Within Stargate
Did the Evidence Prove Anything Paranormal?
The 1995 review became famous because sympathetic and sceptical experts agreed on unusual results but disagreed on what they proved.
On this page
- What Jessica Utts argued from the statistics
- What Ray Hyman accepted and rejected
- Why unusual results were not enough for policy
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
The best-known scientific disagreement arising from the 1995 review of the U.S. government’s Stargate remote-viewing programme was not over whether some laboratory experiments produced unusual statistical results. Instead, it centred on what those results meant. Statistician Jessica Utts argued that the accumulated evidence was strong enough to conclude that an anomalous information-transfer phenomenon had been demonstrated under controlled conditions. Psychologist Ray Hyman, while accepting that some findings were statistically unusual, argued that they fell short of proving any paranormal ability and did not justify treating remote viewing as a reliable intelligence tool. Their disagreement became the defining legacy of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) review because it separated two distinct questions: whether the data departed from chance, and whether those departures established a genuine psychic phenomenon with practical value.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese…
What Jessica Utts argued from the statistics
Jessica Utts approached the evidence primarily as a statistician. Reviewing the most methodologically advanced experiments, particularly those conducted at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), she concluded that the reported results were too consistent and too large to be explained by random chance alone. In her assessment, the evidence met standards commonly accepted in other scientific fields for detecting small but genuine effects.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF REMOTE VIEWINGJessica Utis, a Professor of. Statistics at the University of California/Davis, and Dr. Raymond Hyman…
Her argument rested on several key points:
- Repeated statistical departures from chance. Rather than relying on isolated successful experiments, Utts emphasised that multiple studies produced significant results across different laboratories and time periods.
- Improved experimental controls. She argued that later experiments had addressed many criticisms directed at the earliest Stanford Research Institute work, including stronger randomisation, blinding procedures and more rigorous protocols.
- Convergence across studies. Utts viewed the consistency of the findings as more important than any individual experiment. In her view, science often accepts small effects when they appear repeatedly under controlled conditions.
- Laboratory evidence versus mechanism. She acknowledged that the mechanism behind any anomalous cognition remained unknown, but argued that scientific acceptance of an effect does not require a complete theoretical explanation before recognising the empirical evidence.[CIA+2UC Davis]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF REMOTE VIEWINGJessica Utis, a Professor of. Statistics at the University of California/Davis, and Dr. Raymond Hyman…
Importantly, Utts did not claim that every reported remote-viewing session was accurate or operationally useful. Her conclusion was narrower: that the accumulated laboratory evidence justified accepting the existence of an anomalous phenomenon worthy of further scientific investigation.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF REMOTE VIEWINGJessica Utis, a Professor of. Statistics at the University of California/Davis, and Dr. Raymond Hyman…
What Ray Hyman accepted and rejected
Ray Hyman’s position is often oversimplified as a blanket rejection of the data. In fact, his review made an important distinction between recognising statistical anomalies and accepting the paranormal interpretation.
Hyman explicitly acknowledged that the better-designed SAIC experiments produced effects that could not simply be dismissed as random statistical fluctuations. He described the observed effects as sufficiently consistent to deserve serious attention. However, he argued that this was only the beginning of scientific inquiry rather than its conclusion.[UC Irvine Bren School]ics.uci.eduShe does not…Read more…
His principal objections concerned scientific inference rather than arithmetic:
- Replication remained insufficient. Hyman argued that extraordinary claims required repeated confirmation by independent investigators under tightly controlled conditions.
- Residual methodological concerns. Although later studies were stronger than earlier work, he believed subtle experimental flaws, unconscious cueing or unknown procedural weaknesses could still account for the findings.
- Lack of explanatory theory. Hyman maintained that there was no accepted scientific framework explaining how remote viewing could operate. Without such a framework, statistical anomalies alone could not establish a paranormal mechanism.
