Harold E. "Hal" Puthoff is an American engineer and parapsychologist. In the early 1950s, as a junior high school student in Miami, he was a shy and quiet kid who loved tinkering with electronics, building gadgets, and operating a ham radio. He played the electric steel Hawaiian guitar in a band and dreamed of becoming a radio deejay. His father had passed away, and he lived with his mother and aunt, with limited financial resources. He attended a vocational high school.[^1] Two decades later, Puthoff earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University and became a lecturer in its electrical engineering department. He held a patent for a tunable infrared laser and co-authored an influential textbook, *Fundamentals of Quantum Electronics*. By his early thirties, he was a recognized figure in laser physics and engineering. Despite his technical prowess, he had a creative and energetic reputation, but also a quiet concern for deeper meanings, having explored Gestalt psychology and visited the Esalen Institute. He became bored with academia and his first marriage was failing. In 1969, Puthoff left Stanford and joined [[Stanford Research Institute]] (SRI), a scientific think tank with close ties to Stanford and significant government contracts. Initially working on laser-related projects, he soon developed an interest in conducting psi experiments to explore quantum theory. He secured initial funding of ten thousand dollars from philanthropist Bill Church, co-owner of Church's Fried Chicken.[^1] Puthoff's involvement in psi research escalated after he was contacted by artist [[Ingo Swann]], who claimed various psychic feats. In June 1972, Puthoff tested Swann at Stanford University's Varian Hall, where Swann appeared to affect the output of a highly sensitive experimental magnetometer designed to detect quarks. This event, though initially met with skepticism by others, convinced Puthoff that something paranormal had occurred. He circulated a report on the incident, which led to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) approaching him to fund further research. In October 1972, with CIA funding, Puthoff began formal psi research at SRI, focusing on clairvoyance. He and his newly hired assistant, [[Russell Targ]], worked with Swann on various experiments, including those involving locked boxes and radioactive sources. Swann's suggestion to use geographical coordinates for remote viewing, initially met with skepticism from Puthoff and Targ, proved to be a breakthrough. This method, which Swann called "Scanate" (later known as Coordinate Remote Viewing or CRV), allowed psychics to describe distant locations given only their latitude and longitude, without prior knowledge of the target. This innovation significantly advanced the practical application of remote viewing for intelligence gathering.[^1] Puthoff became a central figure in the U.S. government's psychic spying program, which eventually became known as [[STARGATE PROJECT|Grill Flame]]. He and Targ published their findings in reputable scientific journals like *Nature* and *Proceedings of the IEEE*, despite significant controversy and skepticism from the scientific community. They also developed new terminology, such as "remote viewing," to describe the phenomena they were studying, aiming for a more scientific and sober approach. Puthoff was known for his calm demeanor, which helped him navigate the controversial field of parapsychology. He also conducted experiments with other psychics, including [[Pat Price]] and [[Uri Geller]], and explored various psi phenomena such as psychokinesis and telepathy. He was instrumental in developing and refining remote viewing protocols, including "outbound remote viewing" and "coordinate remote viewing" (CRV).[^1] ### Later Career and Advanced Aerospace Research Puthoff's government work extended far beyond remote viewing research. For over fifty years, he served as a chief scientist and senior scientific advisor on highly classified projects for various government entities, including the [[Department of Defense]] (DoD), the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA), and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA). His expertise eventually led him to serve as the chief scientist for the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AATIP), where he played a crucial role in the scientific analysis of [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena]] (UAP).[^2] In his AATIP role, Puthoff was instrumental in commissioning 38 academic studies, known as the Defense Intelligence Research Documents (DIRDs), on advanced aerospace concepts such as invisibility cloaking, traversable wormholes, and warp drives. He was also responsible for briefing [[Luis Elizondo]] on the history of the U.S. government's involvement with UAP, including sensitive information about the [[Roswell Incident]] in 1947 and the recovery of nonhuman materials and bodies.[^2] ### Unified Theory of UAP Observables Drawing on his decades of experience in both conventional and anomalous physics, Puthoff developed a comprehensive theoretical framework to explain UAP behavior. Based on the six key observables of UAP performance identified by AATIP—hypersonic velocity, instantaneous acceleration, low observability, transmedium travel, antigravity, and biological effects—he proposed a unifying theory that all of these characteristics could be the result of a single breakthrough technology: the ability to warp space-time in a localized "bubble" around a craft.[^2] This "warp bubble" would effectively insulate the craft from the normal laws of physics, allowing for seemingly impossible maneuvers and speeds without subjecting occupants to lethal g-forces. Puthoff theorized that the energy required for such a feat could be harnessed from the vacuum of space (zero-point energy) or potentially from the protons in hydrogen, which could explain why UAP are often observed near bodies of water—Earth's oceans representing a vast fuel source.[^2] He further postulated that the common shapes of UAP—saucers, cigars, and triangles—are a direct consequence of the physics of the warp bubble, as these geometric forms are the most efficient for containing a craft within the bubble's protective field. Additionally, he suggested that the unusual material recovered from the [[Roswell Incident]], consisting of layered composites of bismuth and magnesium, could be a key component of the craft's skin, designed to interact with the propulsion system to generate and maintain the warp bubble.[^2] --- [^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997. [^2]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.