe

haven.

I

was the operations

viewing unit.

I

controlled the protocols and information overtly

available to the

there was

no

Gate remote

officer for the Star

remote viewers.

I

knoWj because

Remote viewing

fraud.

is

real. It

To me, the value of remote viewing tical applications like

I

was

there, that

works.

not in so-called prac-

lies

performing services for business, industry,

government, and science; or aiding in the recovery of lost children, assisting the

FBI on kidnap

even contacting

UFOs

cases, or helping to fight terrorism; or

viewing rests with the experience

Remote viewing

is

like

real) the true If

are.

itself

Through experience, Through remote viewing, we realize (make making

love.

nature of ourselves as sentient beings.

remote viewing

serve in

value of remote

stopping to smell the flowers, drinking

a goblet of fine vintage wine, or

we become who we

The

or spiritual beings.

some way

to

is

going to be part of

promote increased

my

future,

for

humankind.

134

will

be to

first-person experiences of

remote viewing and the discovery of who we are

and the meaning that has

it

as

human

beings

Part Two:

Scientist, Explorer, Spiritual

T

—

Chapter

Five

Monroe World

The New Land

Hemi-Sync

of

In 1986, a couple of years before

began building a house near Nellysford,

Monroe

softly suggesting that

I

we

from the army,

I

The Monfounded by Bob

Virginia, very close to

Institute, a nonprofit organization

roe. In the intervening years since

been

retired

I

first

could join the

met

in 1977,

Bob had

staff of the Institute.

He

never made a direct offer but rather hinted that there might be a position available

with

my own

Monroe

if I

internal Guidance, led

Institute as

Family

life

was so disposed. This open door, coupled

me

in the direction of

The

army retirement neared.

on Fort Meade had been

great.

The

kids

had

rotat'

ed in turn through the elementary, middle, and high schools.

There were school bands and

recitals, after- school sports, a

broken

arm, and a bicycle accident that led to a few knocked- out teeth.

When

all

eighties,

the kids were old

Joan had gotten a

enough

to go to school, in the mid-

job.

Those were the burgeoning days of computers

in the

work-

and Joan had landed a position with a growing company. She had become a valuable company asset and slowly had become

place,

137

Captain of

more and more hfe.

began

I

My

Ship,

My Soul

less interested in

home

uncomfortable with the marriage as time

to feel I

of

work and

interested in her

passed. Perhaps

AAaster

was jealous or

lost interest in family life.

As

abandoned,

felt

seemingly

as she

military retirement approached, our

lives drifted farther apart.

As

I

explained before,

and training 1987. in

I

I

officer for the

my position

relinquished

remote -viewing unit in the summer of

went on terminal leave from the army and

December 1987, and we moved

in Virginia.

I

was

Shortly after

moved back

officially retired

we moved

as operations

into the

left

Fort

new house

I

had

to her job in Maryland.

Joan and

The

I

separated. She

separation led to an ami-

cable divorce after being married twenty years. Although

career and retail chain.

become an information systems manager She has my respect and gratitude

children.

A New

I

will

for all the affection for

our three beau-

Careen

job offer might

trust

for a large

always love her.

Retiring from the ic

we have

She has since advanced her

friends.

we shared during our twenty-year marriage and tiful

built

from the army in February 1988.

to Virginia,

both remarried, we remain

Meade

Guidance

army and moving

seem

as expressed

divine -right- action.

It

to Virginia without a specif-

like a risky thing to do.

But

I

had grown

to

through gentle feelings and a sense of

was not

as

though I heard a booming voice

say,

move to Virginia, and get a job at The MonInstitute." I just knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. An understanding of the technology time window is important

"Retire from the army,

roe

here. In the mid- to late -eighties, desktop office computers to

change the workplace

er,

neurs,

became

enthusiasm.

I

possible.

I

took to

ownership of a comput-

most forward-looking entreprethis

new computer

era with great

bought a home computer and learned how

ate a variety of systems

My

forever. Personal

a concept shared by only the

began

to oper-

and to write my own applications programs.

electronics training from earlier years helped too.

obviously had more on

my agenda

technical surveillance devices. 1

38

at the time

Guidance

than clandestine

F.

new

This

Holmes Atwater

age of technology

made widespread

application of

computerized electroencephalography, popularly referred to as "brain mapping," a reality.

found a fledgling company in Col-

I

orado called Lexicor Medical Technology that had developed a 24' channel, computerized

EEC recording and

analysis instrument.

This remarkable 'for-itS' time system worked in conjunction with the latest in desktop computers

— an IBM- compatible 286 with

20'megabyte hard drive and 8 megabytes of such

figures

RAM.

I

a

realize that

sound ridiculous by today's standards, but back then

it

was state-of-the-art.

Bob Monroe and

I

discussed the possibility of getting such a

device for the Institute and using in people

listening

to

it

to

measure brainwave changes

Hemi-Sync. Ever since

"through the Flavor Straw" back in 1977,

I

my

experience

had been

curious.

What was it about Hemi-Sync that made this journey possible, and how was it that Bob ever came up with this sound technology? Bob had told me at the time that my specific experience was the result of my metaphysical upbringing and my intent. But my curiosity went further. Do the Hemi-Sync sounds alter brain activity

and consciousness?

