The Stargate Project was a series of secret U.S. government programs, primarily overseen by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and at times involving the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), aimed at investigating psychic phenomena for potential military and intelligence applications. Although it is commonly referred to as the “CIA Stargate Project,” its official oversight shifted among different agencies over the years. Below is an overview:

1. Historical Context and Origins

• Cold War Environment: The Stargate Project took shape during the Cold War era, when the U.S. government sought any strategic advantage over the Soviet Union—this included exploring fringe or unorthodox areas such as extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychic abilities.
• Early Beginnings: Initial research in “remote viewing” (the purported ability to gather information psychically from distant locations) and related psychic phenomena was funded by various government agencies in the early 1970s, including the CIA. One of the early research hubs was SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) in California.

2. Program Names and Structure

• Multiple Code Names: Over time, these efforts were consolidated under different program labels—“Gondola Wish,” “Grill Flame,” and “Center Lane,” among others. Eventually, they were unified under the umbrella term “Stargate” in the mid-to-late 1980s.
• Agencies Involved: While the CIA provided funding and conducted some oversight early on, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) also played a major role. Other branches of the military, particularly the U.S. Army, participated in or supervised certain research units at Fort Meade, Maryland.

3. Research Focus and Methods

• Remote Viewing: Researchers tested individuals who claimed to possess psychic abilities to see if they could describe or visualize distant targets—ranging from military installations to hostages in unknown locations—without using conventional intelligence-gathering methods.
• Protocols and Experiments: Standardized testing protocols were developed to try to ensure some level of scientific rigor, including “double-blind” experiments in which neither the test subject nor the test monitor initially knew the target details.
• Other Phenomena: Although remote viewing was the primary focus, occasionally other purported ESP or psychokinetic abilities were investigated, such as using the mind to influence physical objects or attempting to sense future events (precognition).

4. Notable Participants

• Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff: Physicists at SRI International who conducted many of the original experiments on remote viewing.
• Ingo Swann: A self-proclaimed psychic who worked closely with SRI and was influential in developing remote viewing protocols.
• Joseph McMoneagle: One of the Army’s “remote viewers,” known in the program as “Remote Viewer #001.”

5. Funding and Oversight Shifts

• Early CIA Funding: In the 1970s, the CIA sponsored preliminary research at SRI.
• Transfer to DIA: As the research expanded, funding and organizational control largely shifted to the DIA and certain Army intelligence units.
• Congressional and Agency Scrutiny: Over time, the U.S. Congress and intelligence community became more skeptical about the return on investment for psychic research.

6. Assessment and Closure

• Evaluation by the American Institutes for Research (AIR): In the mid-1990s, an external review led by the AIR was commissioned to assess the program’s findings. It concluded that while there were a few seemingly inexplicable successes, the data overall were not robust enough to justify continued funding.
• Program Termination: Officially, the Stargate Project was closed in 1995. By that time, the CIA took back control briefly to evaluate its usefulness and ultimately decided the programs did not yield sufficiently reliable intelligence.
• Declassification: Many of the program’s documents were declassified in the 1990s, revealing the general scope and nature of the experiments, though some details remain redacted or still classified.

7. Legacy and Public Perception

• Popular Culture: The idea of government-sanctioned psychic spies has captured the public imagination, inspiring books, documentaries, and fictional works—such as the movie “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” which was loosely based on related military programs.
• Debate on Efficacy: Skeptics point to methodological flaws and lack of replicable results, while proponents argue that occasional successes warrant further study. Despite disagreement, most mainstream scientists and intelligence officials regard the program’s outcomes as inconclusive.
• Historical Significance: Stargate remains a notable example of how Cold War pressures led agencies to explore unconventional methods. It also stands as a case study in how intelligence operations sometimes venture into speculative research.

Key Takeaways

• Purpose: Investigate the use of psychic phenomena (especially remote viewing) for intelligence gathering.
• Agencies: Spanned multiple agencies—principally the DIA, with involvement from the CIA and Army Intelligence.
• Results: Ultimately deemed inconclusive and not sufficiently reliable, leading to program termination in 1995.
• Public Interest: Documents declassified in the 1990s fueled public fascination and debate over the legitimacy of psychic research.

In sum, while the “CIA Stargate Project” name has become a catchall reference to government-funded psychic research, it actually encompassed multiple programs and agencies. Its legacy endures in public curiosity about whether psychic abilities might ever be proven or used for national security purposes.