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DRAF-7
POLICY FOR SRI S ESD RESEARCH PROGRAM
SRI International believes it is appropriate and natural to be
involved in research activities which can be categorized as controversial,
provided the organization can conduct such research in an environment of
objectivity and disciplined protocol. SRI, with its reputation for high
quality multidisciplinary research, is as well suited as any organization
to serve the good of mankind by providing the means to conduct research
that is of a controversial nature. There have been many occasions where
SRI has performed this service in the past and there undoubtedly will be
many controversial research tasks undertaken by SRI in the future.
A presently ongoing "controversial" SRI research activity is the ESP
(extrasensory perception) work headed by Dr. Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ,
which started in the ISE Division about five years ago and is now being
conducted in the ERS Division. ESP research is by many standards qualified
to have the title "controversial" as it deals with a concept which many find
difficult to believe or impossible to quantify in terms of physics and hence
it is hard to understand as credible. Some individuals involved in psychology
and magic feel that the apparent ESP phenomena under study are the result of
improperly designed experimental protocol or outright trickery or fraud.
Yet, there are documented experimental manifestations of possible ESP
phenomena which SRI management believes are not experimental artifacts, fraud,
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or trickery and thus warrant careful and ongoing research provided that the
way in which the studies are conducted is above reasonable reproach.
Thus it is the purpose of this policy to define the framework for
conducting ESP research at SRI. First, SRI will rely heavily upon its line
organization to manage the ESP research activities, as it does for any other
research project. Project leaders and project supervisors will be assigned
the responsibility for individual projects and these, in turn, will report
to their'appropriate line management. Recognizing the potential sensationalism
that ESP activities sometimes generate, it is particularly important that all
levels of the manageme nt team, from project leader up thru all levels of
research management, be particularly careful in following established SRI
research management procedures. SRI's management team must keep the client
organizations completely informed of SRI's policy toward this research activity
and the detailed research plans that are developed and carried out by the ESP
research staff, and our plans to provide periodic internal comprehensive
review of the work.
In this regard, in order to safeguard that all important nuances of
proper research protocol will always stand up to peer scrutiny from both
within and outside SRI, a special ESP program oversight committee will be
'established.
This committee will be chaired by the President of SRI and have four
members from SRI's senior scientific or management staff, and two appropriate
outsiders. To insure that the possible occurrence of trickery is detected,
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SRI will try to retain a professional magician as a consultant to serve on
the oversight committee. Ex officio members of the committee will consist
of the line management responsible for the work:
Sr. Vice President for Research Operations
Group Vice President
Division Director
Laboratory Director
This committee will review the research program in depth each quarter,
paying particular attention to the client support base, the detailed objectives
of the projects,' the quality of the research protocols being used by the ESP
research staff and the way SRI's research management is conducting the program
for SRI and its clients.
Regarding publicity, it is SRI's intent to provide minimal exposure of
this ESP research activity outside SRI. SRI will keep confidential, as a
matter of policy, the nature of the client support SRI has for ESP research.
In addition, both the ESP research staff and management are directed to not
grant interviews or release statements for publication about the research.
This tight control is believed vital to insure that a proper objective and
disciplined (not sensational) environment is maintained for the conduct of
ESP research at SRI.
However, it is believed that the SRI ESP research activity must have
critical peer review in order to be credible. For this reason the ESP research
staff will (as approved by clients) be permitted to seek to publish their
results in appropriate professional journals or to offer to present their
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research results at professional society symposia and meetings. From time
to time it is expected that they will present their results at internal
SRI functions. In addition, their research results will be published in the
form of reports which are carefully reviewed by the appropriate SRI research
management and issued as required by the clilents.
It is expected that SRI resources may be allocated to this work much as
is now done with other SRI research programs. Depending upon priority and
plans of the organization and the needs of this activity, such resources
as O.H. Travel,-Bid a,nd Proposal Funds, and Capital Equipment Funds may be
applied to this area of research.
Because of the potentially sensational nature of the work, it is important
that all levels of the SRI organization treat the research staff in an equitable
fashion as possible concerning their research program needs and their individual
evaluation and personal remuneration.
The more normal that SRI can make the environment in which the ESP
research projects are carried out, the more likely that SRI can provide the
disciplined and objective environment that is essential for conducting quality
research in this controversial arena.
There is nothing in this policy to restrict its distribution, in fact
its distribution in response to official public enquiries is encouraged.
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