Reading The Enemy's Mind Inside Star Gate--America's Psychic Espionage Program

Chapter One Army Operations Group ...a commanding general does a curious thing... The tall, lean man pacing the apron of the stage acted like he owned us, which at that moment, he did. Major General Albert Stubblebine, III, was the Commanding General of INSCOM, the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. And he was here in early 1983 to inspect a small corner of his worldwide empire, the intelligence school at sleepy Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Stubblebine's piercing eyes were search radars probing the audience. Wherever his gaze landed, soldiers fought the urge to squirm. I and a few hundred of my comrades in arms were at Fort Huachuca attending various intelligence courses for officers and NCOs. We had been assembled at the Post Theater for an afternoon to learn at the great general's feet, which at that moment were shod in glossy black low-quarter shoes stalking the stage at our eye level. I settled in, expecting the homilies one usually gets from a major general on a lecture tour. And that's how it began. But it didn't stay that way for long. As Stubblebine's lecture unfolded, it turned into a most unorthodox military pep talk. From where I sat, half a dozen rows back, I took stock of the man. By rumor or reputation we all knew of General Stubblebine---"Bert" or "Stub" to his friends, "Stretch" behind his back to some of his fonder subordinates. This was the first time I had seen him in person and he was straight from central casting. His craggy face was set in a dour, no-nonsense grimace, his gruff voice describing new systems, new tactics, and new ideas that would propel military intelligence into the next millennium. My mind wandered away from the millennium to Lee Marvin; Stubblebine could easily have served as the actor's double. Only later did I learn that he was often referred to as "Lee Marvin's brother"---a reference that brought scalding rebukes down upon the shoulders of anyone careless enough to mention it within earshot. Though I no longer remember much of his speech, I do recall that he talked of changes looming on the horizon for military intelligence. In the early 1980s technology was just beginning to dramatically alter the face of the world as we knew it. Stubblebine spoke about the various "INTs" which made up his domain: SIGINT, or signals intelligence---information gleaned from the airwaves when the United States eavesdrops on foreign radio transmissions; HUMINT, or human intelligence---whispered secrets coaxed from the traditional spy lurking in the shadows; and IMINT or imagery intelligence---pictures snapped from satellites or high-flying aircraft. He emphasized our mission as military intelligence officers; it was our job to provide commanders with the best information available, so they could fight and win on the battlefields of tomorrow. And he gave us a general's advice about how to make successful careers as intelligence officers in the Army of the twenty-first century. I settled deeper into my seat. This was what I expected from the general who held most of the reins in the military intelligence community. Stubblebine's self-assured, down-to-earth manner was more animated than we were used to from the brass, but any of us could have predicted the main themes and topics he covered. Then he paused, just long enough to signal a change. Sensing that something out of the ordinary was about to happen, I leaned slightly forward in my chair. "As impressive and amazing as are all the advances we are making through technology," he continued, reaching into the pockets of his dress green uniform, "they cannot compare to the power that lies within our own minds. We only have to learn to tap it."Smith, Paul is the author of 'Reading The Enemy's Mind Inside Star Gate--America's Psychic Espionage Program', published 2005 under ISBN 9780312875152 and ISBN 0312875150.