Why Did Stargate Have So Many Names?

Introduction

The many names attached to the U.S. government’s remote-viewing programme often create the false impression that they refer to separate projects. In reality, SCANATE, GRILL FLAME, CENTER LANE, SUN STREAK and STAR GATE were successive phases of one evolving effort that changed sponsors, security arrangements and organisational homes over more than two decades. As responsibility shifted between the CIA, the U.S. Army and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), new code names reflected administrative reorganisations rather than entirely new missions.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

Understanding these name changes is important because references to “Project Stargate” frequently compress the programme’s entire history into its final title. The result is that earlier Army and CIA work is often overlooked, even though many of the personnel, methods and objectives continued across multiple redesignations. The history is therefore best understood as one changing programme with several official identities rather than a sequence of unrelated experiments.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

From SCANATE to GRILL FLAME

The earliest stage began with SCANATE (“scan by coordinate”), a CIA-funded research effort launched in the early 1970s following intelligence concerns that the Soviet Union was investing heavily in research on alleged psychic phenomena. Rather than creating an operational intelligence unit, SCANATE funded laboratory research at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), where researchers Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ explored what they termed “remote viewing” with a small group of experimental subjects.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

The programme’s focus changed significantly in the late 1970s. After an Army assessment known as GONDOLA WISH examined possible military applications, the work moved beyond laboratory experiments and into operational testing under the code name GRILL FLAME. Established in 1978, GRILL FLAME created a dedicated Army intelligence unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, where soldiers and civilian viewers attempted to produce intelligence reports for government customers. The research relationship with SRI continued, but the project now combined scientific investigation with practical intelligence collection.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

This transition explains why later accounts sometimes blur the distinction between research and operations. The SRI experiments did not disappear when GRILL FLAME began; instead, the operational and research components increasingly ran alongside one another under different management arrangements.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

CENTER LANE and Army control

In 1983 the programme was redesignated INSCOM CENTER LANE Project (ICLP) while remaining under the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). The change did not represent a fresh start so much as a restructuring within Army intelligence. Personnel, training and operational tasks largely continued, but the administrative framework and security controls were updated.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

CENTER LANE also marked a period when the Army sought to formalise remote viewing as a collection method. During these years, the programme increasingly relied on structured viewing protocols developed with SRI researchers, including Coordinate Remote Viewing (CRV), which attempted to standardise the viewing process through a series of defined stages. Declassified documents describe the project as a Special Access Program, illustrating that it was treated as a sensitive intelligence activity despite continuing controversy over its scientific credibility.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

The redesignation did not resolve questions about the programme’s value. In 1984 the National Research Council reviewed aspects of the Army’s work on human performance and reached an unfavourable assessment of evidence supporting operational psychic applications. Although this review did not immediately terminate the project, it contributed to continuing institutional uncertainty.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

SUN STREAK and STAR GATE under DIA

When Army funding ended in late 1985, responsibility shifted from INSCOM to the Defense Intelligence Agency. The programme received another code name—SUN STREAK—and came under the DIA’s Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate. While the organisational sponsor changed, the programme retained much of its existing staff, accumulated records and remote-viewing mission structure.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

Declassified DIA briefing materials present SUN STREAK as a continuation of earlier work rather than a replacement. Historical overview slides explicitly trace the programme’s origins back to the early 1970s and describe remote viewing as one component of broader research into what officials called “psychoenergetics.” The continuity shown in these internal briefings reinforces that the changing code names reflected administrative evolution rather than repeated reinvention.[National Security Archive]nsarchive2.gwu.eduNational Security ArchiveSUN STREAKI WOULD LIKE1 TO PRESENT A BRIF. OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT SUN STREAK, GIVING A FEW POINTS OF. ITS HISTO…

A further administrative reorganisation occurred in 1991. The DIA transferred much of the contractor support from SRI to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), reduced the programme’s security level from Special Access Program to Limited Dissemination (LIMDIS), and adopted the final programme title, STAR GATE. By this point, “STAR GATE” had become an umbrella label covering the long-running effort that had previously operated under several different names.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

Why the programme kept changing names

The repeated renaming reflected practical government management rather than an attempt simply to disguise the programme.

Several factors drove the changes:

• Changing sponsors. Responsibility moved between the CIA, Army intelligence and the DIA, with each organisation applying its own project designation.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…
• Budget and organisational restructuring. Funding decisions frequently accompanied administrative transfers, particularly after the Army withdrew support in 1985.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…
• Security administration. The programme’s classification and reporting arrangements evolved over time, including its transition from a Special Access Program to LIMDIS status in 1991.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…
• Programme evolution. The balance between laboratory research, viewer training and operational intelligence collection shifted over the years, making periodic reorganisations administratively convenient even when personnel and methods remained largely continuous.[Intelligence Resource Program]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

Cold War intelligence programmes commonly adopted new code names when organisational control changed. In this respect, the remote-viewing effort was unusual for its subject matter rather than for the administrative practice of renaming classified projects.

