Psychotronic Weapon Dupes KGB and Soviet Military
This two-page intelligence extract, produced by the U.S. Army Foreign Science and Technology Center and appearing in 'Highlights of Foreign Ground Combat Developments,' reports on statements by Yevgeniy Aleksandrov of the Vavilona (Vavilov) Optical Institute. In a 21 April 1993 Literaturnaya Gazeta interview, Aleksandrov asserted that experiments in the former Soviet Union on mind-altering weapons were 'largely a hoax' designed to extract millions of rubles from the KGB and the military, calling the work 'a grandiose snow job' and 'science like shamanism.' The document notes that since the 1970s as much as 500 million rubles may have been sunk into research programs intended to produce weapons that could transmit signals to modify soldiers' behavior — supposedly causing loss of will to fight, fatigue, hallucinations, or even death. The report lists numerous Soviet institutions associated with such research, including the KGB, the Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, the Institute of Control Problems, the Moscow Institute of Psychology, and the All Union Center of Psychotherapy and Extrasensory Studies. Classified CONFIDENTIAL/NOFORN, it was approved for release by the CIA in 2003.
Description
A CONFIDENTIAL U.S. Foreign Science and Technology Center intelligence report summarizing a 21 April 1993 Literaturnaya Gazeta interview in which Soviet optical scientist Yevgeniy Aleksandrov characterized Soviet-era mind-altering 'psychotronic' weapons research as a hoax that squandered national wealth.
Claims
Aleksandrov described the research as 'science like shamanism' and 'a monstrous squandering of the national wealth.'
85%Soviet-era experiments on mind-altering ('psychotronic') weapons were largely a hoax intended to extract millions of rubles from the KGB and military.
60%Soviet experiments on mind-altering ('psychotronic') weapons were largely a hoax intended to extract millions of rubles from the KGB and military.
60%Since the 1970s, as much as 500 million rubles may have been spent on research aimed at weapons that would transmit signals to modify soldiers' behavior.
50%Since the 1970s as much as 500 million rubles may have been spent on programs to produce behavior-modifying signal weapons.
50%Proponents claimed such psychotronic weapons could cause soldiers to lose their will to fight, become fatigued, hallucinate, or even kill enemy troops.
40%Proponents claimed psychotronic weapons could make soldiers lose the will to fight, become fatigued, hallucinate, or even kill enemy troops.
40%
Events
Apr 20, 1993
Literaturnaya Gazeta interview with Aleksandrov
Aleksandrov publicly characterized Soviet psychotronic weapon research as a hoax that defrauded the KGB and military.
Sep 9, 2003
CIA approval for release
Document declassified and approved for public release.
Sep 9, 2003
CIA release of document
Document approved for release via the CIA Reading Room.
Dates mentioned
Keywords
Entities
Organizations
People
Topics
Programs
Extracted text (OCR)
