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DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
US ARMY INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY COMMAND
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND 20755
IAFM-OPS-HU-SA 10 March 1980
MEMORANDUM FOR BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS J. FLYNN
DEPUTY COMMANDER, INTELLIGENCE
SUBJECT: The GRILL FLAME Scientific Evaluation Committee Report
1. The report of the GRILL FLAME'Scientific Evaluation Committee has
now been released. I have taken the liberty of copying portions of the
report for your review. The complete report, some 90 pages, is available
if you so desire.
2. TAB A is the complete executive summary of the report.
3. TAB B is that portion of the report dealing directly with INSCOM's
program.
2 Incl 4;kAHAD B. WHITE
as Colonel, GS
ADCSOPS-HUMINT
Regraded UNCLASSIFIED when
separated from SECRET inclosures.
CLASSIFIED BY: DIRECTOR, DIA
REVIEW ON: 10 March 2000
EXTENDED BY: DIRECTOR, DIA
REASON: 2-301 5&6
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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CHAPTER 1
Introduction (U)
1. (SINOFORN) Badkcfrbund. In June 1979 it was suggested
.by Dr. LaBerge, then Under Secretary of -the-Army, that a
Scientific Evaluation Committee be appointed to review the
Army's parapsychological activities. In early.July 1979,
.Dr. Ruth Davis recommended that because of the special
interest of the Secretary of Defense, that the Committee
review the total-DOD posture and report directly to the
GRILL FLAME Oversight Committee.- ("GRILL FLAME" is the
unclassified code. word for any DOD or intelligence
communitly association or invol-vement with parapsychological
activities or interests; definitions of scientific areas
discussed can be found in Chapter 5.)
2. (U) Mission and Organization. The Committee was
organized by the Chairman (see Annex 1) and highly qualified
,.(-_@Iflbers were '-f-i0ted,to se-ve 'rom various scien
j 1. L tif ic
disciplines. All members enjoy a reputation for an extrerrif-Ty
1k .1 to the Commitlee a ivje@alth of
hvigh integrity and by-in,
iexperience in -1@xperimental design and ovaluation. The
areas o-.11c, experti-se of Co@.-timittee mernbers include Psychiatry,
Biostat.-ist-ics, Psychology, 1-Physics, En( and
gineering
Operations Rnsearch.. Committee members were carefully
screened to avoid any persons with preconceived notions for
or against the 4ubject under -11.nvestigation, so that an objec-
tive assessment could be evolved. All Committee members
represented themselves and were selected on their individual
Tnerits; therefore ' views expressed are neither implicitly
nor explicitly associated with'their employing organizations.
The listing of the organizational affiliation in the Annex is
for identifying.purposes only.
a. (S/NOFORN) The missionof the Committee, known as
the"GRILL FLAME Scientific Evaluation Committee" was as
follows:
To review the parapsychological research, investi-
gations, and applications within DOD and the intel-
ligence community.
To assess the validity of claims made for the
alleged existence of the PSI phenomena; with
particular emphasis on the experiments which were
instituted to approach the "proof of principle".
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ecommend a course of action for DOD in
,o r
future parapsychological- activities.
(S/NOFORN) The Committee visited all DOD installa-
involved in any aspect of parapsychological efforts
,,6 conducted additional visits and interviews with non-
oJvcrnment sponsored investigators (see Annex 2). In
a large amount of classified reports, intelligence
:,-X nd open literature was reviewed. A collection
a
ai,i such documents is stored in the Chairman's office
,,,nd was rziade available to Committee members as requirc-d.
In i 'lab'e documentation applicable to the
- -iddition, avai I
,@-_,ar",-iiciilar investigations in process or related materials
was made avail-able for inspection at all installations
w.hich were visited.
C. (SINOFORN) Because of the DOD interest for
f!ventual application and also because of the considerably
ureater activity,,., the.: bulk--@-nof . the@ Committee,:" s@,- work. was
pc)rtion:.:bf 11PSI research and applications
,concerned with th@.,,,L
tv)own as "Remote' Viewing" (RV). The work on Psycliokinetics
fp,K) was i.:ilso reviewetl', 1-iowever, since these inves-1r,!gati(-.n).s
are concerned with th@L,,, production of physical effects,
,L-@,,ere is controversy from the point of
view of vieasi_-trement but PK investigations share
with RV the perplexing problemis of understanding, controlling,
and, indeed, proving the,- existence of a general phenomenon
and the lack of ability t(-.) characterize the effect.
d. (S/NOFORN) Actually, the government-sponsored
work in the area of parapsychology represents a very, small
portion of the total worldwide activity in this field."
