Albert "Bert" Newton Stubblebine III (February 6, 1930 – February 6, 2017) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
whose active duty career spanned 32 years. Beginning as an
armor officer, he later transferred to
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...
. He is credited with redesigning the U.S. Army
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...
architecture during his time as
commanding general
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the
U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for United States Army commanders, partners in the Intelligence Community, and nationa ...
(INSCOM) from 1981 to 1984, after which he retired from active service.
Over the course of his retirement, it became widely known that Stubblebine maintained a keen interest in
psychic warfare
Psychic Warfare is the eleventh studio album by the band Clutch, It was released on October 2, 2015 through the band's own label Weathermaker Music.
Album Info
Psychic Warfare has been released on: CD, Black & White, Newbury Comics Exclusive ...
throughout his service. He sought to develop an army of soldiers with special powers, such as the ability to walk through walls.
Biography
Stubblebine graduated from the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
in 1952 and subsequently received an
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1961. He married his wife, Geraldine, in 1952; they would ultimately adopt two children. Beginning his military career as an
armor officer, he later transferred to
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
.
In 1968, Stubblebine was transferred to the staff of the
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense.
MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...
and later was assigned to the
25th Infantry Division as its G-2 (intelligence officer). For his service in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, Stubblebine was awarded the
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
and the
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
.
As a
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
, Stubblebine participated in a special task force that defined the requirements of the U.S. Army for future conflict. By 1980, General Stubblebine commanded the Electronic Research and Development Command (ERADCOM). Stubblebine was strongly influenced by Lieutenant Colonel
Jim Channon
James B. Channon (September 20, 1939- September 10, 2017) was a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, New Age futurologist, and business consultant. He was primarily known for authoring the ''First Earth Battalion Operations Manual'' (1979, and later edit ...
's
New Age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
-inspired ''
First Earth Battalion Field Manual'' (1979). Stubblebine became a proponent of psychic warfare and initiated a project within the
U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for United States Army commanders, partners in the Intelligence Community, and nationa ...
(INSCOM), which he commanded from 1981 to 1984, to create "a breed of 'super soldier'" who would "have the ability to become invisible at will and to walk through walls". He attempted to walk through walls himself
— but failed, as he himself described in a 2004 interview. (These activities feature prominently in
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker whose works include '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'' (2001), ''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004), and ''The Psychopath Test'' (2011). He has been desc ...
's 2004 book ''
The Men Who Stare at Goats
''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004) is a non-fiction work by Jon Ronson concerning the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring ...
.'')
A key sponsor of the
Stargate Project
Stargate Project was a secret U.S. Army unit established in 1978 at Fort Meade, Maryland, by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and SRI International (a California contractor) to investigate the potential for psychic phenomena in military and ...
(a
remote viewing
Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. Typically a remote viewer is expected to give information about an object, event, person or location that is hidden ...
project) at
Fort Meade
Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the N ...
, Maryland, Stubblebine was convinced of the reality of a wide variety of psychic phenomena. He required that all of his battalion commanders learn how to bend spoons in the manner of celebrity psychic
Uri Geller
Uri Geller ( ; he, אורי גלר; born 20 December 1946) is an Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality, and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other ill ...
, and he himself attempted several psychic feats, in addition to walking through walls, such as
levitation
Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact.
Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...
and dispersing distant clouds with his mind. Stubblebine was a key leader in the U.S. military
invasion of Grenada
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
(1983).
After some controversy involving the experiments with psychic phenomena, Stubblebine took "early retirement" from the Army in 1984. In addition to alleged security violations from uncleared civilian psychics working in
Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs), Stubblebine offended then-
U.S. Army Chief of Staff General
John Adams Wickham, Jr.
John Adams Wickham Jr. (born June 25, 1928) is a retired United States Army general who served as the United States Army Chief of Staff from 1983 to 1987.
Early life and education
Wickham was born on June 25, 1928, in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He g ...
by offering to perform a spoon-bending feat at a formal gala; Wickham, a devout
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
, associated such phenomena with
Satanism
Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...
.
Stubblebine's successor as the INSCOM commander was Major General
Harry Soyster, who had a reputation as a much more conservative and conventional intelligence officer. Soyster was not amenable to continuing paranormal experiments and the Army's participation in the Stargate Project ended during his tenure, though not until 1995.
After Stubblebine retired from the Army he worked as a vice-president for
BDM Corporation. He retired from that job in 1990. The same year, he was inducted into the
Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to military intelligence. The hall is ...
. In 1994 his wife Geraldine was granted a divorce on grounds of adultery.
[Court Of Appeals Of Virginia](_blank)
Albert N. Stubblebine, III v. Geraldine M. Stubblebine. Record No. 1915-94-4. Case heard on July 23, 1996. Accessed November 12, 2009. Shortly thereafter, he was remarried to psychiatrist and nutrition campaigner Rima E. Laibow.
He also acted as a part-time consultant to two government contractors,
ERIM and Space Applications Corporation.
September 11 attacks statements
According to Stubblebine, after analyzing the damage done to
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
by the hijacked aircraft during the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, he concluded "(an) airplane did not make that hole". Stubblebine's statements have been cited by conspiracy advocate
David Ray Griffin
David Ray Griffin (August 8, 1939 – November 26, 2022) was an American professor of philosophy of religion and theology and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.Sources describing David Ray Griffin as a "conspiracy theorist", "conspiracist", "conspirac ...
.
In popular culture
*A character ("General Hopgood") in the 2009 film ''
The Men Who Stare at Goats
''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004) is a non-fiction work by Jon Ronson concerning the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring ...
'' — a fictionalized adaptation of Ronson's book — is loosely based on Stubblebine as commander of the "psychic spy unit" (portrayed in the film) who believed he could train himself to walk through walls.
See also
*
Remote viewing
Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. Typically a remote viewer is expected to give information about an object, event, person or location that is hidden ...
References
External links
*
* in which Stubblebine explains his doubts regarding the official explanations of the
September 11th attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
.
Laibow & Stubblebine speak – Infinite Unknown site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stubblebine, Albert
1930 births
2017 deaths
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
National War College alumni
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni
9/11 conspiracy theorists
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Air Medal
American conspiracy theorists