Bob assured me

that this was probably true but there was

no

objective evidence to demonstrate such changes. But now, with

the advent of desktop computers, such measurements would be possible outside a multimillion-dollar medical diagnostic facility.

Bob sent me During

to

this

my army

after

Colorado to check out the Lexicor device.

same period of time retirement),

which was equipped with binaural beats

and took produce asked

his

me

The with

it

my

— the

a stereo

stuff of

(I still

did not have a

new

job

programmed my home computer,

I

sound card, to produce complex

Hemi-Sync.

I

packed up

my computer

Bob to show him how computers could be used to Hemi-Sync sounds. He was skeptical at first; then he

to

to "dial in" a few different binaural-beat patterns.

short version of the rest of the story

is

that

I

did not leave

computer. Bob was truly amazed. For years, he had been

mixing together

many

layers of

sounds from analog tape through a

multi- channel audio mixing board. This

133

method took hours and

My

Captain of

Master of

Ship,

My Soul

hours of work. With a computer, such mixing became obsolete

such combinations could simply be programmed

as

into the sound

card.

When came I

back from Colorado and explained to Bob how

the Lexicor device worked and

mended operate that

I

it

that he get one for the Institute.

would

He

reveal,

asked

and the computer we would need to buy.

it

could.

offered

what

me

It

was only then,

in

me I

to use the Lexicor,

me

Bob

offered

me

assured

him

September 1988.

He was

him in a scientific journey on why and how of Hemi-Sync.

rest of this

I

set

up and

the position of research

to join

discover the

The

could

if I

a job at the Institute.

director at the Institute in

ing

recom-

June of 1988, that Bob actually

After a provisional ninety-day hire, during which

began

I

in fact invit-

a course charted to

chapter describes the journey from Bob's intu-

itive

foundation in the 1950s and 1960s to the rapidly evolving

field

of neuroscience at the

dawn

of the twent>^-first centurs' and

our current understanding of the Hemi-Sync process.

In

the Beginning Originally,

Bob was

interested in sleep -learning and

wanted

to

develop a way to prolong those lighter stages of sleep wherein most sleep-learning

seemed

to occur.

He experienced his many Hemi-Sync

out-of-body escapade only after

first

conscious

sleep-learning

experiments.

Ever since the tute

late 1950s, first

Bob Monroe and then

have been identifying propitious

the Insti-

states of consciousness

developing various Hemi-Sync signals to induce them. process of developing effective as

complex

aural beats,

es

The

Hemi-Sync binaural beats has been

as the functions of the brain itself

Under laboratory conditions, Bob Monroe many subjects for their subjective and objective frequency.

and

and recorded the

Then

effect

on them

ot

originally tested

responses to bin-

each binaural beat

binaural beats were mixed and subjects' respons-

were again recorded. After

many months

—

years in 1

some

AO

cases

—

test results

began

F.

Holmes Atwater

show population-wide singular responses to specific mixes of binaural beats, which laid the foundation for what are now called Hemi'Sync focus levels. The Hemi-Sync technology was eventuto

ally

patented/^

Bob

tried to describe

tem that uses sound

wave

states.

He

Hemi-Sync

that

an auditory-guidance

somehow

pulses to

said

as

sys-

entrain beneficial brain-

Hemi-Sync seemed

be able to

to

heighten selected awareness and performance levels while creating a relaxed state.

But could

this

be true?

And

Could sound pulses somehow

was,

if it

how

did

all this

work?

entrain the electrical activity of the

brain? Resonant entrainment of oscillating systems

understood principle in the physical sciences

—but

is

a well-

was

it

the

mechanism behind Hemi-Sync?

Although Bob found that Hemi-Sync, actually the phenomena of binaural beating, enables focused

recognized

wellstates

of consciousness and, for some, provokes the realization that they are

more than

mechanism

their physical bodies, little

— the

was known about the

so-called neural underpinnings of the process.

In the early years,

it

was assumed that the mechanism behind

the consciousness-altering effects of binaural beats was related to the frequency-following response.

It

somehow

was postulated that

prolonged exposure to binaural-beat stimuli influenced brainwaves to the point of altering

ongoing

EEG

through entrainment of the

perceived rhythmic pulsing.

Since an auditory, frequency-following response could be

measured

at the brain's cortex,

ment imposed some

it

was theorized that such entrain-

sort of pattern

on the

nonlinear, stochastic

resonance of brainwaves by means of the frequency beating of the auditory stimulus.

Some

erroneously called this "entrainment of

the frequency-following response." This of course sense, because a "response"

thing and not in "*

Patent

b.

Patent

little

by definition, a reaction to some-

itself causative.

Number: 3884218; Issue Year: 1975 Number: 5213562; Issue Year: 1993 Patent Number: 5356368; Issue Year: 1994

a.

c.

is,

makes

141

.

Captain of

My

Ship,

My Soul

/VUster of

The Bob Monroe Research Lab Even before

I

became the research

director,

was fascinated

I

with the concept that Hemi-Sync altered consciousness. this

At

meant

first, I

that the sound patterns

somehow changed

assumed

I

brainwaves.

thought that Bob must have based the Hemi-Sync

quencies on his

own brainwave

So

states.

some documentation of Bob's brainwave

began searching

I

fre-

for

state during his out-of-

body adventures. I

found

it

in the International Journal of Parapsychology

Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association.