4'Since".1 1972, the combined funding for DOD and the intelligence
community was
3. (SINOFORN) Eep2i@t Overview. The following remarks
pertain to the organization of the report and are intended
help the reader locate relevant information:
Chapters 1, 2, and 3 together constitute an Executive
Summary of this report.
Chapter 2 Major Findings
Chapter 3- Recommendations
Chapter 4 is a chronological-overview of parapsychological
activities, providing baseline information input to
the Committee. Any value judgments or critique
contained in the overview are not attributable to -the
Committee's action, but are included in order to reflect
as accurately as possible the recorded status just prior
to the Committee's activities.
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Chapter 5 dcfine-.
psychology which
This chapter also
intellectual gaps
various phenomena
psychology.
the specific fields of para-
are the subject of this report.
at-tempts to establish the
which exist in trying to relate
under -the umbrella of para-
Chapter 6 is both a practical and tutorial approach
to experimental evaluation, with emphasis on the-,
role and limitations of statistical analysis vs.
good experimental design and execution.
-Chapter 7 summarizes the:,existing intelligence
-assessments of parapsychological activities-in
the,Warsaw Pact countries.
.Chapter 8 surtnarizes,various theories proposed to
describe paranormal functioning. The material is
included primarily for the. sake of cor-upleteness
and also offers some editorial comment with respect
to their collective merit.
"@er 're -t' S the "'remoteyiewing
.c qu6
,and ri i
@iap
w d b SR-r. Th. J_ s,material is iIncluded
in the main body of the rt---port since the RV work at
SRI is either directly or closely related to all RV
experiments carried out by th(--- DOD and.the intelli-
gence community under, contract. or in-house.
Annex I and 2 furnish.d.c-t-ailed information on the
Committee s in e. mbers an(J -their activities.
Annex 3 through 9 furnish background information
and critical comments on many of the programs
which were reviewed .
Annex 10 contains specific suggcstions for the
production of an improved protocol for any future
research in RV..
Annex 11 References
4. (U) General Observations.
a. S/NOFORN) All members of the Committee perceived
a real need to carry out the assigned mission and approached
this task with great diligence and utmost sincerity. The
very diverse backgrounds and experiences of the Committee
members assured that a wide-spectrum. of objective views'
was-brought to bear on the subject. The prime motivation
for the professional-commitment invested by the Committee
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members was based on the high potential payoff which
the parapsychological phenomena could have for the
military and intelligence communities, if, indeed,
such effects could be harnessed, controlled, and
further advanced.
b. (U) The Committee in the course of its work
gained a very great respect for the sincerity and
dedication which the individual investigators-brought
to their respective tasks; in several cases, functioning
under the handicap ofa non-sTnpathetic management.
C. (CINOFORN) On balance,the:Committee has.indeed.
Cbeen persuaded that there is some probability that:effects
attributed to the RV phenomena exist under unexplained
circumstances and-in conjunction:with particular individuals.
However, to date, the experimental techniques have not
been adequate to docume-nt such cffEcts.
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CHAPTER 2
Major Findings
& Observations (U)
Assessment of RV'Phc ena.
(ti) RV research and investigations thus far
liave not proved the existence of the phenomena and have
zl!,-A conclusively established 'any parametric dependencies.
he same may be said about overall results based on
@@urrent application-oriented activities.
b. (U) Many of-theanecdotal events reported to
this Committee as potential evidence of the existence of
RV do not adequatelysustain their claim under careful
scrutiny. A few of the examples are subjectively
spectacular, but lack of scientific procedures precludes
Zhe-tr cons i de rati on as scientific evidence of the phenomena.
(U) On. balance, the Coiitmittee has indeed been
YYar,.!-r.uade_d that there is.some probability that effects
,.,.itt.ributed to the RV phenomena exist under unexplained
c,@:,rcumstancers and in conjunction with particular individuals.
llc,)wever, 1to date, the experimental techniques have not been
,ide*quate to dccumcnt such effects.
d. (U) Even when granted the existence of the
.phenomena, careful attention to the consequences of
false alarm rates iYathe achievement of useful performance
levels.would be paramount.
