The Stargate Project was declassified in 1995, and its existence was officially acknowledged. Although the program was shut down, its legacy continues to inspire interest in the paranormal and the military's exploration of unconventional techniques.
To understand why the U.S. military began staring at goats, one must look at the geopolitical climate of the 1970s. The Vietnam War had ended in a demoralizing defeat, and the Cold War was at its peak. Pentagon officials were gripped by intense paranoia that the Soviet Union was successfully developing "psychotronics"—the Soviet term for parapsychology and extrasensory perception (ESP).
As commanding general of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), he was the highest-ranking proponent of these ideas. He reportedly spent his time researching how to walk through walls, believing it was a matter of manipulating molecular structures.
: Includes brief partial nudity (e.g., topless women in hot tubs and men's buttocks) [5, 6]. 📖 The Book (2004)
Shockingly, some of their results were eerily accurate. McMoneagle once described a secret submarine base on the coast of Russia that the CIA had not yet discovered. When satellites checked the location, McMoneagle’s sketch was correct.
The story of the Men Who Stare at Goats is a fascinating example of the military's foray into the world of paranormal operations. While the effectiveness of these techniques remains unproven, the tale serves as a reminder of the complexities and mysteries of human perception and the lengths to which governments will go to gain an edge in military operations.
Seeing distant locations using only the mind.
He never succeeded. But he did convince the Army to spend millions training soldiers in "remote viewing."
: A struggling journalist, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who claims to be a "psychic spy" for the U.S. Army's New Earth Army [10, 15]. They embark on a wild mission across Iraq to find the program's founder, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) [10, 13].
The film’s iconic scene, where Lynn Cassady tries to kill a goat with his mind, is based on reports within the military of attempts to use mental force on animals.
As one former interrogator told Ronson: "We stopped trying to kill the goat. We started trying to convince the goat it was already dead."
Ronson found that the man responsible for designing interrogation tactics at Guantanamo, a psychologist named Colonel Larry James, had openly studied Channon’s early work. The idea that you could "stare" a goat into submission became the idea that you could break a prisoner's will using "stress positions," sleep deprivation, and sensory overload.
The eccentric leader of the program, inspired by Jim Channon , who wrote the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual . 2. The Real First Earth Battalion: "New Age" Military Men
The military began experimenting with the concept of the "dim mak" (the death touch) and psychic assassination. Because testing these theories on humans was illegal and unethical, the unit used a herd of goats kept at the base. Goats were selected because their cardiovascular systems are biologically similar to human hearts.
The Men Who Stare at Goats: From Psychic Spies to Hollywood Satire
: While a comedy, the film includes a disclaimer: "More of this is true than you would believe" [3, 10]. Many characters are based on real figures, such as Bill Django, who was inspired by Army Lt. Col. James Channon [20, 21]. Parental Guide (Rated R) : Language : Frequent use of profanity [4, 5].
I met a man in a mobile home outside Taos, New Mexico. He called himself Sergeant First Class Lyn Cassady, though he looked more like a retired librarian who’d been struck by lightning. He wore a digital watch with no battery. “Time is just a suggestion,” he said, pouring me a cup of instant coffee that tasted like burnt prayer.
According to Ronson's investigation, the story begins in the 1970s, a period marked by both heightened military anxiety and a countercultural explosion of New Age philosophies. Some high-ranking military officials, including Major General Albert Stubblebine III, the US Army's chief of intelligence, became convinced that psychological and paranormal techniques could be weaponized.
The Stargate Project was declassified in 1995, and its existence was officially acknowledged. Although the program was shut down, its legacy continues to inspire interest in the paranormal and the military's exploration of unconventional techniques.
To understand why the U.S. military began staring at goats, one must look at the geopolitical climate of the 1970s. The Vietnam War had ended in a demoralizing defeat, and the Cold War was at its peak. Pentagon officials were gripped by intense paranoia that the Soviet Union was successfully developing "psychotronics"—the Soviet term for parapsychology and extrasensory perception (ESP).
As commanding general of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), he was the highest-ranking proponent of these ideas. He reportedly spent his time researching how to walk through walls, believing it was a matter of manipulating molecular structures.
: Includes brief partial nudity (e.g., topless women in hot tubs and men's buttocks) [5, 6]. 📖 The Book (2004)
Shockingly, some of their results were eerily accurate. McMoneagle once described a secret submarine base on the coast of Russia that the CIA had not yet discovered. When satellites checked the location, McMoneagle’s sketch was correct. The Men Who Stare At Goats
The story of the Men Who Stare at Goats is a fascinating example of the military's foray into the world of paranormal operations. While the effectiveness of these techniques remains unproven, the tale serves as a reminder of the complexities and mysteries of human perception and the lengths to which governments will go to gain an edge in military operations.
Seeing distant locations using only the mind.
He never succeeded. But he did convince the Army to spend millions training soldiers in "remote viewing."
: A struggling journalist, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who claims to be a "psychic spy" for the U.S. Army's New Earth Army [10, 15]. They embark on a wild mission across Iraq to find the program's founder, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) [10, 13]. The Stargate Project was declassified in 1995, and
The film’s iconic scene, where Lynn Cassady tries to kill a goat with his mind, is based on reports within the military of attempts to use mental force on animals.
As one former interrogator told Ronson: "We stopped trying to kill the goat. We started trying to convince the goat it was already dead."
Ronson found that the man responsible for designing interrogation tactics at Guantanamo, a psychologist named Colonel Larry James, had openly studied Channon’s early work. The idea that you could "stare" a goat into submission became the idea that you could break a prisoner's will using "stress positions," sleep deprivation, and sensory overload.
The eccentric leader of the program, inspired by Jim Channon , who wrote the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual . 2. The Real First Earth Battalion: "New Age" Military Men military began staring at goats, one must look
The military began experimenting with the concept of the "dim mak" (the death touch) and psychic assassination. Because testing these theories on humans was illegal and unethical, the unit used a herd of goats kept at the base. Goats were selected because their cardiovascular systems are biologically similar to human hearts.
The Men Who Stare at Goats: From Psychic Spies to Hollywood Satire
: While a comedy, the film includes a disclaimer: "More of this is true than you would believe" [3, 10]. Many characters are based on real figures, such as Bill Django, who was inspired by Army Lt. Col. James Channon [20, 21]. Parental Guide (Rated R) : Language : Frequent use of profanity [4, 5].
I met a man in a mobile home outside Taos, New Mexico. He called himself Sergeant First Class Lyn Cassady, though he looked more like a retired librarian who’d been struck by lightning. He wore a digital watch with no battery. “Time is just a suggestion,” he said, pouring me a cup of instant coffee that tasted like burnt prayer.
According to Ronson's investigation, the story begins in the 1970s, a period marked by both heightened military anxiety and a countercultural explosion of New Age philosophies. Some high-ranking military officials, including Major General Albert Stubblebine III, the US Army's chief of intelligence, became convinced that psychological and paranormal techniques could be weaponized.