The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. During the Cold War, the [[Soviet Union]] was a primary geopolitical rival of the United States, leading to an arms race that extended into unconventional areas, including psychic research.[^1] ### Psi Research and the "Psi Gap" Reports and rumors of extensive Soviet psi research, particularly after the fabricated "[[The Nautilus]]" story in 1960, spurred significant concern within the U.S. intelligence community. Figures like [[Leonid Vasiliev]] and Eduard Naumov were prominent in Soviet parapsychology, conducting experiments in telepathy and remote influencing.[^1] U.S. intelligence agencies, including the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]], expressed concerns about a potential "psi gap," fearing that Soviet advancements in this field could enable them to access top-secret U.S. documents, influence leaders, or disable military military equipment remotely.[^1] #### Targets of U.S. Remote Viewing The Soviet Union and its military installations were frequent targets for U.S. remote viewing programs, including the [[STARGATE PROJECT|Grill Flame]] unit. Notable successes included [[Joe McMoneagle]]'s remote viewing of a Soviet Typhoon-class submarine under construction and a Soviet surveillance bug in a U.S. embassy.[^1] ### Historical Events In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded [[Afghanistan]], making [[Pakistan]] a key strategic priority for the [[United States]].[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997. [^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12.