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From: dir@cbosgd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Psychic Warfare - an informed opinion
Message-ID: <832@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Jan-84 01:11:09 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.832
Posted: Sat Jan 14 01:11:09 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Jan-84 00:35:59 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Lines: 43

1. Yes, certain government agencies are supporting psychic research
   with potential military applications.

2. Yes, the Soviets and associated Iron Curtain countries are
   doing research in military and political uses of 'psi',
   and we know (1) they have spent a lot of time and money
   on this research, (2) their political philosophy is not
   prone to supporting anything that might smack of mysticism, 
   thus we are fairly sure they are serious about it and they
   at least feel they're not wasting their money, and (3) it is
   possible that they are more advanced than we because their 
   government-supported research has been performed for years
   at fairly high levels, whereas our comparable research has been 
   supported at low levels for only about a decade.

3. Reputable research labs in the US have performed experiments 
   strongly suggesting that direct mental disruption of computer 
   circuits IS possible, although specially selected 
   people are required to make these effects occur, and even
   they cannot always produce the desired results upon demand.

4. A few major industrial research labs are investigating the
   possible computer-mind link, although most of the
   more visible work is being performed in Europe.

I make the above statements based on the following:
I know the people involved fairly well, I have visited most of
the labs doing this work in the US, and I've performed (and published)
replications of some of their claims.  I am by no means sold 
on the whole psychic scenario, because a lot of it gets REAL wierd
(including some of the people), but there is enough interesting 
evidence around to motivate me to mildly defend the topic even 
in the high-tech skeptical world of netnews.

Watch PBS's NOVA on January 17th: "The Case of ESP."  I was involved
with this show, which was originally made by the BBC and broadcast 
as a "Horizon" program in England a couple of months ago.  
NOVA bought and edited the program; I don't know if my interview
will be shown on the NOVA version, but in any case, I'll be glad to 
discuss the show with anyone.  Please send flames to /dev/null,
praise to /dev/ego, and all other comments to cbosgd!dir.

Dean Radin - AT&T Bell Laboratories - cbosgd!dir