Mind to Mind
René Warcollier publishes La Telepathie, exploring how thoughts, emotions, and images might be transmitted mind-to-mind.
A Brief Timeline of RV and IRVA
The Timeline
1921
1930
Mental Radio
Upton Sinclair's book Mental Radio describes controlled experiments in image-based telepathy, energizing early parapsychology.
1971
Psychokinesis Research
Ingo Swann begins psychokinesis experiments with Cleve Backster in New York, helping set the stage for later RV work.
1971
Gertrude Schmeidler’s Experiments
Swann joins Gertrude Schmeidler’s lab work, taking part in PK and out-of-body experiments that deepen research interest in his abilities.
1971
ASPR “Remote Viewing” Experiments
At the ASPR in New York, Swann describes distant weather in Tucson; the term “remote viewing” is adopted for this kind of experiment.
1972
ASPR “Beacon” Experiments
ASPR researchers run “beacon” trials, where a distant person at a site acts as a focus for Swann’s remote descriptions.
1972
Swann and Puthoff Connect
Cleve Backster shows Swann a letter from physicist Hal Puthoff at SRI, starting the dialogue that leads Swann to California.
1972
Magnetometer Experiment at SRI
At Stanford, Swann attempts to psychically perturb a quark-detector / magnetometer setup, producing anomalous data that attracts attention.
1972
CIA Reviews SRI Results
Puthoff shares the magnetometer findings with CIA scientist Kit Green, prompting growing intelligence-community interest in remote viewing.
1972
CIA Evaluation Trials
CIA personnel visit SRI to test Swann under controlled conditions; Russell Targ is drawn into the work as a collaborator.
1972
Russell Targ Joins SRI Program
Laser physicist Russell Targ formally joins SRI’s remote viewing research, helping design and analyze experiments.
1972
CIA Research Contract
The CIA funds SRI with an exploratory contract to investigate remote viewing as a potential intelligence tool.
1973
Price & Swann Target NSA Site
Pat Price and Ingo Swann describe NSA’s Sugar Grove facility in West Virginia, an early high-profile operational target.
1974
Semipalatinsk Industrial Site
Pat Price remotely describes a sensitive installation near Semipalatinsk in the USSR, demonstrating perceived strategic value.
1974
Targ & Puthoff in Nature
Targ and Puthoff publish a paper on remote viewing in the journal Nature, putting their data before the wider scientific community.
1975
Air Force Funds SRI Program
The Air Force Foreign Technology Division becomes SRI’s main sponsor for remote viewing work, guided by Dale Graff.
1975
CIA Steps Back
The CIA withdraws from the SRI program and ends its direct funding of remote viewing research.
1976
Edwin May Joins SRI
Physicist Edwin May enters the SRI program, later becoming a key scientific leader for remote viewing research.
1976
Targ & Puthoff in IEEE
Puthoff and Targ publish a major article on remote viewing in Proceedings of the IEEE, further documenting their lab work.
1977
Mind Reach
Targ and Puthoff release Mind Reach, a popular book that summarizes their SRI experiments for a general audience.
1977
Project Deepquest
Mobius Group and SRI cooperate on Project Deepquest, a submarine-based remote viewing experiment led by Stephan Schwartz.
1977
GONDOLA WISH
Skip Atwater establishes the U.S. Army’s GONDOLA WISH program to explore operational use of remote viewing.
1978
Grill Flame Viewers Selected
Viewers like Mel Riley, Joe McMoneagle, and Ken Bell are chosen for the Army’s new GRILL FLAME remote viewing unit.
1978
GONDOLA WISH Becomes GRILL FLAME
The Army renames the GONDOLA WISH project as GRILL FLAME as work continues at Ft. Meade.
1978
INSCOM Parapsychology Program
The Army’s INSCOM command is tasked with developing a sustained parapsychology / remote viewing capability.
1979
Alexandria Project
Stephan Schwartz leads the Alexandria Project in Egypt, using remote viewing to aid archaeological discovery.
