[adriancr]

This could have been a parallel construction mechanism, if they had sources too sensitive then they could feed data via this project and have it successful.

Bonus points for having enemies trying to replicate the technology and observing that progress and espionage around it.

[keepamovin]

Like space race? Clever theory, but does not account for the fact it actually works.

You just need first hand experience, otherwise really hard for you to see that. Try for yourself. My answer gets you to your first try: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42528680

Also your theory fails on evidence: studies, testimony of people about psi/intuition, thousands of people's sessions on psi/RV, discrete use by law enforcement & business.

[perihelions]

But disinformation doesn't accomplish much if the adversary disbelieves it, and ignores it—as anyone with an ounce of common sense would. If you're trying to deflect from your real information source, it helps if the fake one you invent is a plausible distraction.

Hanlon's razor says the unfireable career bureaucrats overseeing this project were genuinely incompetent, and authentically stupid.

[krapp]

I think a lot of it was Cold War paranoia. The US government got into a lot of weird stuff like MKULTRA just because there were rumors the Soviets were working on the same thing, and no one wanted to risk the possibility, however remote, that there might be something to it.

Also probably money laundering. Apparently there were a lot of connections between the USG's various psi programs and Scientology.

[keepamovin]

psi/RV predates the Cold War, the USA, and Western culture, and there's zero doubt it works, but that will be very hard for you to see unless you get first hand experience. My answer can get you from 0 to 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42528680

It's a self-revealing non-dismissal to associate with something you dislike. Maybe your hick uncle is poor, or a KKK member. Should you be punished, or condemned to poverty? But facts are: the Scientology connection I think is Hal Puthoff who was temporarily a member to study that organized religion apparently. So? US frontier science has a history with occult, such as NASA's Jack Parsons. In the real world, totality of programs is much bigger than 1 dude, unless you're fixated on that aspect, then it would seem to all revolve around that hahaha! :)

Another way to look at this is all of this skepticism is a very monocultural, in fact a very white, and by association with the faux-confident dismissals here a 'white-supremacist' viewpoint to take. While many cultures today embody pseudoscientific materialist dogma in a rush to embrace ‘scientific modernity’ , there’s also a widespread acceptance of psi phenomena (by many names) among Chinese, Indian, Central Asian, African and South American cultures.

[rurban]

There is a book about it, called PSI. They started it because the Soviets also leaked info that their telepathy program, necessary for submarine comms, was successful. Also their aura viewer and what else.

So they assembled a team of scientists and psychics and learned that the success rate resembled the random sample. Some psychics were also good magicians and scammers

[keepamovin]

Reini I think you would be great at this. Internally directed. Smart. Perceptive. And with your eyesight problem you likely already subconsciously enhanced psi skills to compensate - it’s often correlated, sort of like light-weight 'sort of blindsight'.

[keepamovin]

psi/RV is 'uncommon sense' which is probably why so many of you have trouble accepting it! :) Even tho it's commonly learnable.

Your thinking is all so theoretical and divorced from the reality that there is zero doubt psi/RV works. It will be hard for you but try it for yourself and you will see: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42528680

Also, regarding history your idea counterfactual as US made a program in response to USSR.

[wat10000]

It seems that the American efforts were the victims of disinformation rather than the instigators. They were started after reports that the Soviets were already engaged in such research.

[keepamovin]

There was no disinfo fundamentally. There's zero doubt psi/RV works. Try it yourself, or fail to understand. My answer can help you get to 1st session: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42528680

Most folks neg-commenting here would be perfect candidates for this: unafraid of social ostracism, internally directed. Interested in it. Competitive.