**Eugene "Gene" Alden Lessman** was a U.S. Army intelligence officer and an important recruiter for "spooky" work according to [[Luis Elizondo]] in his 2024 book, _Imminent_. Known as Gene, he was also known by the name John James Kielty[^2] and passed away in 2019. Like his father before him, Gene spent much of his career in military intelligence and became a lead recruiter for the Army's "Great Skills" program.[^1] ## Military Service Gene served three tours in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] from December 1966 to 1973[^5], where he served as a [[Green Beret]] in the elite [[Special Operations Group]] (SOG) and was part of the infamous [[Project Phoenix]].[^1] For his service in Vietnam, he received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Air Medal with Valor.[^3] Following his tours in Vietnam, Gene was posted in Berlin where he ran counter intelligence operations.[^3] After 20 years of distinguished military service, Gene retired from the army and subsequently spent another 20 years in civil service.[^4] ## Intelligence Programs and Remote Viewing Gene became deeply involved in the military's psychic espionage programs. He allegedly recruited [[Luis Elizondo]] to the [[Great Skill Program]] to practice [[Remote Viewing]]. According to Elizondo, Gene claimed that "Great Skills" was also called "Grey Fox," though this appears to reference the different [[GRAY FOX]] program within the [[United States Army Intelligence Support Activity]] (USAISA or ISA) under the [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC).[^1] Elizondo further claims that Gene was tasked with recruiting soldiers into the [[STARGATE PROJECT]], the program that was a predecessor to Great Skills and focused on training individuals as "psychic spies."[^1] ### Work with Angela Dellafiora Starting in November 1986, Lessman took turns monitoring [[Angela Dellafiora]], one of the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]]'s most effective remote viewers. He attempted to curtail Dellafiora's "occult habits," such as her voice quivering and body shaking during sessions, by implementing a new protocol where he would command "refocus" to get her to regain control.[^6] In one notable session, Lessman tasked Dellafiora with remotely viewing the [[Stanford Dish]]. Despite his attempts to control her behavior, Dellafiora quickly and accurately described the target, demonstrating her exceptional abilities. Lessman's official logs reveal his awe at her performance, noting her speed and the specificity of her details.[^6] ### Recruitment and Training of Luis Elizondo Lessman recruited Elizondo into the Great Skills program after identifying him as a promising young soldier with special talents. He personally trained Elizondo in [[Remote Viewing]], teaching him how to enter a trance-like state and acquire information about a distant or unseen target using extrasensory perception.[^1] Lessman believed that Elizondo had a natural gift for [[Remote Viewing]] and encouraged him to develop his abilities. The skills that Elizondo learned from Lessman would prove to be valuable throughout his career as an intelligence officer.[^1] ## Blog Gene kept a blog entitled [A Boy from Dundrum](https://boyfromdundrum.blogspot.com/), where he shared personal reflections and memories from his military service. --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Elizondo, Luis. _Imminent_. William Morrow, 2024. [^2]: [Obituary](https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2019/12/16/news/patrick-kielty-travels-to-washington-dc-for-funeral-of-war-hero-uncle-1791584/) [^3]: [Belfast Telegraph Obituary](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/patrick-kielty-bids-farewell-to-us-war-hero-uncle/38788315.html) [^4]: [Some Things That Torgue My Converter](https://boyfromdundrum.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-things-that-torgue-my-converter.html) [^5]: [As I Recall](https://boyfromdundrum.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-i-recall.html) [^6]: Jacobsen, Annie. _Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis_. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.