The

and the

Journal article

reported a study of Bob Monroe's brainwave state during two self- induced

state

out-of-body experiences.

resembled Stage

investigator,

One

reported

sleep,

that

The recorded brainwave

identification

ambiguous because of exceptionally high

wave

T Tart,

but Charles

this

brief,

the principal

was somewhat

variability in Bob's brain-

patterns.^'

The

Bob also reported two brief He had awakened within a few seconds

Proceedings article said that

out-of-body experiences.^^

each one, which allowed

after

for correlation of physiological

recordings with the experience. Brainwave patterns immediately prior to

and continuous through the

classified as a borderline or

containing

and theta

bits

first

hypnagogic

experience were roughly

state, a

brainwave pattern

of slowed alpha rhythm (indicative of drowsiness)

activity (a

normal sleeping pattern)

This pattern persisted through the time period Bob reported as his first out-of-body experience fall

and was accompanied by

a

sudden

of systolic blood pressure lasting seven seconds, the estimated

length of the out-of-body experience.

The second out-of-body

experience appeared to have been accompanied by similar brain-

wave

patterns.

The two "

studies of Bob's out-of-body experiences

showed that

"A Second Psychophysiological Study of Out-of-the-Body Experiences

in a

Gifted Subject." International Journal of Parapsychology 9 (1967): 251-258.

W.

Roll. R. Morris

and

J.

Morris, eds.

Out-of-the-Body Experiences

"A Further Psychophysiological Study of

in a Gifted Subject,

Robert A. Monroe," Pro-

ceedings of the Parapsychological Association, 6 Nov. 1969: 43-44.

1

42

Holmes Atwater

F.

escapades seemed to occur in conjunction with a prolonged

his

and deliberately produced hypnagogic

Such sustained

states are

state

(Stage

One

sleep).

not normally seen in the laboratory.

Additionally, the preponderance of theta rhythms

and the occa-

sional, slowed alpha showed an intriguing parallel with brainwave

states reported for

advanced Zen masters during meditation. (The

major achievement of these two studies was to demonstrate that the out-of-body experience can occur in a laboratory setting and

is

thus amenable to scientific investigation.)

Bob based the Hemi-Sync frequencies on his own brainwaves, hypnagogic theta with reduced alpha would be the logical place to start. When I asked Bob about this, he laughed So

and

if

said that there

was probably something to

all this

but that

he had started developing Hemi-Sync long before he had had

his

(conscious) out-of-body experience or had his brainwaves

first

measured.

Early Understandings If a

tuning fork designed to produce a frequency of 440

struck so as to cause vicinity of

it

Hz tuning

another 440

to oscillate.

The

ond, or caused

it

first

to oscillate,

tuning fork

and

is

fork, the

is

said to

Hz

is

then brought into the

second fork

will

begin

have entrained the sec-

to resonate.

For one oscillating system to be capable of entraining another,

the second system must be capable of achieving the

oscillating frequency.

A

440 Hz tuning fork

will

300 Hz tuning fork because the second tuning fork vibrate at

440 Hz. Also,

for

of entraining another,

power or amplitude

to

of the second, and the

quency.

The tuning

the

one

fork

is

will

not

oscillating system to be capable

first

system must have sufficient

overcome the homeostasis first

same

not entrain a

must be

(stable state)

at a constant or fixed fre-

an ideal example because

it

produces

an oscillation of constant frequency and amplitude called a standing wave. I

postulated that the physics of entrainment applied to brain-

waves

as well.

The

electrochemical activity of the brain results in

143

Captain of

My

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

the production of electromagnetic waveforms (brainwaves) that

change frequencies based on neural

I

wondered It

seemed

brainwave

Hemi-Sync could

if

to

me

actually

change

that caffeine, nicotine,

The

activity.

and

activity within the brain

EEC

can be objectively measured with sensitive equipment, the

this activity.

and alcohol could

alter

and hearing

also

senses of vision, touch,

provide easy access to the neural functions of the brain. Each of these senses responds to

waveform

activity within the surrounding

environment and transmits information to the brain.

Do

the senses

of sight, touch, and hearing, by their very nature, provide a

fertile

medium for entrainment of brainwaves? A strobe light flashing at 10 Hz will entrain occipital brainwaves to its frequency. Could the sound technology Bob Monroe called Hemi-Sync entrain the brain in the

same way?

The

strobe -entrainment effect involves only

The

channels.

sense of kinesthetic touch

esting experiment,

I

The

of a desired frequency in a waterbed.

sensor>'

another. In one inter-

is

found a researcher had

one of the

set

up a standing wave

resultant tactile signals

were seemingly effective in entraining the subject's brainwaves to the selected frequency. In the case of Hemi-Sync,

is

the sense of hearing providing the

neural avenues by which entrainment signals can be introduced into

electromagnetic

the

researchers

had measured

environment?

cranial

Brainwave

a low- amplitude, frequency-following

response to binaural beating, but this volume -conducted reflection of the stimulus beating does not represent ongoing or domi-

nant brainwave

activity.

needed

I

to

learn

more

about

brainwaves.