(C/NOFQRN) Critique@of Parapsychological Programs.
a. (C/NOFORN) Inadequate documentation and failure
4-o apply adequate controls are the most frequent causes
which limit the credibility that.can be given to reports
of "success" attributed to RV applications. In the
judgment of the Committee, sole dependence on SRI-like
Protocols to resolve tbe.RV issue will not be fruitful.
Specifically, all RV programs reviewed.included s .ome form
of subjective judgment of the degr Iee of correlation; this
factor and the ambiguous roles.of the experimental designer,
viewer, and interviewer are the two principal shortfalls.
b. (U) Operational programs,that by their very
exiStence assume the reality of RV as given, may-, .
inadvertently establish the assumption in other communities
that RV is real.
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.(u) The possibility that present efforts can
evaluate the existence of RV is seriously reduced
because the work is carried out,often by persons naive in the
area of human experimentationat low budgetary support
levels, with fragmentation of investigative efforts, usinc
oefic@ient experimental designs, and suffering from a lack of
proper management direction. (Removinq these deficiencies
does not, however, guarantee that proof or quantification
of the RV phenomena can be obtained.)
d. (S@NOFORN) Lack of proper management involve-
ment, direction, and review was evident at all activities
surveyed; and the government-sponsored RV program lacks
focus, objectives, and top-down management review and
control. rhis reflects in ambivalent direction and
support at all agencies visited.
e. (SINOFORN) Most DOD and government-sponsored
work in the area of parapsychology has been application-
c,riented; in relia.Lion to -the worldwide effort in this .
area of investigation, it repres(-.@nts a very small portion.
There are currently more- than 15021 individuals, research
institutes, universities, and professional, societies in
this country alone involved in parapsychologic6l research
and teachina activities. (Much of this work is also done
tuider poor, scientific procedures and in uncontrolled
envi ronments, especially as it concerns RV Jinvestigations.
f. (U) The Committee found no evidence or any
suggestion of fraudulent intent in any of the work
examined.
3. (U) Parapsychological Res(@@;Arch'Standards.
a. (U) The cond uct of parapsychological research.
to obtain scientific characterization and credible evidence
of the parapsychological phenomena, would require an..
extremely disciplined and dedicated approach including:
(1) (U) Management commitment to a program
which is sustained for an indefinite period of time at
a cost of several million dollars.per year.
(2) (U) Building essentially a new program,
structured on an uncertain foundation, since very little
data developed to date is suitable for further scientific
extrapolation, except that previous research has-estab-
lished substantial-knowledge of what not to do.
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(3) (U) Attractirg a sufficient number of
reputable and well qualific'', scientists from a variety
of disciplines who are will.i,.Lg to dedicate substantial
portions of their professional careers to this research.
(4) (U) Accommodation,with substantial inhibitions
in our society to this type of research, resulting in
significant difficulties: (a) for conducting scientific
investigations overtly;(b) recruiting and maintaining the
.high quality personnel required for this research;(c)
publishing reports and exchanging data; and(d) establish-
ing sufficient competition to obtain the required empirical
replications.
(5) (U) Establishing test plans and procedures
which are acceptable to the scientific community, which can te
monitored by the sponsor for scientific and human-use integrity,
and which are sufficiently rigorous to allow for experi-
mental replication.
b. (U) Correct "statistical an.a].--@,;es" are a
necessary, but not a sufficient condition for proper inter.-
pre'tation of resulting from experiments of para--
psychology. It is necessary -to demonstrate more than
statistiqa'l@ improbability; the quality of the data and
the application of high scientific standards in the
conduct and reporting of parapsychological experiments
are at least as important as the statistical procedures
used in evaluating the credibility of the results.
4.@ .(U) Ea_qho]@Li2E@t@c @(PK).Activities.
a. (S/NOFORN) @The Army-sponsored experimentation
at MICOM and the related contract with SRI, as a stand-
alone effort to assess the potential effects on a
computer-generated random bit stream, will iftot, prove or
disprove the existence of the PK phenomena.-
b. (S/NOFORN) Research work in PK-related topics
and detailed experimental planning has been carried out
in several scientific institutions, including the
investigations by Dr. Hawke at Livermore Laboratories,
Dr. Jahn at Princeton University, and Dr. Phillips at
Washington University. Committee members who visited
.Dr. Hawke's laboratory were very impressed by the
scientific approach used in his investigations. His
type of PK experiments (see also Annex 7) is seen as
considerably more valuable than PK effects on random
number generators, such as is planned at.MICOM.
