Russell Targ
Encyclopedia
Russell Targ is an American physicist
and author, an ESP researcher, and pioneer in the earliest development of the laser
.
Targ was born in Chicago
. He is a son of William Targ
, former editor-in-chief of G.P. Putnam's
, where his father was editor and publisher of "The Godfather". Russell is a brother-in-law of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer
. He was married to Joan Targ
, Bobby's sister, who died in 1998. Russell and Joan had a daughter, Elisabeth Targ
, who was a psychiatrist
, and two sons Alexander and Nicholas.
Targ received a Bachelor of Science
in physics
from Queens College in 1954, and did graduate work in physics at Columbia University
. He received two National Aeronautics and Space Administration awards for inventions and contributions in lasers and laser communications.
Targ is also an editor, publisher, songwriter, producer, and teacher. In 1997 he retired from Lockheed Martin
as a project manager and senior staff scientist, where he developed laser technology for airborne detection of wind shear
and air turbulence
. He has published more than a hundred papers on lasers, plasma physics, laser applications and electro-optics.
At the Stanford Research Institute in the 1970s and 1980s, Targ and his colleague Harold E. Puthoff
co-founded a 23-year, $25-million program of research into psychic abilities and their operational use for the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
and Army Intelligence. These abilities are referred to collectively as "remote viewing
." Targ and Puthoff both expressed the belief that Uri Geller
, retired police commissioner Pat Price, and artist Ingo Swann
all had genuine psychic abilities. They published their findings in Nature and the Proceedings of the IEEE. From 1972 to 1995 the program was classified SECRET and compartmentalized with Limited Access. That is to say, the program was not only classified, but every single person who was informed about the program had to personally sign a so-called bigot list, to acknowledge that they had been exposed to the program data. However, their work met criticism from some, including psychologists David Marks and Richard Kammann in their 1980 book, The Psychology of the Psychic
.
Targ's autobiography, Do You See What I See: Memoirs of a Blind Biker, was published in 2008, and describes his life as a scientist and legally blind motorcyclist. Targ lectures worldwide on remote viewing. He now resides in Palo Alto, California
with his second wife, Patricia.
As co-author
On lasers and wind shear
On remote viewing
On precognition
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and author, an ESP researcher, and pioneer in the earliest development of the laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
.
Targ was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He is a son of William Targ
William Targ
William Targ was a successful book editor, well respected in the field of commercial publishing. He is perhaps best known for publishing Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather while editor in chief of G. P. Putnam's Sons....
, former editor-in-chief of G.P. Putnam's
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
, where his father was editor and publisher of "The Godfather". Russell is a brother-in-law of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
. He was married to Joan Targ
Joan Targ
Joan Fischer Targ was a pioneer in computer education. She was the older sister of chess champion Bobby Fischer.-Early years:...
, Bobby's sister, who died in 1998. Russell and Joan had a daughter, Elisabeth Targ
Elisabeth Targ
Elisabeth Fischer Targ was a psychiatrist specializing in psychic phenomena and the role of spirituality in health and healing...
, who was a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, and two sons Alexander and Nicholas.
Targ received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from Queens College in 1954, and did graduate work in physics at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He received two National Aeronautics and Space Administration awards for inventions and contributions in lasers and laser communications.
Targ is also an editor, publisher, songwriter, producer, and teacher. In 1997 he retired from Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
as a project manager and senior staff scientist, where he developed laser technology for airborne detection of wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and air turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
. He has published more than a hundred papers on lasers, plasma physics, laser applications and electro-optics.
At the Stanford Research Institute in the 1970s and 1980s, Targ and his colleague Harold E. Puthoff
Harold E. Puthoff
Harold E. Puthoff is an American physicist who, earlier in his career was involved in research on paranormal topics. In 1967, Puthoff earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University...
co-founded a 23-year, $25-million program of research into psychic abilities and their operational use for the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
and Army Intelligence. These abilities are referred to collectively as "remote viewing
Remote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
." Targ and Puthoff both expressed the belief that Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
, retired police commissioner Pat Price, and artist Ingo Swann
Ingo Swann
Ingo Swann is an artist and author, best known for his work as a co-creator of the discipline of remote viewing, specifically the Stargate Project...
all had genuine psychic abilities. They published their findings in Nature and the Proceedings of the IEEE. From 1972 to 1995 the program was classified SECRET and compartmentalized with Limited Access. That is to say, the program was not only classified, but every single person who was informed about the program had to personally sign a so-called bigot list, to acknowledge that they had been exposed to the program data. However, their work met criticism from some, including psychologists David Marks and Richard Kammann in their 1980 book, The Psychology of the Psychic
The Psychology of the Psychic
The Psychology of the Psychic is a work by David Marks and Dr Richard Kammann, written while both were lecturers in psychology at New Zealand's University of Otago....
.
Targ's autobiography, Do You See What I See: Memoirs of a Blind Biker, was published in 2008, and describes his life as a scientist and legally blind motorcyclist. Targ lectures worldwide on remote viewing. He now resides in Palo Alto, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his second wife, Patricia.
Works
- Russell Targ, Limitless Mind: A Guide to Remote Viewing and Transformation of Consciousness
As co-author
- End of Suffering: Fearless Living in Troubled Times (with Dr. J.J. Hurtak)
- Mind Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Abilities (with Dr. Harold Puthoff)
- The Mind Race: Understanding and Using Psychic Abilities (with Dr. Keith Harary)
- Miracles of Mind: Remote Viewing and Spiritual Healing (with Dr. Jane Katra)
- The Heart of the Mind: How to Experience God Without Belief (with Dr. Jane Katra)
On lasers and wind shear
- Russell Targ and Lawrence Ames, "Lidar wind sensing at cruise altitude for flight-level optimization," Proc. SPIE Aerosense-96, Orlando FL, April 8-12, 1996.
- Russell Targ, Roland Bowles, Michael Kavaya, and R. Milton Huffaker, "Coherent Lidar Airborne Windshear Sensor: Performance Evaluation," Applied Optics, 20 May 1991.
- Russell Targ, Bruce C. Steakley, James G. Hawley, Paul Forney, Robert G. Otto, Philip Brockman, and Sarah R. Harrell, "Coherent lidar airborne wind sensor II: flight test results at 2 µm and 10 µm," Applied Optics, 20 December 1996.
On remote viewing
- Targ, R. and Puthoff, H. (1975) “Information transfer under conditions of sensory shielding.” Nature, 251, 602-607.
- Puthoff, H.E. & Targ, R. (March, 1976). “A Perceptual Channel for Information Transfer over kilometer distances: Historical perspective and recent research.” Proc. IEEE, Vol. 64, no. 3, March, pp. 329-354;
On precognition
- Rauscher, E. A.Elizabeth RauscherElizabeth A. Rauscher is an American physicist and parapsychologist. She is a former researcher with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Stanford Research Institute, and NASA....
, & Targ, R. (2006). Investigation of a complex space-time metric to describe precognition of the future. AIP Conference Proceedings, 863, 121-146.
External links
- espresearch.com website Targ's webpage - with video clips of remote viewing.
- Russell Targ MP3 audio and notes - from Shift in Action, sponsored by Institute of Noetic Sciences