There

is

a popular notion that

one can

tell

thinking by measuring brainwave patterns. This

one can

tell

what information

is

in a

is

a person

like sa\'ing that

which of course

is

impossi-

A more realistic analogy- would be the telephone. A telephone has three states of consciousness: State

— the telephone — telephone

standby ringing

the

is

sits

is

computer by simply measur-

ing voltages present at various points, ble.

what

one

is

waiting to be used. State two

is

actively soliciting attention. State three

is

Holmes Atwoter

F.

talking

— the telephone

being used. All of these states of con-

is

sciousness of the telephone can be determined by measuring the

telephone wires. Direct access to the telephone

line voltage of the

not needed in order to

itself is If is

know what

it is

doing.

48 volts of direct current are present on the wires, the phone

in state one, or standby;

phone

is

if

100 volts of alternating current, the

in state two, or ringing.

volt direct current

on the phone

When

there

is

a

modulated 10-

wires, the telephone

is

in state

three, or talking (being used).

These telephone

states of consciousness, so to speak, are dis-

crete in that the telephone

time.

It is

cannot be in more than one

waiting, ringing, or talking.

and determining that the telephone not reveal what

The same cies

is

is

is

But measuring

state at a

line voltage

in state three (talking) does

being said over the telephone.

true of brainwaves.

Measuring brainwave frequen-

and associative patterns and detecting

REM

sleep (dreaming)

does not reveal the dream content. Only by awakening the subject

and asking cover

for a description of the

dream can the experimenter

dis-

this.

Brainwaves themselves exemplify arousal

levels.

sent the electrochemical environment through reality

is

manifest.

They do not

They

repre-

which perceived

reveal subjective or cognitive expe-

riential content.

Recent Comprehension My research into ity to

the literature revealed that the

human

ary adaptation.

Many

species

can detect binaural beats: The

frequencies at which the beats can be detected depend size

of the cranium. In the

can be perceived when 1500

human, binaural beats of up

carrier tones are

upon the to 20

Hz

below approximately

Hz.^'

The "

abil-

hear a binaural beat appears to be the result of evolution-

sensation of hearing binaural beats occurs

when two

Carrier tones are the two sounds played via stereo presentation, one to each ear, that

produce binaural beating.

145

Captain of

My

Ship,

Master of

My Soul

coherent sounds of nearly similar frequencies are presented, one to

each

ear,

and the brain detects phase differences between these

sounds. In an open environment, this phase difference would provide directional information to the listener, but

when

presented

with stereo headphones or speakers the brain integrates the two signals, I

producing the binaural beat. From the available

literature,

discovered that binaural beats originate in the brainstem within

the contralateral audio -processing regions of the brain called the superior olivary nuclei. Binaural beating

ing

rhythm

(left

and

at the

perceived as a fluctuat-

frequency of the difference between the stereo

right) auditory inputs.

This auditory sensation lar

is

is

neurologically routed to the reticu-

formation in the brainstem and simultaneously volume con-

ducted to the cortex where

it

frequency-following response. necessarily indicate a

on my

As

I

all

as the

stated earlier, this does not

change in ongoing brainwave

complete understanding of research

can be objectively measured

was going

this

activity.

to require

A

some

part.

Hemi-Sync and Brain Function I

thought that an understanding of a possible neurological

mechanism was important as foundation for the observed effectiveness of Hemi-Sync technology. I wanted to replicate the frequency-following response studies of other researchers to be sure, for myself, that binaural beats did in fact

anomaly. This would also provide

academic research,

a place

I

me

produce

this

EEG

a journey into the realm of

had seemingly not been

before.

Hearing- acuity researchers had defined the "frequency-following response" as a brainwave -frequency response (measured by

EEG)

that corresponds to the frequency of an auditory stimulus.

Previous hearing-acuity research had demonstrated a frequencyfollowing response to binaural beating

—proof

that the sensation of

binaural beating has a neurological efficacy.

However, a frequency-following response to binaural beats

in

brainwave frequency ranges usually associated with reported altered states of consciousness

(e.g.,

theta states) had not, at this

F.

been objectively demonstrated using appropriate evoked-

point,

potential I

Holmes Atwater

EEG

protocols.

thought that further study of frequency-following response

would be

vital in

understanding the obvious effectiveness of the

Hemi'Sync process and maybe would even lead me

to a possible

neurological mechanism.

The Frequency-Following Response Study Following It's

is

a detailed description of an experimental procedure.

pretty interesting

behind the work

at

and underscores the seriousness of purpose

The Monroe

Institute,

but you can

a few pages to the "Meaningful Results" section It

would have been easy

brainwave data while ple

I

to use

had someone

if

EEG machine

an

listen to

By using

I

just

finally

A sim-

Hemi-Sync

if

But the task

had imagined. one subject and one binaural-beat frequency,

couldn't be sure that results weren't due to chance. several subjects

to collect

Hemi-Sync.

classic frequency-following response.

was bigger than

forward

you want.'^

evoked-potential data analysis would show

engendered a

flip

and

I

needed

couple of different binaural beats.

at least a

wound up with seven

subjects

and

I

to use I

a small experiment

designed to objectively verify a frequency-following response to

both theta and beta binaural-beat stimuli through the use of an appropriate evoked-potential protocol.