nn
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U
5. (u) Status of Theoretical Knowledge.
a. (U) The Committee found that to date no adequate-
theory has been proposed to explain the mechanisms of the
remote viewing process. Several basic mechanisms have,
however, been suggested to explain psychoenergetic
processes. To date, none of these theories is sufficiently
persuasive from a scientific point of view or precisely
congruent with empirical. evidence to dictate the construc-
tion of a set of experimental designs that would lead to
a verif.-i-cation of such a theory. (Most of the Committee
believes that an understanding of parapsychological mechanisms
is of secondary importance at this time.)
b. (U) There is nd evidence of any unifying para-
psychological concept or even a speculative notion which
provides a basis for assuming that further understanding
of any sub-ca.tegor 'y of PK or RV will help explzain other
phenomena associated with these parapsychological areas;
for instarice obtaining statistically art results
in af f ect:.',ng -the atomic collision process in. a random
gene,rator device bears no known relationship to making
re.mote more reliable and repeatable. !-@@ositive
ro-sults from u.noqtiivocal PK experiments would significantly
,increase -the confidence of the scientific, community to
conduct other parcIpsychological experiments,
C. (U) The Committee was not exposed to any programs
or suggested programs, which were adequately structured to
prove or disprove the existence of the RV phenomena. Also,
the Committee has not attempted to generate such a program;
however, if a progra, m were to emerge we would be very .
sympathetic towards recommending its implementation, since
that would provide the justification for a seriouE -scientific
effort.
6. (C/NOFORN) Intelliqence Considerations.
a. (S/NOFORN) Intelligence,estimates of the qu ality
and amount of parapsychological research activities in
the Warsaw Pact countries are, admittedly, highly spe.cula-
tive, since insufficient and incomplete data are available
for evaluation.
b. (S/NOFORN) Operational test sof RV are principally
justified because of their potential high value in
obtaining or supplementing intelligene information; however,
the primary risk is that the test results may not be con-
clusive, either positively or negatively, with respect to
the value of such techniques in an intelligence application.
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(CINOFORN) Program Considerations. There are three
potential major avenues of exploration available to DOD,
wilich could be explored individually or in concert.
a. (U) Proof of existence experiments.
b. (U) Characterization of phenomena experiments.
(C/NOFORN) Demonstration of utility through
C.
ilit6ilig6nce applications.
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CHAPTER 3
Recommendations (U)
(S/NOFORN) Proof of Existence. Work to demonstrate
cxistcnce of the RV and PK phenomena should be supported
i_-fa credible approach were to emerge; however, it may be
pr-cfcrable- to do this -in some other agency other than DOD
@-i order to more rcadily conduct the work in an open forum,
wh4ch is necessary to subject the research to peer review.
(C/NOF'ORN) Characterization of Phcnom(@non. Para-
Dsvchological research (RV & PK) or related activities
which have as their goal, -the scientific understanding and
quantification of the phenomena,- should not be sponsored
until existence is established.
(S/NOFORN@ Operational Applications, The Committee
act-6-ed that continuation of thr@ operational. endeavors
er
decs n(,,I- necc-.ssarily imply that scientific proof has b --n
rj.@:_morisLratcd; however, tht- -Committee was divided as to
whethcr. c-peraLional applications for inte.1ligence programs
,@an be carried out in an adequatcly c(-.'ntroll.:'d manner,
-@ufficicnt to determin(n the usefulness or non-usefulness
of thc -'(@@sults. (Sce page Ila for.minority opinion.)
(SINOFORN) Majori 8) believed that
_he __@y. (5 out of
'i RV activities aimed at determining
operationc3lly-oriente
the empirical value of RV to intelligence (like those at
INSCOM and AFTAC) should continue, provided the following
arr
done,
a. (CINOF'OPN) Work must b emonitored by an
oversight committee that can review the, work for its
adcquacy and guard against self-fulfilling prophecy. It
should have members from the scientific and intelligence
communities who.can evaluate the adequacy of performance
and reliability, as well as .the requirements established
by the user and provided to. the operators. I The false.
alarm rate should be considered. in assessing the usefulness
of the technique. Adequate review should occur periodically.
b. (C/N0FORN) Dependence on SRI approach should
be phased out.
