Ed Tompson

Major General Edmund R. "Ed" Thompson was a key figure in the U.S. Army's psychic research programs, serving as the Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence (ACSI) from 1977 to 1981. Thompson, who had developed an interest in psi after reading Arthur Koestler’s The Roots of Coincidence, demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for the idea of psychic spying and remote viewing work. He supported getting the U.S. Army involved in remote viewing without relying too heavily on the Central Intelligence Agency or Stanford Research Institute.

His support included approving Frederick Atwater's proposal for a psychic spying unit and encouraging its initial progress. Thompson also personally engaged in remote viewing semi successfully. He augmented the unit’s resources by increasing its budget and allocating positions for three full-time remote viewers. The program evolved from Gondola Wish to "Grill Flame," encompassing both the Fort Meade unit and Stanford Research Institute’s work [i].

Later in his career, as ACSI, Thompson expressed concerns about Albert Stubblebine’s INSCOM.