1979
Missing Soviet TU-22 Found
Remote viewers connected with Dale Graff and SRI help locate a crashed Soviet TU-22 reconnaissance aircraft.
1979
Army Goes Operational
The Ft. Meade unit performs its first fully operational intelligence-oriented remote viewing session.
1980
DIA Remote Viewing Program
After the Air Force cancels its RV program, Dale Graff moves to the Defense Intelligence Agency to oversee the effort.
1981
Coordinate Remote Viewing (CRV)
Ingo Swann and Hal Puthoff formalize CRV, a structured, stage-based approach to remote viewing training.
1982
Russell Targ Departs SRI
Russell Targ leaves the SRI remote viewing program, moving on to other projects and writing.
1982
Mel Riley Leaves Ft. Meade
Viewer Mel Riley departs the Army’s Ft. Meade unit after several years of operational work.
1982
First CRV Training Group
With Swann as trainer, Tom McNear and Rob Cowart begin the first formal CRV training program for the military.
1982
Project CENTER LANE
The Army RV project is renamed CENTER LANE as it continues under evolving security designations.
1983
Charlene Cavanaugh Joins Unit
Charlene Cavanaugh becomes part of the Ft. Meade remote viewing team, adding to the roster of military viewers.
1983
Paul H. Smith Assigned
Paul H. Smith arrives at Ft. Meade, later becoming one of the best-known military CRV practitioners and authors.
1984
Second CRV Training Class
Bill Ray and others join the second CRV training group, with Ed Dames added at the last moment.
1984
Mind Race
Targ and Keith Harary publish Mind Race, describing remote viewing experiments and applications to the public.
1984
Lyn Buchanan Joins Unit
Lyn Buchanan becomes a member of the Ft. Meade team, later teaching CRV widely after the program ends.
1984
Joe McMoneagle Retires
Renowned viewer Joe McMoneagle leaves the Ft. Meade RV unit and eventually shares his experiences in books and lectures.
1985
Hal Puthoff Moves On
Puthoff leaves SRI to lead the Institute for Advanced Studies in Austin, but remains influential in the field.
1985
Edwin May Becomes Director
Edwin May takes over leadership of the SRI remote viewing program, emphasizing rigorous statistics and protocol.
1985
Caravel Project
Stephan Schwartz directs the Caravel underwater archaeology project, again applying remote viewing to real-world discovery.
1986
Mel Riley Returns
Mel Riley is reassigned to the Ft. Meade unit, bringing prior operational experience back into the team.
1986
Project SUN STREAK
DIA fully takes charge of the operational program and renames it SUN STREAK, with Ed Dames joining the unit.
1987
Brig Leander Project
Another Schwartz-led underwater archaeology project, the Brig Leander, uses remote viewing as part of its toolkit.
1987
Skip Atwater Retires from Unit
F. Holmes “Skip” Atwater leaves the Ft. Meade unit, closing a foundational chapter in Army remote viewing.
1988
David Morehouse Assigned
David Morehouse joins the Ft. Meade RV unit, later becoming widely known through his writing and teaching.
1988
Ed Dames Leaves Unit
Ed Dames departs the Ft. Meade program and later becomes a public figure teaching and discussing remote viewing.
1990
Project STAR GATE
Dale Graff becomes head of the Ft. Meade unit and renames the operational project STAR GATE.
1990
Program Moves to SAIC
Edwin May relocates the research effort from SRI to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).
1991
Everybody’s Guide to Natural ESP
Ingo Swann publishes a practical book on ESP and remote viewing, aimed at helping readers access their own abilities.
1993
Mind Trek
Joe McMoneagle’s book Mind Trek offers an insider’s account of remote viewing and his experiences in the program.
1993
Dale Graff Retires from Unit
Program manager Dale Graff leaves the government remote viewing unit, later writing about psi and dreams.
1994
STAR GATE Moves to CIA
Budget language transfers oversight of STAR GATE from DIA to the CIA as part of broader reorganization.