The al

study was designed to determine

beat would result in a 7

brain,

and

response.

if I

a 16

Hz

Hz

if

a 7

Hz

(theta) binaur-

frequency-following response in the

(beta) binaural beat

would engender a 16 Hz

chose these frequencies because they were similar to

the frequencies usually In order to see following response,

if I

embedded within Hemi-Sync

patterns.

the binaural beating stimulated a frequency-

had

to

compare

EEG

recordings taken while

Evoked-potential studies use time-domain averaging of a number of

EEG

responses to mathematically isolate and identify stimuli that would otherwise be

overwhelmed by ongoing brainwave

activity.

An

academic version of the frequency-following response study

the

companion

CD-ROM. 1

A-y

is

provided on

Captain of

My

listening to the beating with

Ship,

My Soul

Master of

some other condition. Silence could

be one (baseline) condition, but

I

also

thought

it

would be

inter-

esting to see the effect of using a nonbeating (placebo) sound.

more

In

subjects

scientific terms, the hypothesis of the study

increases in amplitude of time -domain averaged cies

was that

exposed to a binaurahbeat stimulus would evidence

EEG

in frequen-

matching that binaural-beat stimulus (the frequency-following

response)

when compared

Additionally,

to a silence -baseline condition.

expected an elevation in overall

I

EEG

ampli-

tude (an arousal response, not a frequency-following response) in the case of a nonbeating stimulus (placebo) and the alternative binaural-beat stimulus.

This valid,

EEG as

I

may seem

pretty complex, but

would be able

if

my

hypothesis proved

to see significant increases in 7

Hz and

16

Hz

amplitudes during comparable binaural-beat stimuli periods,

compared

to the silence -baseline condition.

And

this result

would, of course, imply the development of a frequency-following response to binaural-beat stimuli. In order to be sure that

got reliable results in the study,

I

decided to use both male and female subjects experience listening to Hemi-Sync.

I

wanted

who had no

I

prior

to ensure that they

wouldn't be simply exhibiting some form of conditioned response

due to prior experience. Also, to control for subject expectation, the two-second exper-

imental stimuli periods

(7

Hz, 16 Hz, and a nonbeating tone) were

arranged in an eighteen- episode Latin- square protocol, which arranges the stimuli so that the subject cannot predict what the

next stimulus will be based on previous exposure. In order to automate

the whole process and take the

experimenter (me) out of the loop, the audio stimuli.

I

I

used a computer to present

constructed a series of sound

ed the various stimuli. Each sound

file

files

that provid-

was automatically played in

the Latin- square sequence through a stereo sound card to the subjects' in-ear stereo

To in the

headphones.

isolate the subjects

booth

from intrusive

in the Institute lab,

1

which -48

is

stimuli, they

an

isolated,

were tested double -wall.

-

Holmes Atwater

F.

soundproofed, and electrically shielded chamber. During the evaluation, subjects lay

comfortably on a waterbed. To aid in the reduc-

tion of eye -movement artifact, a small, soft fabric bag rice

was placed over the closed eyes of the subjects.

EEG

with

filled

recordings

were made during the entire Latin- square protocol outlined above. So,

I

had been careful

to ensure

this

frequency-following

response study was conducted with some due diligence. But what

would the I

results

show?

found that subjects exposed to binaural-beat stimuli

denced time-domain averaged

EEG

increases

in

evi-

frequencies

matching binaural-beat stimuli when compared to the silence baseline condition.

Some

elevation in

ison to the silence -baseline condition

EEG was

amplitudes in compar-

also seen in reaction to

both the placebo stimulus and the alternative binaural-beat stimulus. All results

were

There was no

as set forth in the study's hypothesis.

reliable

evidence of a 16

Hz

stimuli

were

statistically nonsignificant

during the placebo and the 7

statistically significant (p

' all

the harder to

grab the limelight for themselves. Skip's story

is

—which

unassuming, too

exciting, thoughtful, his

way

a gentle

to toot his

way

is

not to say

own

that will

forgotten

how

rest of us will find Skip's

to

isn't

horn, and he presents incredible things in

no doubt be

lost

on those who

are jaded by

the chaotic, sound-bite sensationalism of media excess

who have

it

and mind- expanding. But he doesn't go out of

to slow

book

down

— those

long enough to think.

a breath of fresh

an endless universe of nothing but

air,

The

and a doorway

possibility

—the

human

mind.

Paul H. Smith, retired

army

President,

intelligence officer

Remote Viewing

2iy

and remote viewer

Instructional Services Inc.

References

Bern, Daryl letin.

J.

and Charles Honorton. 1994. Psychological Bul-

American Psychological Association (January).

Braud, William G. 1975. "PSl Conducive States." Journal of

Communication: 142-152.

McMoneagle, Joseph. 1993. Mind

Trek: Exploring Conscious-

Time, and Space through Remote Hampton Roads Publishing Company.

ness,

Monroe, Robert A. 1971. Journeys Out of

Viewing. Norfolk:

the Body.

Garden

City: Doubleday.

