---
alias:
- John L. LaMothe
- Captain John LaMothe
category: Psychics & Remote Viewers
summary: John L. LaMothe was a U.S. Army Medical Intelligence Office captain who authored
  the 1972 classified report Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR, warning of Soviet
  psychoenergetics research capabilities and spurring U.S. government concerns about
  a psi gap.
tags:
- Person
- RemoteViewer
- Military
- Soviet
- PSI
- DIA
- 1970s
---

Captain John L. LaMothe was an author and military intelligence officer with the Medical Intelligence Office of the [U.S. Army](/organizations/us-army/), Office of the Surgeon General. He was tasked with conducting a joint intelligence assessment of the "Soviet psychoenergetic threat," a term coined by the [Pentagon](/organizations/pentagon/) to include all matters related to Soviet anomalous mental phenomena research and electromagnetic weapons programs[^1].

His two-year effort resulted in a 174-page classified report titled *Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR*, published in 1972. The report aimed to aid in the development of countermeasures for the protection of U.S. or allied personnel, concluding that the [Soviets](/places/soviet-union/) were rapidly developing "methods of controlling or manipulating human behavior through subtle, non-identifiable means," including psychopharmacology, subliminal messaging, and electromagnetic weapons[^1].

LaMothe's report highlighted the "unusual, disproportionate interest" of Communist state authorities, the military, and the [KGB](/organizations/kgb/) in [parapsychology](/concepts/parapsychology/), confirming military involvement in [Psi](/concepts/psi/) research. He broke down the danger into four categories of existential threat posed by Soviet agents with psychoenergetic abilities[^1]:

1.  "Disable, at a distance, US military equipment of all types, including space craft."
2.  "Know the contents of top secret US documents, the movements of our troops and ships and the location and nature of our military installations."
3.  "Mold the thoughts of key US military and civilian leaders, at a distance."
4.  "Cause the instant death of any US official, at a distance."

In essence, LaMothe argued that a Soviet agent could disrupt military technology, access state secrets, influence national leaders, and assassinate U.S. officials through targeted [ESP](/concepts/extrasensory-perception/) and [PK](/concepts/psychokinesis/)[^1].

Citing scientists and experts like [Oliver J. Caldwell](/people/oliver-j-caldwell/) and [Sybil Leek](/people/sybil-leek/), LaMothe saw an immediate need for the U.S. to create a program to mirror the Soviets' psychic warfare undertakings. However, the alarmist nature of his text limited its distribution, and those in the know considered LaMothe's sources biased in favor of ESP research programs[^1].

Despite the controversy, LaMothe's report circulated through the military and intelligence communities, prompting the [Central Intelligence Agency](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) to take action and escalate its own psychic research programs[^1].

### Publications
*   *Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR* (1972)

### The 1972 Report

John LaMothe was a U.S. Army Captain and the author of the 1972 [DIA](/organizations/defense-intelligence-agency/) report, "[Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR](/programs/controlled-offensive-behavior-ussr/)." This 174-page classified report reviewed and evaluated Soviet research in the field of "revolutionary methods of influencing behavior," with a particular focus on psi phenomena and its potential military applications.[^2]

LaMothe's report highlighted the perceived threat of Soviet ESP and Psychokinesis capabilities, suggesting they could be used to disable U.S. military equipment, access top-secret documents, influence leaders, and even cause instant death. While some of his sources were considered biased in favor of psi research, the report contributed significantly to the U.S. intelligence community's concern about a "[psi gap](/concepts/psi-gap/)" and spurred further U.S. investment in psychic research programs.[^2]

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.
[^2]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.