- Evidence versus proof. He argued that unusual data should stimulate better experiments, not immediate acceptance of psychic functioning. UC Irvine Bren School+2Center for Inquiry[ics.uci.edu]ics.uci.eduShe does not…Read more…
This distinction explains why Hyman could simultaneously acknowledge that some experiments were intriguing while rejecting the conclusion that extrasensory perception had been demonstrated.
Why unusual results were not enough for policy
The dispute mattered because the CIA had commissioned the review for a practical purpose, not simply to resolve an academic controversy. The central policy question was whether remote viewing had demonstrated sufficient reliability to justify continued intelligence funding.
Here the laboratory debate met operational reality.
The AIR review considered not only experimental studies but also years of operational use within the intelligence community. Even if some laboratory experiments showed statistically significant effects, there was little evidence that operational remote-viewing reports consistently produced specific, accurate and actionable intelligence unavailable through conventional methods. Many reported successes were anecdotal, difficult to verify independently or vulnerable to subjective interpretation after the fact.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese…
As a result, the review separated two different standards of evidence:
Scientific questionPolicy questionDo some laboratory experiments produce results above chance?Can intelligence agencies depend on remote viewing to make operational decisions?Utts largely answered “yes”.The review ultimately answered “no”.Hyman answered “not yet demonstrated”.Hyman also concluded “no”.
This distinction proved decisive. Intelligence agencies require methods that are dependable, reproducible and capable of producing information with known accuracy rates. Even accepting the possibility of anomalous statistical effects would not automatically satisfy those operational requirements.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese…
Why the disagreement still matters
The Utts–Hyman debate continues to be cited because it illustrates a broader issue in evaluating extraordinary claims: statistical significance is not identical to scientific proof, and scientific proof is not identical to practical usefulness.
Supporters of remote viewing frequently cite Utts’ conclusion that the experimental evidence exceeded chance expectations. Critics often cite Hyman’s insistence that replication, methodological certainty and theoretical understanding remained inadequate. Both positions accurately reflect parts of the original review, which is why selective quotation can create a misleading impression that the experts completely disagreed about the data itself. In reality, their principal disagreement concerned the strength of the inference that should be drawn from those data.[CIA+2UC Irvine Bren School]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese…
The CIA’s final decision reflected this distinction. Regardless of unresolved statistical questions, the available evidence did not demonstrate a dependable intelligence capability. Consequently, the Stargate programme was not continued as an operational tool, leaving the 1995 Utts–Hyman dispute as one of the clearest examples of how scientists can agree on observed results while fundamentally disagreeing about what those results prove.[CIA]cia.govAN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Did the Evidence Prove Anything Paranormal?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Rating: 3.5/5 from 11 Google Books ratings
Provides accessible background on the broader program.
Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies
First published 1997. Subjects: United states, department of defense, United states, central intelligence agency, Parapsychology.
Mind-Reach
First published 2005. Subjects: Consciousness, Parapsychology, Case studies.
Phenomena
First published 2017. Subjects: Military research, Parapsychology, Extrasensory perception, Psychokinesis, History.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Endnotes
1.
Source: cia.gov
Link:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00791R000200180005-5.pdf
Source snippet
AN EVALUATION OF THE REMOTE VIEWING PROGRAMIn conducting their reviews, both Dr. Hyman and Dr. Utts focused on the remote viewing rese...
2.
Source: cia.gov
Link:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00791R000200180006-4.pdf
Source snippet
AN EVALUATION OF REMOTE VIEWINGJessica Utis, a Professor of. Statistics at the University of California/Davis, and Dr. Raymond Hyman...
3.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Statistics in Parapsychology with Jessica Utts
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmYGtKB9EEA
Source snippet
Ray Hyman - The Life of an Expert Skeptic, Part 1 | For Good Reason...
4.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ray Hyman
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8VAOzcXGc4
Source snippet
Stargate Project: How Did the CIA Turn the Human Mind into a Weapon?...
5.
Source: ucdavis.edu
Title: [psychic spying]({{ ‘psychic-spying/’ | relative_url }}) research produces credible evidence
Link:https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/psychic-spying-research-produces-credible-evidence
Source snippet
'Psychic Spying' Research Produces Credible Evidence28 Nov 1995 — Utts found the results were consistent with the small- to medium-sized...