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C - (C/NOFORN) The attaining of useful data should
_c sarily be attributed -to the- reality of RV
Vcnicna -
d (CINOFORN) "Human-use" implications must be
,_.:jc,-stood, properly authorized, and complied with, if
(CINOFORN) Work should include adequate controls
that cither value- or non-value can be established.
(s/NOFORN) Current Programs. The RV work at AMSAA
the PK experiments at MICOM, along with the associated
_--ontractual supports from SRI, should be discontinued and
ter-minated in the mo:.@;t cost-effective manner.
(CINOFORN) Additional Future Activities.
a. (SINOFORN) Although no significant military
tirrat from parapsycliolc,gical. applications has been
evidenced to date, the intelligence community should
I.-A.ic--ir collectic,n'ef forts in this field in order
1.,c, avoid ainy si..irprisf@.s.
b. ((;/N0FORW Th e progress of the,parapsychological
rr-_i@c_arch being undcrtaken by the private sector in the
U.S. and, clsewlicre in many laboratories and academic
i n s, t i tut,
inns29 -should be wonitorcad and periodically
rt-v.-Ilewed vi.a a DOD--assigned mission to an organization
with. competence, in all. relevant areas of science, with
@-_hc@ view towards supporting or sponsoring such work as
may be of interest to DOD.
G. (S/NOPORN) @Ianaa I nt . A central DOD authority
@ sme -
should be established to manage and fund the para-
psychological program and monitoring activities. Manage-
ment commitment to activities included in such a program
Should be unambiguous.
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MINORITY OPINION (U)
(orlansky, Holloway, Tang) (U)
o a p ons.
jFORN) opcrati, n 1 'A'r5_licj_ati
(C/NOFORN) Full evaluation of operational tests of
c-tc- Viewing" would require valid ground truth data,
:-(_1.iable scoring procedures, preliminary trials to
c:@z.ablish adcquatc.. experimental procedures and whatever
lt.itd times are n6eded -to conduct adequate- tests wherever
Al
eind whcncver they may occur. Since operational tests
ca!j occur with littl(@;. warning, it is difficult to assure
most of the conditions noted above can be satisfied
in that type ofT program. Further, such tests cannot be
varied systematically in order to provide a basis for
cvaluating the sensitivity of the re-sults to operational
procc-dures or vciriritions amoi.,igobservers.,
2 (C/NOFOR,N) A iiiinority of 4.he Committee believes that
o tcst program, in an (-.@peratior --like environment :is not 'likely
k.
1c, provj.(I(,---. ukseful or, relJable data. We see little, to be
r,aJ@ncd by recoimnE@riding op(,ra.ti-onal -tests,
3@ (CINOFORN) Such 11@.t4sts can also be dangerous. By
cnceuraging the, conduct of operational tests, this Committee
enrl.r,rses ac"Jons which hi.@i,vrz-, dubious scientific vali.dity at
and can hav(-@:: dangerous implications for those who may
rcly on its products. At the v(@ry least, this Commit-te
would-be giving scientific credibility to operational
activities exploiting phenomena that it elsewhere notes
have not been proven or disproven.
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ANNEX 5
Comments Pertaining to INSCOM Investigations (U)
(U) History.
a. (S/NOFORN) Taskin In the fall of 1978, the
intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), Ft. Meade,
MD was tasked to establish a program to examine potential
use of psychoenergetics for intelligence purposes. Initially,
specific interest has focused on that element now called
Remote Viewing (RV). The INSCOM project (IGFP) has been
and will be evolutionary in nature:
(1) Establish a training familiarization program
utilizing specially selected INSCOM subjects (RVers).
(2) Establish RV intalligence eollectic-in
techniques.
(3) Establish a system mzchanisi-ti for responding
to intelligence (-.@ollection requirements (tasking by intelli-
(jence producers like DIA) so that RV--producead data is
quickly and efficiently used@
b. (S/NOFORN). -Selectiolj o- '11@Vers,
(1) To accomplish the iaission iU was necessary
-to locate people who might possess requisite psychic talent.
The approach here was to match a large body of candidates
against a number of subjective traits observed by SRI
over the years (an RVer profile).,
(2) A total of 251 INSCOM personnel in the
Baltimore/Washington area were considered. Out of the
251, 117 were interviewed in a "survey" which purported
to determine attitudes about possible use of psychic
phenomenon in intelligence collection.