Why the names still cause confusion

Public discussion frequently treats Project Stargate as though it existed unchanged from the early 1970s until its closure in 1995. That shorthand obscures important distinctions between the programme’s research origins, its Army operational phase and its later management by the DIA.

It also encourages misunderstandings about the historical record. Claims attributed to “Stargate” often actually refer to activities carried out years earlier under SCANATE, GRILL FLAME or CENTER LANE. Likewise, declassified documents may use different project names while describing the same personnel, similar operational procedures or continuing intelligence tasks. Without recognising the succession of code names, readers can mistakenly interpret separate document collections as evidence of multiple independent psychic-spying programmes when they instead document different chapters of one evolving government experiment.[Intelligence Resource Program+2CIA]irp.fas.orgIntelligence Resource ProgramSTAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]29 Dec 2005 — STAR GATE was one of a number of remote viewing programs…

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Why Did Stargate Have So Many Names?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

Book

The Men Who Stare At Goats

By Jon Ronson

Rating: 3.5/5 from 11 Google Books ratings

Introduces the broader public story surrounding military psychic programs, including Stargate.

See on Amazon

Book

Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies

By Jim Schnabel

First published 1997. Subjects: United states, department of defense, United states, central intelligence agency, Parapsychology.

See on Amazon

Book

Mind-Reach

By Russell Targ, Harold E. Puthoff

First published 2005. Subjects: Consciousness, Parapsychology, Case studies.

See on Amazon

Book

Phenomena

By Annie Jacobsen

First published 2017. Subjects: Military research, Parapsychology, Extrasensory perception, Psychokinesis, History.

See on Amazon

Browse more on Amazon:The Men Who Stare At GoatsRemote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic SpiesMind Reach

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

eBay marketplace picks

Marketplace Samples

Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.

Shop location

UsingUSA USA USAUKCanadaAustraliaIreland

Example eBay listing

Original Soviet USSR Poster Soviet Army 1980s 18*24"

SearcheBay.co.uk: Soviet military poster

Browse similar oneBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

1976 Original USSR Propaganda poster Soviet Army Missile Forces- 28x18 in

SearcheBay.co.uk: Soviet military poster

Browse similar oneBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

1976 Original USSR Propaganda poster Soviet Army Assault Troops - 28x18 in

SearcheBay.co.uk: Soviet military poster

Browse similar oneBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

Soviet Union Military Poster "Glory to the liberators of Kiev!" 1980s

SearcheBay.co.uk: Soviet military poster

Browse similar oneBay.co.uk

Browse more oneBay.co.uk

Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.

Endnotes

1. Source: irp.fas.org
Link:https://irp.fas.org/program/collect/stargate.htm

2. Source: cia.gov
Title: DOC 0001299750
Link:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001299750.pdf

3. Source: nsarchive2.gwu.edu
Link:https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB534-DIA-Declassified-Sourcebook/documents/DIA-21.pdf

4. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Project Stargate
Link:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Stargate

Additional References

5. Source: youtube.com
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y5tDu2CjLQ

6. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/Stargate/comments/5p11n0/the_cia_has_declassified_information_related_to/

7. Source: facebook.com
Title: The Stargate Project was a secret U.S
Link:https://www.facebook.com/SimpleHistoryCartoons/posts/the-stargate-project-was-a-secret-us-army-unit-at-fort-meade-maryland-active-fro/1276829521138061/

8. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Stargate Project (U.S. Army unit)
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_Project_%28U.S._Army_unit%29

9. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/AskImtinan/posts/project-stargate-the-cias-search-for-tabut-e-sakinahin-1972-the-cia-secretly-fun/1575907587435890/

10. Source: hypothes.is
Title: FWCtxpr QEe Mu7e1Agc85g
Link:https://hypothes.is/a/FWCtxprQEe-Mu7e1Agc85g

11. Source: youtube.com
Title: The CIA’s Very Real Experiments into Psychic Powers
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVZ2P5pe0-Q

12. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Stargate Project: When the CIA Dabbled with the Psychic
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B6-TMuudqE

13. Source: youtube.com
Title: Uncovering the CIA’s Secret Weapon: Psychic Spies
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJwV3Ksxa8

14. Source: youtube.com
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDf7OUKpyvs