6.
Source: ics.uci.edu
Link:https://www.ics.uci.edu/~jutts/hyman.html
Source snippet
She does not...Read more...
7.
Source: cdn.centerforinquiry.org
Link:https://cdn.centerforinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1996/03/22165045/p21.pdf
Source snippet
of the Military's Twenty-Year Program on...by RAY HYMAN · 1996 · Cited by 8 — The remote-viewing experiments that Utts and I evaluated h...
8.
Source: utts.gov.tr
Link:https://www.utts.gov.tr/
Source snippet
Ulusal Taşıt Tanıma Sistemi | Akaryakıtta Güvenli ve Hızlı ÇözümUTTS, istasyonlarda akaryakıt pompalarına bağlı ödeme kaydedici cihazlara...
9.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Remote viewing
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_viewing
Source snippet
Remote viewingIn 1995, the CIA hired the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to perform a retrospective evaluation. Reviewers inclu...
10.
Source: ics.uci.edu
Link:https://www.ics.uci.edu/~jutts/may.pdf
Source snippet
review of the departmentby C EDwIN · 1996 — The CIA-sponsored AIR investigation concluded that a statistically significant laboratory eff...
Additional References
11.
Source: skepsis.nl
Link:https://skepsis.nl/stargate/
Source snippet
CIA onderzoekt ESP / remote viewingDe skeptische psycholoog Ray Hyman van de Universiteit van Oregon was een van de twee hiervoor benader...
12.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/remoteviewing/comments/1dazs09/creation_of_study_on_statistical_evidence_of/
Source snippet
Creation of study on statistical evidence of remote viewingJessica Utts, and 1 debunker, Ray Hyman. Neither were granted clearance, so 98...
13.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/95285973/The_Star_Gate_Operational_Remote_Viewing_Program_A_Human_Intelligence_HUMINT_Collection_Platform
Source snippet
An Evaluation of Remote Viewing: Research and Applications (a.k.a. The AIR Report) In early 1995, a Congressionally Directed Action requi...
14.
Source: uttsgroup.com
Link:https://uttsgroup.com/
Source snippet
UTTS GroupAt UTTS Group, we are more than just a Business House; we are innovators driven by a passion for solving complex Business chall...
15.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403178755_The_Star_Gate_Archives_Reports_of_the_United_States_Government_Sponsored_Psi_Program_1972-1995_Volume_4_Operational_Remote_Viewing_Memorandums_and_Reports
Source snippet
1995. Ray Hyman. Jessica Utts and I were commissioned to evaluate the research on remote viewing and related phenomena which was...Read...
16.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333228024_An_Assessment_of_the_Evidence_for_Psychic_Functioning
17.
Source: bayiloji.com
Title: what is the national vehicle recognition system utts and how to apply 545
Link:https://bayiloji.com/en/blog/what-is-the-national-vehicle-recognition-system-utts-and-how-to-apply-545.html
Source snippet
What is the National Vehicle Identification System (UTTS)?Jan 30, 2025 — The National Vehicle Identification System (UTTS) is a system de...
18.
Source: slideshare.net
Link:https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/an-evaluation-of-remote-viewing-research-and-applications-air1995pdf/257460594
Source snippet
summary of a program review conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) that evaluated the research and...
19.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267978941Evaluation_of_Program_on%27Anomalous_Mental_Phenomena%27
Source snippet
related phenomena which was carried out at Stanford Re-search Institute...Read more...
20.
Source: newparadigminstitute.org
Title: disinformation series remote viewing project [star gate]({{ ‘star-gate/’ | relative_url }})
Link:https://newparadigminstitute.org/learn/library/disinformation-series-remote-viewing-project-star-gate/
Source snippet
Remote Viewing and Project Star Gate (1970s–1995) –...19 May 2025 — The review, conducted by Jessica Utts and Ray Hyman, produced divide...
Published: May 2025
Topic Tree