---
born: 1934-12-13
category: Key Figures
location: Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
summary: Graff's interest in psi phenomena stemmed from a personal experience in 1968,
  where he had a profound out-of-body experience while caught in a rip current.
tags:
- Person
- Stargate
- CIA
- Military
- RemoteViewer
---

[Dale Graff](/people/dale-graff/) is a [U.S. Air Force](/organizations/us-air-force/) civilian scientist who played a significant role in the [Stargate Project](/programs/stargate-project/). He worked in the Foreign Technology Division at [Wright-Patterson Air Force Base](/places/wright-patterson-air-force-base/) in Ohio, where he was responsible for keeping the Air Force and [DoD](/organizations/department-of-defense/) planners aware of cutting-edge military research in the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/) and [China](/places/china/).[^1]

Graff's interest in [psi](/concepts/psi/) phenomena stemmed from a personal experience in 1968, where he had a profound [out-of-body experience](/concepts/out-of-body-experience/) while caught in a rip current. This led him to research anomalous mental phenomena, and he later sought to integrate psychic abilities into military applications.[^1]

He authored the 1977 report "[Paraphysics R&D - Warsaw Pact](/programs/paraphysics-rd-warsaw-pact/)," which highlighted Soviet research in electromagnetic fields, quantum physics, and [Psychokinesis](/concepts/psychokinesis/). This report, along with his advocacy, contributed to the DoD's decision to officially fund a psychic research program.[^1]

Graff was instrumental in the establishment and management of the [Grill Flame](/programs/stargate-project/) program. He collaborated with [Hal Puthoff](/people/hal-puthoff/) and [Russell Targ](/people/russell-targ/) of [SRI](/organizations/stanford-research-institute/) and oversaw the remote viewing unit at [Fort Meade](/places/fort-meade/). He was involved in numerous operational taskings, including the successful remote viewing of a new Chinese nuclear device and the location of a lost Soviet bomber in Zaire.[^1]

Graff later became the overall manager of the [Stargate Project](/programs/stargate-project/) under the [DIA](/organizations/defense-intelligence-agency/), where he sought to develop a general theory for psychic phenomena. He also played a role in the program's involvement in the Iran hostage crisis and the search for General Dozier.[^1]

---

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.