Radin, Dean

I.,

Ph.D. 1996. "Towards a Complex Systems

Model of PSI Performance." Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine Journal

7, no. 1:

Roll, W., R. Morris,

and

J.

35-69.

Morris, eds. 1969.

'A Further Psy-

chophysiological Study of Out-of-the-Body Experiences in a Gifted Subject, Robert A. Monroe." Proceedings of the Para-

psychological Association 6 (November):

43^4.

Schnabel, Jim. 1997. Remote Viewers: The Secret History of

America 's Psychic

Spies.

New York:

Dell.

Targ, Russell, and Harold E. Puthoff. 1977. entists

Look at Psychic Ability.

New York:

Mind-Reach:

Sci-

Delacorte Press/E.

Friede.

Targ, Russell. 1994.

"Remote-Viewing Replication: Evaluated

by Concept Analysis." The Journal of Parapsychology 58 (September).

213

,

Index

A meets Robert Monroe, 1-4, 6-10 PREP sessions of, 184-206

aesthetic impact, in remote viewing,

118-19

education

12-16

Allard, Captain, 42

religious

analytic overlay, 116, 117

remote viewing plan

Anderson, Teena, 184, 185, 187,

See also specific military assigtxmeiMs

Meade

137-38 Atwater, Suzan, 197

PREP

operations, 106-7

session about,

awareness (remote viewing behavior)

91-92, 127

51,55-56

B

remote viewing programs, 220 remote viewing

95-106 213-14

training,

remote viewing videos, SAVE Team, 51

"Skip" Atwater's training

modifying, 53

astral body, F.

of remote viewing, 86-95, 127 beliefs,

131-32 value of information, 107-11 Army Surgeon General Office, 52-53 Atwater,

behavior(s)

in,

26-29 xii,

71,

OBEs

examining, 208

Bem, Daryl J., 84n7 Beyond Productions, documentary for, 203-4 binaural beats, 139, 141, 145-46

207

Holmes

childhood

197-203

aura, 14

Operations Security (OPSEC),

Star Gate,

58-81

Atwater, Joan, 30, 31-33, 36, 44,

204

army intelligence Detachment G, 75-85 Ft.

ot,

Atwater, Fay, 188, 189-90

190, 192, 195

aperture, 114-15 Aristotle,

of,

frequency-following response ("Skip") of,

study,

4-6

early military experiences

See also of,

19-35

and Gateway Voyage program, 162-65 joins Monroe Institute, 139-40 mechanical ability of, 16-18

147-51

Hemi-Sync

Bioenergetics (report),

53

Bioinformation (report), 53 birth,

nature

of, 12,

197

Bob Monroe Research Lab, 142-43, 206 See also

221

The Monroe

Institute

(TMI)

,

Captain of

My

Ship,

AAaster of

,

My Soul

cueing methodologies, 98-103

brain

and binaural

beats,

145-46

electrochemical activity

of,

143-45 and frequency-following response

and Coordinate Remote Viewing, 112-20 cultures, ancient, and sound, 203-4

study, 147-51

and Hemi'Sync,

xvii-xviii, 10,

death

126-27, 139-41, 151-60

of, 12-13, 197, 209-12 and out-of-body experiences, 207 Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) 59 and Coordinate Remote Viewing

nature

and remote viewing impressions, 96, 116-17, 123-26 Braud, William G., 82-83 breathing, and remote viewing, 87 Bridges, Lloyd, 13

Manual, 113

c

Detachment G, 75-76, 81-85 recruiting

145n 17 Center Lane, 220

training

carrier tones,

118-19 Dunnett's Test, 155-56, 157-58

clairvoyance, xix, 53

See also remote viewing Cold War, xiii Compton, Grover, 50 computers, use of, 139-40

E electroencephalography, 139 electronic surveillance

connecting (remote viewing behav88-89, 127

of,

162-63, 163n21,

165-69 oneness

of,

33-35 31-32 emanations, 124-25 entrainment, 143-44

and

intuition,

training in,

consciousness focus levels

Erickson, Milton, 94

209-12

Exploration 27 program, 168-69

and out-of-body experiences, 207-9 and remote viewing, 87, 89-90,

Explorer program, 172-74

Extended Remote Viewing (ERV) 126-31

91-92, 115-16, 130 states of,

95-106

drawing, in remote viewing, 96-97,

Christian Scientist, 15

ior),

76-81

for,

for,

F

and Hemi-Sync,

126-27, 140-41, 146-47, fears, confronting,

149-50, 153-54 Controlled Offensive Behavior

—

Five Questions (exercise), 163-65

U.SS.R. (report), 53

flower, experience of, 186,

Controlled Remote Viewing, 113 Conversations with

God

208

feedback, in remote viewing, 99-102

187-88

focus levels, of consciousness,

(Walsch),

163-69

170

Jim Szpajcher's 175-83

Coordinate Remote Viewing (CRV), 99-100, 112-20, 123-26

Cosmic Journeys (McKnight), 173 Cowart, Rob, 43-44, 54

See also specific Fort

222

PREP

transcript,

TMl programs

Amador, assignment

to,

33-35

1

Holmes Atwater

F.

and brain activity, 146-53, 154-60 development of, 139-43

Fort Benning, assignment to, 45 Fort Holibird, training Fort

at,

26-29

Huachuca, assignment

to,

and frequency-following response study, 147-51 programs, 162-83 and remote viewing, 1 26-3

