Histoy of Projects

Center Lane

Center Lane was the codename for the operational unit of the remote-viewing program, redesignated from Grill Flame in late 1983.

Control of the unit shifted from INSCOM's operation group to the more direct control of Albert Stubblebine. The unit was known as INSCOM Center Lane Project (ICLP).
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, pg 280)

In late 1983, four more individuals were recruited to Center Lane: Captain Ed Dames, Captain Bill Ray (counterintelligence specialist), Captain Paul Smith, and Charlene Cavanaugh (civilian analyst with INSCOM). These four began a training program, which began at The Monroe Institute and concluded with personal training with Ingo Swann.
(Schnabel, 1997, pg 292-3)

After Gen. Stubblebine's retirement in 1984, Center Lane was completely without support in the Army. Jack Vorona arranged for the unit to be transferred directly to the DIA's Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate when Army funding ran out in late 1985, at which time it was redesignated Sun Streak. Until that time, the unit was given no official taskings.
(Schnabel, 1997, pg 319)

CENTER LANE started when Ingo Swann at SRI came across a breakthrough in his techniques in 1983. He developed a training program and trained six military officers, including Ed Dames, over a period of six months. After finishing the training in late 1983, the viewers returned and started applying their knowledge. The unit was renamed CENTER LANE, with Dames as the operations and training officer.

"Dames took a 'let's see what this baby can do' approach, replacing the unit's former intelligence collection methodology with the breakthrough technique."
(Dames, Ed"Ed Dames Sets the Record Straight")

Individuals associated with Center Lane include:

Gondola Wish

Around 1977, Lt. Skip Atwater of the Army's Systems Exploitation Detachment (SED), which was under control of the office of the assistant chief of staff for intelligence (ACSI), suggested to the head of the SED, Col. Robert Keenan, that the Army develop a small, experimental group of psychics. The suggestion passed up the chain of command and was approved by the ACSI, Major General Edmund Thompson.

The project, which was codenamed Gondola Wish, had a small budget, and began the planning stages around late 1977. Lt. Atwater was given some funds, some office space, and a commanding officer, Lt. Scotty Watt. After consulting with the researchers at SRI, Atwater and Watt began screening possible recruits. The new recruits were to serve only part-time, and remain officially attached to their current units.
The original recruits included:

Soon after Gondola Wish was staffed, by early 1978, they had conducted only a few remote viewing sessions before the work was halted. The project was considered to be "human use experimentation", and the process of approval, consent, and medical evaluations had to be completed. Several months passed, and the six most promising candidates (Riley, McMoneagle, Bell, Gauvin, Trent, and one of the civilians) were sent to SRI to be evaluated. Atwater and Watt were looking for the best three candidates, but all six seemed to fit the bill. Those that didn't go through training soon faded from the project.
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, pg 13-20)

Gondola Wish had the support of Ed Thompson, who participated in an experiment himself, and to a lesser degree was supported by INSCOM (Army Intelligence and Security Command) commander William Rolya, as well as the Chief of Staff and the Secretry of the Army. Due to this interest, in 1978 Gondola Wish was moved into better quarters and redesignated Grill Flame. (Schnabel, 1997, pg 23-5)

GRILL FLAME

In late 1978, Gondola Wish was redesignated as the "Special Action Branch", codenamed Grill Flame, which applied to the operational unit and the research at SRI. The unit was reorganized as an offensive spying unit, and moved into buildings 2560 and 2561 at Ft. Meade. The budget was increased, and there were three full time viewers: Ken Bell, Joe McMoneagle, and Mel Riley. The unit reported to Ed Thompson, but was tasked by approved members of the intelligence community.
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, pg 24-5)

The SRI research program was integrated into Grill Flame in early 1979. Controlled by the DIA, tasking came through the DIA's on-site representative, Jim Salyer.
(Scnabel, 1997, pg 220-1)

After Ed Thompson left his post in 1981, Grill Flame came under the control of INSCOM, and was designated Detachment G within INSCOM's Operations Group.
(Schnabel, 1997, pg 280)

According to Ed Dames, the original unit had six to eight commissioned military intelligence officers. "GRILL FLAME, (which was listed on the INSCOM books as "Detachment G"), had consisted of soldiers and a few civilians who possessed varying degrees of natural psychic ability. These operatives utilized altered states to achieve (varying degrees) of target contact."
(Dames, Ed, "Ed Dames Sets the Record Straight")

In 1983, Grill Flame was redesignated Center Lane.

Individuals associated with Grill Flame:

STAR GATE

Codename for the operational unit of the DIAs remote viewing program from approximately 1991 (redesignated from Sun Streak) until its termination in 1995. I have seen this codename been used casually by journalists to describe the entire remote-viewing program.

I have heard that at this time, the unit was no longer housed at Ft. Meade, but I don't know when they left or where they went.

Star Gate began around 1991, and had only four viewers: Lyn Buchanan, Robin Dahlgren, Angela Dellafiora, and a DIA civilian. No attempts were made to recruit new personnel. The branch chief of Star Gate was Dale Graff. When Graff resigned in the summer of 1993, he was replaced by a DIA HUMINT (human intelligence) specialist.
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, pg 380-1)

In 1994, there was an attempt to move Star Gate to the CIA's Office of Research and Development. The CIA was reluctant to take the unit, but agreed under the condition of an outside evaluation, which was carried out by AIR. (Schnabel, 1997, pg 386)

AIR gave an unfavorable report of the program, and the CIA set about shutting it down in 1995. Since then, there have been rumors that the project went deep black, or that the intelligence community still funds some low-level psi research.

According to viewer Paul Smith, during Star Gate, the unit changed from a "SAP ('Special Access Program') to a LIMDIS ('limited dissemination') program".

SUN STREAK

After Army support and funding of the Ft. Meade operational remote viewing unit ran out in late 1985, Jack Vorona transferred control directly to the DIA's Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate. The unit was known as DT-S (DT for Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate, S for Special) and was given the codename Sun Streak.

Under branch chief Fern Gauvin's command, the unit reportedly began to shift towards more occultic methods, including channelling and tarot cards.
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997)

"In 1986, the Army passed the highly controversial unit to DIA. SUN STREAK (ferreted away in DIA's Scientific and Technical Intelligence Directorate as DT-S), was a bastard element. This is because DIA is an analytical agency--it has no charter to collect intelligence!" Ed Dames claims to have continued to collect and pass on information under the nose of the DIAs civilian administrator, Dale Graff.

"By 1989, Dale Graff had replaced all of the trained military professionals with psychics virtually taken "off the street," thus rendering the project ineffective for intelligence collection purposes--but highly entertaining for certain civilian officials who came to visit DIA's 'witches' to obtain personal psychic 'readings.'"
(Dames, Ed, "Ed Dames Sets the Record Straight")

In 1988, a Pentagon Inspector General team evaluated the Sun Streak operational unit. The viewers were ordered to avoid the team, and many documents were shredded behind the inspector's backs (in the documentary "Psi-Files: The Real X-Files", Ed Dames claimed that three shredders had their motors burnt out in the process).
(Schnabel, 1997, pg 369)

By 1991, the unit had only four viewers: Lyn Buchanan, Robin Dahlgren, Angela Dellafiora, and a DIA civilian. Around this time, the unit was redesignated Star Gate. Also around this time period, the unit left Ft. Meade. I don't know the date of the move, or where it was moved to.
(Schnabel, 1997, pg 380)

Individuals associated with Sun Streak include:

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