disinfozone/The_Info_Web
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull requests Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity Actions
The_Info_Web/30 - PROGRAMS & PROJECTS/PSI_RESEARCH_PROGRAMS/Center Lane.md

14 KiB
Raw Blame History

aliases category tags summary start end location created updated relations
Project Center Lane
INSCOM Center Lane Project
ICLP
Psi Research Program
Program
CenterLane
INSCOM
RemoteViewing
AlbertStubblebine
FortMeade
SpecialAccessProgram
INSCOM's remote-viewing unit from October 1982 to March 1985, kept alive with security and DARPA funds after Congress cut Grill Flame, and handed to the DIA as Sun Streak. 1982-12-03 1985-03-07 Fort Meade, Maryland 2026-09-21 2026-10-09
type with reverse start role fn
funded DARPA true 1983 source of funds moved through DCSRDA, per the DAMI-ISH memorandum 5

Center Lane was the name under which United States Army Intelligence and Security Command kept its remote-viewing unit at Fort Meade after Congress cut the Army's part of Stargate Project. On October 1, 1982, "NFIP funding terminated for Army GRILL FLAME collection operations project by Congressional directive"; a year later the project manager identified Senator Malcolm Wallop, chairman of the budget subcommittee of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as "the individual who was responsible for the project being eliminated under the NFIP (GDIP) at the end of FY 82." On September 27, 1982, the commander of INSCOM, Major General Albert Stubblebine, heard the full briefing at building 2561 and, before the project manager could finish the list of options, "selected SSD, 902D as the organization to which the project would go"; "as I tried to continue with other options, MG Stubblebine then indicated I must not have heard him for he had already made his decision." His guidance: "Get out of the briefing mode!" On December 3, 1982, INSCOM told the Army staff "that INSCOM will fund a psychoenergetics program out of hide by using S&IA funds," and "project name changed to CENTER LANE." On January 19, 1983, the under secretary of defense for research, Richard DeLauer, signed a memorandum allowing Program 6 money "to maintain the current INSCOM CENTER LANE capability," and on March 1 a letter of instruction established the project as the Security Systems Planning Division of the Security Support Detachment, 902d Military Intelligence Group.123

Source of the money, 1983

An INSCOM information paper of February 21, 1983 states that Center Lane is the Army portion of the Department of Defense Grill Flame project, and that "the new Army name is for security purposes in light of the exposure generated during the BG Dozier project." The paper lists the objectives of Mr. Hurwitz, Director of the GDIP Program, as keeping the SRI team intact, keeping the Army INSCOM team intact and bringing INSCOM back under GDIP, and states that Hurwitz wrote the January 19, 1983 memorandum of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering) that lifted the prohibition on the use of P6 funds for Grill Flame.4

An undated Army memorandum from the DAMI-ISH office, referring to the end of fiscal 1983, describes a funding initiative routed from DARPA. It states that Defense Intelligence Agency asked whether the Army would continue research efforts DIA had scheduled for fiscal 1984 and part of fiscal 1985, with funding anticipated from the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and that "Contact with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the actual source of the funds, resulted in a decision to move the money covertly through DCSRDA, if approved." It also records that the Congressional prohibition against use of National Foreign Intelligence Program or NFIP-derived funds "has been discussed with DARPA, but will be reiterated," and that the Under Secretary's office would be informed when contracting and transfer of the funds to SRI was complete.5

An INSCOM information paper of February 28, 1983 records that INSCOM was preparing a request that the assistant chief of staff for intelligence establish Center Lane as a formal Special Access Program, and asks whether the Army's projects at Stanford Research Institute would receive the same priority, given that "DIA has either obtained or received commitment for $200K from DARPA."6

DIA's Grill Flame Project Report of October 19, 1983, on the three-year program that ended with fiscal 1983, states that funding for the SRI contract "was provided jointly by DIA and the Army Intelligence Security Command with a small portion also provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency," and its funding appendix lists $962K from DIA, $313.5K from Army INSCOM and $200K from DARPA, a total of $1,475.5K (fiscal 1981, $418.5K; 1982, $518K; 1983, $539K).7