41-45, 46 Fort McClellan, assignment to,

30-31 Fort

Meade

to, 47-48, 49-50 remote viewing operations 106-7

and

assignment

Fort Ord, training

at,

,

states of consciousness,

153-54

at,

Honeycutt,

21-26

A.J.,

168-69

Honorton, Charles, 83, 84n7

frequency-following response study,

human

146, 147-51

(HUMINT),

intelligence

51,

68

Further Education of Oversoul Seven,

humanit>', oneness

of,

208, 209-12

The (Roberts), 71 I

G ideogram,

Ganzfeld technique, 83-84

Gateway Voyage program, 161-66

1

15

Inner Self Helper (ISH). 166. 177 Intelligence Collection Require-

131,

ments (ICRs), 58-59 work methods of, 51 ratmgs of, 108-9

geographic coordinates

intelligence

and Coordinate Remote Viewing, 112-20 for cueing, 98-100 value of information, 107-8, 110 God, oneness with, xii, 12, 209-12 See also army intelligence Gondola Wish, 220 International Remote Viewmg Assogovernment ciation, 132 remote viewing programs of, xii, intuition 220 and remote viewing, 84 See also army intelligence use of, 33-35 Graff, Dale, 60 Grill Flame, xiii, 71, 220 See also Detachment G Journeys Out of the Body (Monroe) Guidance, 11, 195-96, 209, 212 xvii, 1

J

Guidelines program, 166

K

H healing

Keenan, Major, 50, 51-52, 54 and remote viewing planning,

of, 15-16 and Guidelines program, 166 hearing, and binaural beats, 145-46 Heartline program, 169-71

KGB, and

early experiences

57-59, 61-65, 66-70

L

Heinlein, Robert, 179

Hemi'Sync,

parapsychology, 53, 60

Kress, Ken, 110

xvii-xviii, 10

language, training

223

in,

31-32

1

,

Captain of

My

Ship,

Lexicor Medical Technology, 139

167-68

Lifeline program,

AAaster

My Soul

of

nervous system, autonomic, 115, 123

listening (remote viewing behavior)

neurology. See brain

o

89-90, 127 loss, fear of,

194

love, experience of, 190-91,

206

M Mars, remote viewing

ior),

92-95, 127

oneness, realization

128-30,

of,

214-15

military early experiences in,

19-26 26-35

intelligence training in,

See also army intelligence; specif-

209-12

Redstone Arsenal, 55-56 other, concept of, 194-96 out-bounder protocol, 95, 98-99 out-of-body experiences (OBEs),

206-9 and Hemi-Sync programs, 162-83 Robert Monroe's, 142-43

xvii, 2,

"Skip" Atwater's, 4-6, 7-9,

162-65, 184-203

assignments

173-74 Mind'ReacK Scientists Look Miller, Darlene,

Ability (Targ

P

at Psychic

& PuthofO, 43, 46,

56, 74

Panama, assignment Paraphysics

MindTrek (McMoneagle), 127, 130 Monroe, Laurie, 169-70 Monroe, Nancy, 3 Monroe, Robert, xvii, 137 and Hemi'Sync, 139-43, 159-60 and Joe McMoneagle, 127-31 meets "Skip" Atwater, 1-11

and out'of'body experiences, 206-7

The Monroe

of,

Operations Security (OPSEC), 51 at

Matrix, 113, 114-15 McKnight, Rosalind A., 173 McMoneagle, Joseph W., 127-31, 214 meets "Skip" Atwater, xv

ic

objectifying (remote viewing behav-

(TMI), 206

Institute

xii-xiii, xvii, 1,

frequency-following response

study

at,

147-51

programs

of,

162--83

(report),

59

parapsychology, Soviet research

Pentagon Counterintelligence Force, assignment to, 46-47 Personal Resources Exploration Pro-

gram (PREP), 174 Jim Szajcher's experiences, 175-83 "Skip" Atwater's experiences,

184-206 photo intelligence (PHOTINT), 51

204 and remote viewing, 87

precognition, 53 Price, Pat,

and OBEs, 7-8 use of, 203-4

Project

214

SCANATE

(report),

psychic ability

N

factors affecting,

(challenge

See also

1 1

82-85 remote viewing

increasing,

Museum

in,

52-53, 59-60

Plato,

"Skip" Atwater joins, 137-40

target), 121

32-35

posture,

music

Natural History

to,

R&D- Warsaw Pact

psychokinesis, 53

53-54

1

,,

F.