y * * * hot ved ForReledse”2dbsfpafio®, dia-Ripds-do7s2Rod0600440003-1 ‘ee * kK kK kK kK wR Rk kK RK RK KK KR Kk KR KR Rk Kk RK Rk Rk Rk Kk KR Kk KR kK KR KR RK RK KK SG1J SEQUENCE NR: ID: 04739-94FEB03/14.34.46/A01 TITLE: =PSYCHOTRONIC WEAPON DUPES KGB AND SOVIET MILITARY DOC REF: HIGHLIGHTS OF FOREIGN GROUND COMBAT DEVELOPMENTS (HFGCY), DOC NR: ~543-93 (AST2660P54393) DOC DATE: 330805 FICHE NR: 30011536 . ORIGINTR: “FOREIGN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER INF CTY: USSR (UR) INF DATE: 930421; 70 CVR NAME: PHOENIX PROGRAM COSATI: BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (05) _ whey | CLASSIF: CONFIDENTIAL aan — DWNGRADE: CLASSIFIED BY: MULTIPLE SOURCES; DECLASSIFY ON: ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED RELEASE: NOFORN (NF) DISTRIB: DISTRIBUTION LIMITED TO US GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ONLY; TEST AND EVALUATION. OTHER REQUESTS FOR THIS DOCUMENT MUST BE eri REFERRED TO FSTC (B3) TEXT: *U* EXTRACT. IN A 21 APRIL 1993 LITERATURNAYA GAZETA INTERVIEW, YEVGENIYE ALEKSANDROV OF THE VAVILONA OPTICAL INSTITUTE REVEALED THAT EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION (FSU) ON MIND ALTERING WEAPONS WERE LARGELY A HOAX INTENDED TO MILK MILLIONS OF RUBLES FROM THE KGB AND THE MILITARY. ALEKSANDROV, IN COMMENTING ON THE VALIDITY OF PSYCHOTRONIC WEAPON RESEARCH, STATED: THE WHOLE THING WAS A GRANDIOSE SNOW JOB, A MONSTROUS SQUANDERING OF THE NATIONAL WEALTH, THIS WORK, FORTUNATELY FOR HUMANITY, DID NOT HAVE ANY REAL CONTENT; IT WAS AN IMITATION OF WORK, SCIENCE LIKE SHAMANISM. THE MILITARY AND KGB WERE SIMPLY TAKEN FOR A RIDE. kU* SINCE THE 1970'S, AS MUCH AS 500 MILLION RUBLES MAY HAVE BEEN SUNK INTO RESEARCH PROGRAMS AIMED AT PRODUCING WEAPONS THAT WOULD TRANSMIT SIGNALS TO MODIFY THE BEHAVIOR OF SOLDIERS. SUPPOSEDLY, SOLDIERS AFFECTED BY THESE TRANSMISSIONS WOULD LOSE THEIR WILL TO FIGHT, BECOME FATIGUED, OR EXPERIENCE HALLUCINATIONS. PROPONENTS OF THESE PROGRAMS CLAIMED THAT THESE PSYCHOTRONIC WEAPONS COULD EVEN KILL ENEMY TROOPS. PFN INFORMATION: PART 001 RELATES: YEVGENIY ALEKSANDROV IS A MEMBER OF VAVILONA OPTICAL INST. PERSON: ALEKSANDROV, YEVGENIY PERS CTY: USSR (UR) FACILITY: VAVILONA OPTICAL INST kok k kK wk Rk KR R Rk Rk Rk kK kK Kk Kk KR RK kK KR KR KR RK Rk wk OK KR Kk Kk RK Rk Rk KK CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 2 kK kK KK KK KR Kk Kk Rk RK KK KR OR RK KR Rk RR RK KR Kk KR RK KR KK RK Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000600440003-1 e SG1J ay Note kok kok ok k kk kK kK kK Rk Kk kK kK Kk d : - - - pprove or Release 20bs/oe(0:: Cia-ROPS 00792R000600440003-1 kkk kK OK “Rokk k kkk kK Rk Rk kk kK KR KR Kk RK KR KR RK OR RK RK Kk RK RK RK RK KK SEQUENCE NR: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACILITY: FACL CTY: FACL LOC: FACLDATA: ID: 04739-94FEB03/14.34.46/A01 USSR (UR) PFN INFORMATION: PART 002 KGB USSR (UR) ACAD OF SCIENCES USSR (UR) INST OF RADIO ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS USSR (UR) INST OF BIOLOGICAL TESTING OF CHEMICALS USSR (UR) INST OF CONTROL PROBLEMS USSR (UR) SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INST OF OPTOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS USSR (UR) INST OF LONG RANGE COMMUNICATIONS USSR (UR) MOSCOW INST OF PSYCHOLOGY USSR (UR) PFN INFORMATION: PART 003 ALL UNION CENTER OF PSYCHOTHERAPY AND EXTRASENSORY STUDIES oO USSR (UR) MOSCOW FACILITY NAME EQUATE AVAILABLE kk Kk Rk Rk RR wR kK Rk RR KK KK KR KR KR KR RR KR KR Kk RK KR RK RK KK CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 3 kok kK RR RR KR KR RK Kk Rk Rk RK Rk kK KR KR Kk KR OR KR KR KR RK RK kK KR Kk KK KR Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000600440003-1
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