(3) IGFP managers/interviewers were alert for
individuals wlio were: well thought of by peers and
supervisors, above average intelligence, self-confident,
articulate, adventurous, open-minded, career successful,
mature, and "emotionally stable". Additionally, artistic
ability was desirable. Those who displayed unreasonable
enthusiasm for or against psychoenergetics were eliminated
from consideration. Also culled were those who, for
personal or professional reasons, were uncomfortable
with the concept of collecting foreign positive intelli-
gence by psychoenergetics.
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C. (S/NOFORN) Lessons Learned During Selection
_Ss
(1) Of the 117 interviewed, 30-40 met the basic
criteria outlined in paragraph lb(3) above. However,
it was impossible to reduce this number further based only
on the RVer profile. Another round of factoring down
was done by application of a criteria based on assignment
availability @relative permanence in the area). The
number of the candidates dropped to 12. The lesson here
is that should'an expansion of the IGFP be required, it
will not be difficult to locate people who will do well
in RV.
(2) More than 90%
considered psychic phenomenon
value.
2. (U) Traininq.
a. (S/.NOFORN) , At the time the IG?P began, SRI was the
only major serious organization exploring psychoenergetics.
INSCOM, was directed tc@ ,.,oriclude with SRI, a c-ontract, which
called for a certain number of RV specialisl;s;@ und(-,r@jo.
Sill familiari.,xation tri@,tining.
b. (S/NOFORN) In February 1979, SRI rese@archers
!@@,-;imately familiay.- with the subject matter selected six
o, . 'C.1he f inal - tw(slve candidates to train. 'Phis phase began
-Lt April and is expected to end in Bjecember 1979. In--..hcuse
f,@iltiliarization and training at Fort Meade started in
February 1979 and is expected to continue indefinitely.
C. (S/NOFORN) INSCOM generally followed the RV
protocol first established by SRI, with an orientation
tov--ard collection of foreign positive intelligence.
(N.-@,e: The Army Surgeon General's Human Use Review Panel
for GRILL FLAME found this protocol to be "technology
transfer" rather than R&D.) As of.1 Oct 79, more than 150
RV tests have been conducted at Fort Meade. Project
personnel assess the results as moderately successful.
Some of the RV cadre now routinely provide useful intelli-
gence data with the RV technique. These individuals have
progressed --ar beyond so-called "beacon" and basic
geographic coordinates work, and are now engaged against real
world intelligence targets--a kind of OJT.
d. (SINOFORN) Lessons'Learned During Trainin
(1) There are a number of factors which appear
to help successful RVers. -First, they must sense a
"seriousness of purpose" for the on-hand task.
SOME
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Frivolous coffee table tests seem to produce less usable	
data. The RVer must know and be motivated by the knowledge	
that his information is important, and that the reason for	
conducting a test goes beyond merely proving ("one more	
time") his ability to perform RV.	
(2@ The physical and social environment has a	
significar-, impact. The individual must feel that it is	
"OK" for him to perform this unique, task; that he is not	
somehow considered an aberration or "kook". Physical	
surroundings must be comfortable, pleasing to the senses,	
and offer privacy, security, and quiet.	
(3) If the RVcr knows or believes that the	
viewing task is the most important event of his day, he is	
much more likely to develoj:, good intelligence information.	
outside influences (e.g., f@.-onily problems, illness, job-	
related conflicts) have detrimental effects on his ability	
to do well. The bottom line is that the RVer must be	
totally committed to achieving positive results and	
allowed to achieve, absolute mental concentration.	
(4) It cannot, @tt this point, be said that	
familiarization trair.:*'@@q improves one's ability in RV.	
The collective data sh,-;,)s -no training improvements,	
,:)ossibly because the wht.-I.e organization is in a learning	
curve-. Individually, hotaev@2r, there is noticeable improve-	
inent in specific RV abilities following such training.	
(5) All persons :1.rvolved in doing RV say they feel	
that they have learned much about the "process"; and are	
beginning to be able to distinguish between relevant	-IA
(presumably psychoenergetic) target impressions and noise	
(fantasy, "analytical overlay" or whatever).	
CJ
	
(6) Experience shows that a major problem is lack
S(,
of suitable physical space. The project's present location	
is such that high levels of noise influence or abort	
RV sessions. Also, due to lack of appropriate office space	
operational flexibility has been somewhat constrained.- hrlo -	1!4
	
(7) A serious problem surfaced during this phase:	
the availability of "Sunday hire" RVers to engage in sessions.	