Holmes Atwater

PuthofF, Harold, 43, 54, 59, 61

and remote viewing

1

,

training, 7

Roberts, Jane, 71

Roberts Mountain Retreat, 168-69,

1

72-74, 79-81, 82 pyramid, experience

of,

174

203-5

s

Pythagoras, 204

R

Salyer, Jim,

59-61

Schnabel, Jim, 106 Radin,

Dean

Science of Mind, 13-14

xx. 111

I.,

"sealed-envelope exercises," 102-3

Ray, Lieutenant, 42-43

and remote viewing, 104-5 perception of, 207-8

reading, reality,

self

and Guidelines program, 166 and Heartline program, 1 70-7 sense of, in remote viewing, 91,

Redstone Arsenal, 3

OPSEC

support

at,

55-56

130

reincarnation, 163-65, 176 relaxing (remote viewing behavior)

spiritual

86-88 Remote Viewers: The Secret History of Americas Psychic Spies (Schnabel),

nature

of, xii, xvi,

10-15, 190-91, 205-6,

106

208-12 senses, in

remote viewing, 117-18

Sensitive Activity Vulnerabilit>- Esti-

remote viewing,

xii,

mate (SAVE) Team, 51

xv, xvii, xix-xxi,

187-88,

43-44, 54, 78 behaviors of, 86-95, 127

separateness, illusion

Coordinate Remote Viewing,

Shinn, Florence Scovel, 186n24

18,

112, 113-20,

196, 208,

123-26

cueing methodologies

of,

signal intelligence

98-103

signal line. See

1,

sketches, in remote viewing, 119 skills,

106-8,

73-74 58-70, 74-76 132-34

personality traits

planning

for,

reactions to,

for,

53-54, 59-60, 63, 72-73,

78 training

for,

76-85, 95-98,

104-6, 120-21

and UFOs,

xvii,

121-23

videos on, 213-15

"Remote -Viewing Replication: Evaluated by Concept Analysis"

and remote viewing briefing, 66-70 Smith, Paul H., 113, 219-21 soul, nature of, 209-12 sound and OBEs, 7-8, 10 ritualistic use of, 203-4 See also Hemi-Sync South Korea, assignment to, 36-41 Soviet

(Targ),74n5,97

Union

Cold War with,

xii

research in parapsychology,

reporting (remote viewing behavior)

92-95, 127 Riley, Mel,

and remote viewing, 105-6

Skotzko, Lieutenant Colonel, 51-52, 54

Smith, General, 64-66

220

at SRI,

(SIGINT), 51

Coordinate Remote

Viewing (CRV)

110-11 and Ganzfeld technique, 83-84 and Hemi'Sync, 126-31

factors affecting,

military operations in,

of,

209-12

52-53, 59-60 surveillance of Redstone Arse-

54,214

nal,

225

55-56

1

Captain of

1

My

,

Ship,

Spaeth, Mr., 41-42

Master of

U.S.

Special Access Program (SAP)

53_54, 59_60, 63, 72-73, 78 remote viewing training at, 61,

Stranger In

Warren, Martin, 172-73

xv, xvi-xvii, 7

Warren, Rita, 172-73

131-32

effect of,

A Strange Land

Watt, Murray, 75 (Hein-

179

lein),

structure, in

remote viewing,

117-18, 124

Sun Pyramid, 204 Sun Streak, 220 Swann, Ingo, 98nlO, 99, 214 and Coordinate Remote Viewing, 112-20, 123-26 Systems Exploitation Detachment (SED), 47-48, 50-51

PREP

Szpajcher, Jim,

transcript

and remote viewing training, 95-97 Webb, Lieutenant Colonel, 44-45, 46, 54 Whistlefield Farm, 1, 2-3 words, and remote viewing, 104-5 world, nature of, xi-xii, 12-13

of,

175-83

T Targ, Russell, 43, 54, 59, 61, 97

and remote viewing

training, 7

1

72-74, 79-81, 82 Tart, Charles telekinesis,

T,

142

xi,

53

telepathy, 53, 68

Thompson, General,

52, 54, 75

time perception

of,

185

and remote viewing, 99-101, 104 Tomida,

7

"Towards a Complex Systems Model of PSI Performance" (Radin), 111 truth, personal,

208

u UFOs, and remote

viewing, xvii,

121-23, 214

Unity church, 12-13 U.S.

Army

and Security 47

Walsch, Neale Donald, 170

97-98, 104-5 xii,

Intelligence

w

Stanford Research Institute (SRI),

Star Gate,

Army

Command (INSCOM),

7

,

My Soul

Intelligence Agency, 29

226

Ill

3 9999 04080 932 7

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Sale of this material benefits

tine Lii^. inf^

Have you ever looked back, awestruck

random choices and events importantly, In this

1/1//70

book,

F.

that led

you

at the infinite

number

of

seemingly

where you are— and more

to

you are?

Holmes "Skip" Atwater— who, as an army

the initiative that resulted

program now known as

in

lieutenant, took

the creation of the remote-viewing intelligence

STARGATE— looks

from childhood out-of-body explorations

to

at the

"coincidences" that led him

army

counter-intelligence

operations to sessions with consciousness pioneer Robert A. Monroe.

The

result

is

a fascinating look at the

way

volume

a

'ed In this

four declassified government

spiritual

tu

documents

guidance works

in

our

lives.

nuivi GunidniHiy.

pertaining to remote-

viewing programs

audio recordings (with transcripts) of actual remote-viewing sessions three slide presentations on remote-viewing

workshops

seven audio recordings of Atwater's altered-state explorations at

The Monroe

Institute

a gallery of personal photos and video clips

the original audio recording (with transcript) of the remote viewing of

Mars performed by Joseph McMoneagle (remote viewer 001).

ISBN L-S7i7M-BM7-b

Metaphysical/ $21.95

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