Sir: I hope Peter Ackroyd's article (September 8) on Professor
Murray (Telepathy) will not give the impression ESP is now a lost cause. On the contrary, it is very much alive.
The late Professor Murray's experiments are no doubt of academic interest. However, time has passed and many physical researchers are in the main concentrating on present day work of parapyschologists. Quite a number accept ESP as a fact. Russia is well in the forefront.
My concern is a much deeper one: the failure of many (not all) English universities to allow the excellent facilities of special sound-proof laboratories to be used for parapsychology research. I have met people who have condemned the whole field of phycical study, and yet have never attempted a single investigation nor have read on the subject. This seems to me to be a rather bigoted attitude. To compensate. other people will listen to your opinions and some are interested — but reputations are at stake. Psychical research is not conside,red by some to be an academic subject.
I believe that the evidence is mounting for parapsychology. How long will it be before our universities have an open university mind, instead of a closed one? Are the Russian and satellite universities going to be given carte blanche?
If many of the claims by Russian scientists in the field of Energy Body Study, Suggeseology, increasing Psychic ability, Psychotronics, prove to be correct, it is a potentially dangerous situation. Are we to believe the Soviets will use such knowledge for the benefit of mankind?
If! have an axe to grind, it is for the common good of Parapsychology. There are too many people like myself struggling to buy books and equipment on a moderate salary,' doing experiments into the early hours. We need time, a little money, and a laboratory with some helpers.
The old question arises "What have you written on your experiments?" My answer would be that my findings would not be accepted unless conducted in a laboratory with a strict control on the variants. Are our universities as open as they claim? If they continue to close their eyes to the fact that anything that affects, controls or changes a human being is vitally important — to the Raudive voices.
Reports about voice-like sounds recorded on tape began in 1964 (Voices
from Space) Friedrich Jurgen. Credit must be given to Dr Raudive for his six years of research. His book on the subject Breakthrough is listed under Refs. Having spent some time in this area, I have found it to be worthy of further study. This experiment can be undertaken by anyone with a reasonable tape recorder, and I believe a fair number of people would have some success. If interest is created in this experiment, 1 will be pleased to give The Spectator details of the system I use.
Norman V. Jones Member of the Psychical Research Society, 1 Brandsby Grove, Huntington , York.