Stansfield Turner

Stansfield Turner (1923–2018) was an American admiral who served as the DCI under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. His tenure at the CIA was marked by significant changes, including a reduction in HUMINT capabilities, which was seen as being on the wane following a number of scandals in the mid-1970s, including revelations of domestic spying.¹

As Director of Central Intelligence, Turner abruptly cut back intelligence liaison with Israel and other friendly nations as part of a restructuring of the CIA. This move was met with disquiet from the Israelis, who were accustomed to warmer treatment from previous administrations.³

In an interview in 2002, Turner stated, "When I was first introduced to this idea of parapsychology I was very skeptical. Then I began to think about it, and we all know of people who seem to have some kind of psychic powers." His acceptance of the phenomena, despite his initial skepticism, was crucial for the continuation of the Stargate program.¹

Turner was widely disliked within the Agency for abruptly firing two hundred case officers in CIA stations around the world in October 1977. He seemed to prefer "arm's-length collection techniques," such as satellite photography and communications intercepts, over traditional spy work. This preference for "clean" spying methods inadvertently made psychic intelligence, or PSI-INT, seem like an ideal alternative in the political context of the time.¹

Turner was also a member of the board of directors for Wackenhut Corporation, a security firm with extensive ties to government and intelligence agencies.²

During Jimmy Carter's presidency, Turner's leadership of the CIA saw the agency distanced from death-squad interdiction due to Carter's human rights foreign policy in Latin America.²