1995
AIR Evaluation Report
The American Institutes for Research issues a controversial review that downplays remote viewing’s intelligence value.
1995
STAR GATE Ends
The CIA terminates the STAR GATE program and reassigns remaining personnel, ending the official U.S. RV effort.
1995
The Real X-Files
A UK TV special, The Real X-Files: America’s Psychic Spies, brings the existence of the RV program to public attention.
1995
Nightline Covers RV
Ted Koppel’s Nightline runs a segment on government remote viewing, interviewing former officials and viewers.
1996
Art Bell & Talk Radio
Remote viewing becomes a frequent topic on Art Bell’s late-night show and other media, spreading RV to a mass audience.
1996
Psychic Warrior
David Morehouse’s book Psychic Warrior provides a dramatic narrative of his time in the Ft. Meade unit.
1997
Remote Viewers
Jim Schnabel’s book Remote Viewers offers an investigative history of America’s psychic spy program.
1998
Tracks in the Psychic Wilderness
Dale Graff publishes a book on remote viewing, ESP, precognitive dreams, and synchronicity, blending science and personal story.
1999
First CRV Conference
Lyn Buchanan’s company P>S>I hosts the first dedicated CRV conference, with Russell Targ and John Alexander among the speakers.
1999
IRVA Founded
The International Remote Viewing Association (IRVA) is created to support research, education, and ethical practice in remote viewing.
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1999
Russell Targ Becomes IRVA President
Russell Targ, veteran SRI researcher, serves as the first president of the newly formed International Remote Viewing Association (IRVA)
2000
IRVA 2000 Conference
IRVA sponsors a remote viewing conference in Mesquite, Nevada, featuring Charles Tart, Jessica Utts, Larry Dossey, Marcello Truzzi, and others.
2001
Captain of My Ship, Master of My Soul
Former Ft. Meade unit commander F. Holmes “Skip” Atwater publishes his book about guidance, intuition, and his life’s inner experiences.
2001
IRVA 2001 Conference
The first IRVA-sponsored remote viewing conference takes place in Las Vegas, with Edgar Mitchell, Dean Radin, and Jeffrey Mishlove as featured speakers.
2002
Skip Atwater Elected IRVA President
Former Army RV unit founder F. Holmes “Skip” Atwater is elected president of IRVA, bringing his operational background into civilian leadership.
2002
IRVA 2002 – 30 Years of RV
Austin, Texas hosts the IRVA conference celebrating 30 years of remote viewing, featuring Ingo Swann, Hal Puthoff, Dale Graff, and Cleve Backster.
2003
The Seventh Sense
Lyn Buchanan’s book The Seventh Sense shares his experience as a U.S. military remote viewer and outlines CRV concepts for the public.
2003
IRVA & A.R.E. Joint Conference
IRVA co-sponsors a remote viewing conference with the A.R.E. in Virginia Beach, featuring Charles Cayce, James Spottiswoode, Hal Puthoff, and Dale Graff.
2004
Stephan A. Schwartz Elected President
Researcher and author Stephan A. Schwartz becomes IRVA president, emphasizing scientific approaches and applied projects.
2004
IRVA 2004 Conference
IRVA meets in Las Vegas, with Ingo Swann and psychologist Daryl Bem among the highlighted presenters.
2005
Reading the Enemy’s Mind
Paul H. Smith’s book Reading the Enemy’s Mind offers a detailed history of the U.S. Star Gate program from an insider’s perspective.
2006
Paul H. Smith, Ph.D. Elected President
Former Army CRV instructor Paul H. Smith becomes IRVA president, continuing the association’s emphasis on education and standards.
2006
IRVA 2006 Conference
Las Vegas again hosts the IRVA conference, with Ingo Swann, William Tiller, and Dean Radin presenting on consciousness and psi.
2007
IRVA 2007 Conference
IRVA’s Las Vegas meeting features Jacques Vallée, Jessica Utts, and clairvoyant George McMullen among its main speakers.
2009
IRVA 2009 Conference
Another IRVA conference in Las Vegas, with presentations by Roger Nelson, John Alexander, Skip Atwater, and Dale Graff.