The Special Access Program

The assistant chief of staff for intelligence wrote to Stubblebine in April 1983 that "OPSEC should again be of great concern and I applaud your efforts to establish a Special Access Program. Some linkage to your former, similar program will be inevitable, but must be minimized. I suggest that instead of being part of a joint DOD program INSCOM is now engaged in a similar, cooperative effort of its own initiative," adding that the director of DIA had written of "the need to preserve the fragile, painstakingly constructed experience factor." The Secretary of the Army, John Marsh, approved the special access program on June 15, 1983, and continued participation on September 1; the compartment was called "Center Lane Level 4." The chronology records briefings in 1983 of the vice chief of staff, General John Wickham, the under secretary James Ambrose, Marsh, the Army Science Board, and the Vice President, George H.W. Bush, "for thirty minutes concerning CENTER LANE related activities by Dr. Jack Vorona, DIA." Lieutenant Colonel Robert Jachim was project manager until Captain Frederick Atwater took over as acting manager in the summer of 1983 and Lieutenant Colonel Brian Buzby on August 15. On August 26 Buzby, Atwater, and Chief Warrant Officer Joe McMoneagle briefed Stubblebine on the project and the Monroe Institute; the general "directed me to expand the program with quality people, develop a screening program to identify qualified people for the project; and employ advance techniques for intelligence collection." The unit's mission statement now ran to "psychoenergetic communication and psychokinesis."128

The chronology records that the Secretary of the Army approved the establishment of a Special Access Program for Center Lane on June 15, 1983, and that Captain Frederick Atwater assumed duties as acting project manager on July 7, 1983, ahead of Lieutenant Colonel Brian Buzby on August 15, 1983.9 The Secretary's information memorandum to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, "Report of Establishment of Special Access Program (U)," is dated June 15, 1983.10

Operations and Training

Between March 21 and April 20, 1984, the unit ran eleven sessions for the CIA on the kidnapped Beirut station chief William Buckley; the agency's memorandum of May 1 described itself as "a customer" with "no Agency people or funds assigned," and asked "to continue to call upon CENTER LANE." A contract "with Mr. Robert Monroe for 'One-on-One' training of CENTER LANE operative" was signed on July 19, 1983; "RAPT Training established" on November 10; a second group began coordinate remote viewing training at SRI on January 15, 1984. On March 13, 1984, the director of the Army staff, Lieutenant General Brown, "directs cancellation of RAPT as CENTER LANE personnel screening vehicle." An Army inspector general team was briefed on April 10, and on May 9 "dialogue initiated with McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, Huntington Beach, CA to comply with directive to obtain second contractor." Congressional staff heard Vorona's case for restoring the program to the National Foreign Intelligence Program on October 7, 1983, and answered "that there was no security in the NFIP, and since P-6 money is available, it could be dangerous to reintroduce the subject to the Congressional Committees."11112

Coordinate remote viewing training

The training plan of the Center Lane office for October 1 to December 31, 1984 states that the project "will be transferred to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)," and that it "ceased psychoenergetic intelligence collection activities on 30 September 1984." It states that the project was nonetheless "authorized to continue psychoenergetic training," and lists Coordinate Remote Viewing, the method of Ingo Swann: "CRV is a contracted form of training in psychoenergetic perception provided by a SRI-International (SRI-1) subcontractor, Ingo Swann, who coined the term CRV. Training is conducted at SRI-International facilities in Menlo Park, CA and New York, NY."13 Four Center Lane personnel were then being trained in "CRV Stages I, II, and III," and one trainee who had completed Stages I, II, III, IV and VI was in Stage V.13 The plan was signed by CPT Frederick H. Atwater, MI, OPS/TNG Officer.13 It also records two Center Lane personnel in an in-house phase of CRV training applying "basic principles drawn from the Ingo Swann CRV methodology."13

A February 1984 information paper lists, among the project's planned actions, "Initiation of CRV training for four new source personnel."14 A Center Lane training and applications procedures document submitted on June 6, 1984 lists CRV training as a contracted SRI service of 12 to 18 months at Menlo Park, New York and Washington, D.C.15

