---
category: Intelligence Concept
created: 2025-07-22
description: The "psi gap" was a perceived disparity in psychic research capabilities
  between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
summary: The 'Psi Gap' was a perceived disparity in Psi research capabilities between
  the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
tags:
- concept
- ColdWar
- intelligence
- psi
title: Psi Gap
updated: 2025-07-22
---

The "[Psi Gap](/concepts/psi-gap/)" was a perceived disparity in [psychic](/concepts/psi/) research capabilities between the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) and the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/) during the [Cold War](/concepts/cold-war/). This concept gained prominence following reports of extensive Soviet and Eastern European [psi](/concepts/parapsychology/) research, particularly after the sensational 1960 article ["The Secret of the Nautilus"](/programs/the-nautilus-telepathy-project/), which, despite being a fabrication, spurred significant Soviet investment in the field.[^1]

The 1972 [Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR](/programs/controlled-offensive-behavior-ussr/) report by the [DIA](/organizations/defense-intelligence-agency/) explicitly warned of a "devastating 'psi gap,'" stating that "Soviet knowledge in this field is superior to that of the West." This alarmist assessment, which outlined potential military applications of psi such as telepathic communication and psychokinesis, contributed to the U.S. intelligence community's increased interest in and funding of its own psi research, including the [Stargate Project](/programs/stargate-project/), in an effort to catch up with perceived Soviet advancements.[^1]

---

[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.