2010
John P. Stahler Elected President
John P. Stahler assumes the presidency of IRVA, guiding the organization into a new decade.
2010
Tell Me What You See
Former viewer Ed Dames publishes Tell Me What You See, describing his remote viewing cases and experiences as a psychic spy.
2010
IRVA 2010 Conference
IRVA meets in Las Vegas with speakers Jim Channon, perceptual scientist Donald Hoffman, and researcher Brenda Dunne.
2010
Limitless Mind
Russell Targ releases Limitless Mind, blending remote viewing research with a broader exploration of consciousness and spiritual transformation.
2011
IRVA 2011 Conference
IRVA’s Las Vegas conference features philosopher Stephen E. Braude as keynote, focusing on evidential psi and survival questions.
2011
First René Warcollier Prize
The René Warcollier Prize is first awarded to Lance Beem and co-investigators Debra Katz, Melvin Morse, and John Peter Thompson for remote viewing research.
2012
IRVA 2012 Conference
IRVA returns to Las Vegas, with Kit Green as keynote and presentations by Jim Channon and Tom McNear.
2012
René Warcollier Prize 2012
The prize recognizes the study “Remote Searching: An Evaluation of Dowsing and Intuition,” led by Robert Price and colleagues.
2013
Pam Coronado Elected President
Psychic detective and remote viewer Pam Coronado becomes IRVA president, supporting education and outreach.
2014
IRVA 2014 Conference
In Las Vegas, IRVA’s conference features Eben Alexander as keynote, plus talks by Nancy Du Tertre, John G. Kruth, and John Kortum.
2015
Glenn B. Wheaton Elected President
Former military remote viewing trainer Glenn B. Wheaton assumes the presidency of IRVA.
2015
IRVA 2015 Conference
IRVA meets in New Orleans with Hal Puthoff as keynote, plus talks by Dale Graff, Noreen Renier, and physicist Daniel Sheehan.
2015
René Warcollier Prize 2015
The award honors research on how image background conditions influence target recognition in remote viewing sessions.
2015
Paul H. Smith’s Second Term
Paul H. Smith is elected IRVA president for a second term, helping guide continued conferences and programs.
2016
IRVA 2016 Conference
New Orleans hosts IRVA’s conference with Marilyn Schlitz as keynote, and presentations by David Barnes, Gary Arnold, and Nancy Smith.
2016
John Cook Elected President
John Cook becomes IRVA president, continuing the association’s work in education and community building.
2017
IRVA 2017 Conference
The conference features talks by Gail Husick, Debra Katz, Elly Molina, Jon Noble, and others on expanding remote viewing practice.
2017
René Warcollier Prize 2017
The prize goes to a proof-of-principle study on associative remote viewing, exploring timing and judging protocols.
2018
IRVA 2018 – Joint IRVA/SSE Event
IRVA and the SSE co-host a conference featuring Stanley Krippner, Pam Coronado, John Cook, Gail Husick, Maximilian Müller, and Dale Graff.
2019
René Warcollier Prize 2019
Jennifer Lyke’s research examines how experience, confidence, and personality traits relate to target description accuracy in experienced remote viewers.
2020
IRVA 2020 Conference
Speakers include Lyn Buchanan, Hal Puthoff, Stephan Schwartz, Paul H. Smith, Angela Thompson Smith, and Nick Cook, reflecting both history and new directions.
2021
IRVA 2021 Conference
IRVA meets in Rhinebeck, New York, with presentations by Patty Gallagher, Lori Lambert Williams, Nancy McLaughlin-Walter, and others.
2021
René Warcollier Prize 2021
The award goes to research on associative remote viewing and time-delay factors for horse-race predictions, led by Tom Atwater and Teresa Fendley.
2022
Debra Lynne Katz, Ph.D. Elected President
Researcher and author Debra Lynne Katz becomes IRVA president, emphasizing research, training, and the growth of remote viewing communities worldwide.