Transfer

Brigadier General Harry Soyster, the new commander of INSCOM, was briefed on July 11, 1984, and on July 13 "formulates decision to discontinue CENTER LANE as an INSCOM project." On August 23 the Secretary of the Army "approves discontinuance of CENTER LANE as Army project, and authorizes negotiations for transfer of Project to DIA or other suitable agency"; Major General Rapmund of the Army Medical Research and Development Command discussed taking its assets on August 1. A memorandum of agreement with DIA was completed on September 18, and on September 28 "CENTER LANE ceases operational collection activities." After DIA asked for the personnel to be detailed rather than transferred, INSCOM approved interim operational control on December 11, 1984; the memorandum was signed for DIA by Lieutenant General Williams on March 7, 1985, and the project passed to DIA, where it became Sun Streak.1

Footnotes

  1. US Army Intelligence and Security Command, "List of Events from September 1977 to January 1986," CIA-RDP96-00788R001100020001-8. ↩︎

  2. Jachim, Robert J., memorandum "Briefing for MG A.N. Stubblebine III," October 8, 1982, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220022-7; Buzby, Brian, memoranda "CENTER LANE Briefing for CG, USAINSCOM," August 29, 1983 (CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220011-9), "Meeting With MG Stubblebine on 30 November 1983," December 6, 1983 (CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220010-0), and "Meeting with MG Stubblebine on 6 January 1984," January 17, 1984 (CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220009-2); letter of the ACSI to Stubblebine, "CENTER LANE," April 1983 (CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220002-9). ↩︎

  3. Buzby, Brian, memorandum "Briefing to Senator Wallop, 5 October 1983," October 14, 1983, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700270015-0. ↩︎

  4. INSCOM information paper IAOPS-H-S, "GRILL FLAME," February 21, 1983, CIA-RDP96-00788R001100350001-2. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001100350001-2.pdf ↩︎

  5. Department of the Army memorandum DAMI-ISH, "CENTER LANE DAMI-ISH Funding Initiative," undated, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700180003-3. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700180003-3.pdf ↩︎

  6. INSCOM information paper IAOPS-H, "Information for ACSI-INSCOM Meeting," February 28, 1983, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700030007-5. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700030007-5.pdf ↩︎

  7. Defense Intelligence Agency, Directorate for Scientific and Technical Intelligence, "GRILL FLAME Project Report," October 19, 1983, background section and Appendix III, CIA-RDP96-00788R001000410001-6, cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001000410001-6.pdf. ↩︎

  8. US Army Intelligence and Security Command, "Briefing - Project Center Lane," c. 1984, CIA-RDP96-00789R002100180002-8. ↩︎

  9. US Army Intelligence and Security Command, "List of Events from September 1977 to January 1986," CIA-RDP96-00788R001100020001-8, cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001100020001-8.pdf. A cleaner copy of the same table is the attachment to CIA-RDP96-00788R001500180001-7. ↩︎

  10. Action memorandum, "Sponsorship of Special Access Program (SAP) CENTER LANE," reference a, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500090012-5, cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001500090012-5.pdf. ↩︎

  11. Buzby, Brian, "Purpose: To Provide an Overview of Center Lane," May 4, 1984, with the CIA memorandum "Comments on Recent CENTER LANE Experience," May 1, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220003-8. US Army Intelligence and Security Command, information paper "The Monroe Institute of Applied Sciences," January 5, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700270004-2. ↩︎

  12. Buzby, Brian, memorandum on the briefing of Congressional intelligence committee staff of October 7, 1983, October 14, 1983, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700270017-8; "ITAOPS Fact Sheet, Inputs for MG Stubblebine," April 10, 1981, CIA-RDP96-00788R001700220021-8. ↩︎

  13. Memorandum for record, IAGPA-F-SD, "Training Plan 1 October 1984 - 31 December 1984," October 22, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500090053-0. cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001500090053-0.pdf. A second copy carries the signature of CPT Frederick H. Atwater, MI, OPS/TNG Officer (CIA-RDP96-00788R001500040003-0). ↩︎

  14. "Center Lane Information Papers," February 25, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500070003-7. cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001500070003-7.pdf. ↩︎

  15. Memorandum, IAGPA-F-SD, to the Chairperson, INSCOM Human Technology Review Board, "INSCOM CENTER LANE Project Training and Applications Procedures," June 6, 1984, CIA-RDP96-00788R001500040003-0. cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001500040003-0.pdf. ↩︎