Request for Intelligence Contingency Funds, project GONDOLA WISH
What this is
That the ICF request for GONDOLA WISH was raised by the Commander, 902d MI Group at Fort Meade to the Commander, USAINSCOM at Arlington Hall Station on 19 July 1978.
That a one-time $2,000 Intelligence Contingency Funds payment was requested for GONDOLA WISH, and that this document's definition of the programme names the threat as Soviet 'parapsychology/paraphysics'.
That the stated justification for using contingency funds was both the classification of the training and the embarrassment to the Army and to the training organisation that disclosure would cause.
That the $2,000 ICF request was approved the same day, 19 July 1978, by BG John A. Smith, Jr., Deputy Commander for Security.
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“DISPOSITION FORM REFERENCE OR OFFICE SYMBOL: IAGPA-CO SUBJECT: Request for Intelligence Contingency Funds (U) TO Commander USAINSCOM ATTN: IADCG-S Arlington Hall Station, VA FROM Commander 902d MI Group ATTN: IAGPA-CO Ft Meade, MD 20755 DATE 19 Jul 78”
The form is DA FORM 2496, 1 FEB 62, 'REPLACES DD FORM 96, WHICH IS OBSOLETE.' The page carries the stamp NO FOREIGN DISSEM and a SECRET stamp struck through, plus a handwritten file reference 'SAVE-464-78' and 'CY 1 OF 4 CYS'.
“1. (C) Request a one time payment of ICF in the amount of $2000 in support of project GONDOLA WISH. 2. (S) GONDOLA WISH is a program designed to integrate the Soviet parapsychology/paraphysics intelligence collection threat into the all-source OPSEC support scenario.”
This is a THIRD variant of the programme definition sentence within Batch A1, and it is the narrowest. Compare: this page says 'the Soviet parapsychology/paraphysics intelligence collection threat'; the Assessment Report (CIA-RDP96-00788R002000160001-3) says 'the Soviet and East European parapsychology intelligence collection threat'; the working paper (CIA-RDP96-00788R002000160011-2) says 'the Soviet and East European parapsychology intelligence collection threat'; the 1984 programme history (CIA-RDP96-00788R001100370005-6) says 'the Soviet and East European psychoenergetic intelligence collection threat'. This page omits East Europe entirely and is the only one of the four to use the word paraphysics. If the project stores a single canonical definition sentence for GONDOLA WISH, it needs to know these four are not the same sentence.
“(C) Successful completion of this training will result in a new intelligence method and therefore would be classified UP of paragraph 2-303a, DoD 5200.1-R. Funds for this training are not otherwise available due to the classified nature of the training and the embarrassment which would be suffered by both the US Army and the training organization, should US Army Intelligence involvement with this type of training be disclosed.”
'UP of' is as printed - it is the abbreviation for 'under provisions of'. The same classification authority, paragraph 2-303a of DoD 5200.1-R, is cited in the GONDOLA WISH working paper (CIA-RDP96-00788R002000160011-2) at its Classification subparagraph. The training organisation is not named on this page.
“IADCG-S (19 Jul 78) TO: IAFM-ICF FROM: IADCG-S 19 Jul 78 Approved. JOHN A. SMITH, JR Brigadier General, USA Deputy Commander for Security”
Comment 1 is signed over the typed block 'R. E. LITTLEFIELD / Colonel, MI / Commanding' but the actual signature is a different hand and reads, in manuscript, 'Harry L. Landes, LTC, MI' with a handwritten 'for' placed before the typed name - i.e. signed for Littlefield by another officer. The manuscript surname is not fully certain; it is read as Landes. Recorded because a later reader looking for Littlefield's signature on this page will not find it.
Where no sheet is shown, the quote was still read off the page, rendered from the file we hold. A page image has not been prepared for the web for that page yet.
What this document is used for
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