The IGFP essentially operates on an ad hoc basis, with	
little or.no promise of even minimal permanence.
Existence	
or demise of the IGFP in fact vests on which way the winds	
that control scarce resources (time, funds, and people) blow.		
All RVers have other, normal duties in their parent		
organizations. As might be expected, this leads to	
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censiderable scheduling conflicts. Because IGFP enjoys
;,;,hat amounts to second priority, sessions are often cancelled ule@
or are impossible to schedule. It is fair to say that this
hindered progres,; and has been dysfunctional to
the RV -. ;'0cess itself. Th'r-' latter point is that the RVer
finds it difficult -to muster requisite positive attitude
and "seriousness of purpose", knowing that RV tasks rank
below those of his primary duties.
3. (SINOFORN) Operations. Introduction of the RV process
into actual operations has been accomplished several times.
,rhis is not -to say that the IGFP is ready for full opera-
tional employment. A great deal of further work is
necessary to establish intelligence collection techniques.
Als,o, no mechanical system for responding to tasking
exists. Optimistically, some operational utility can be
expected in 1981. First ut.ilizdtion of this special
'Cechnique will most likely be along the lines of tip-off
(or cueing) to other collection systems. These could then
1he brought to bear or, the target of interest.
4, ',U) Comments.
a. (S/NOFORN) The INSCOM activities are being guided
'-)y common senso and disciplined procedures. We should not
lose sight of thr:@ fact that INSCOM is ne-1,; ,-;.ngaged in a
vk@.n'cure into-science, but rather one, of @,,,i utility nature.
Personnel involved are professional intelligence officers
representing the three major disciplines: human, photo, arid
signal intelligence.
b. (SINOFORN) Notably, the IGFP gauges how good
individual sessions are based on strict pp@@rj@J@_bal judgments
(how much usable intelligence is prcduced). This is in
stark contrast to projects in other places which rely on
exotic, often flawed, statistical methodologies to evaluate
the results.
C. (S/NOFORN) The body of wisdom being accumulated
is not grounded on stagnant repetitions of the basic SRI
RV drill first developed in the early 1970s. It is
impressive that the project is moving into type tests
in which several interations (they call it "building an
intelligence pyramid") on the same target seem to provide.
a more accurate, detailed picture of the site.
d. (S/NOFORN) Data on each session is impeccably
maintained. In addition, the managers have developed
several visual tools that lay out clearly the number of
failures, successes and in-betweens. One is not forced
to guess, or have to pry out, what has gone on at-INSCOM
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5. (u) Suggested Improvements and Observations.
a. (SINOFORN) The current level of personnel assets
sliould be immediately stabilized for at least two years.
Intelligence analysts should be a direct part of the effort.
Because of disruptions caused by TDY trips, other job
commitments, etc., personnel involved in GRILL FLAME
should be fixed into some or-ifnization configuration
-, 1) controlled by the project of1'icer. (Note: It is only
fair to Pecognize that one cannot spend hi,,.- whole day
doing RV. Common sense should prevailand whenever
possible project personnel should be released to work
whenever needed.)
b. (U) An adequate woi@k and administrative area is
needed. It should meet the general criteria established
in paragraphs 2d(2)(6) above.
C. (S/NOFORN) Because of the uniqueness and
ivity of the project, extraordinary measures :should
b,-.. established, follcilied, and inspect;Fd, to ensure that
those individuals involved in the project do not. lose
can,eer standing in relation to peers. For example, a
gen-ral officer review of all OERcs and EEIRs appears to be
,.@T.@--trranted. .-There is no smaTl dang,,::.r that an individual's
career, particularly under the present ad hoc personnel
situation, might be irreparably damaged by rating officials
who feel robbed (-.,f control of people under their supervision.
d. (SINOFORN) Regardless of the apparent near,-term
potential offered by RV, the INSCOM's project status
should remain one of familiarization and training. The
work should not be prematurely thrust into the operational
arena. For the next two years, INSCOM should be permitted
the "luxury" of tightening up procedures and attempting
product improvement (see Chapter 3, para 3). The project
should have, should it be needed, support of any resources
within DOD. An example might be USAF support in development
and analyzing intelligence targets.
e. (U) INSCOM is to be commended for its logical,
level-headed, and professional approach to a most curious
problem.
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