In the shadowy world of Cold War-era intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) pursued investigations that often blurred the lines between scientific inquiry and supernatural exploration. A recently resurfaced declassified document reveals one such extraordinary endeavor: a remote viewing session attempting to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant.

The Remote Viewing Protocol

Remote viewing, a psychic technique involving extrasensory perception (ESP), was a serious area of investigation for the intelligence community. On December 5, 1988, an unnamed remote viewer—identified simply as “Remote Viewer #32″—was tasked with investigating a mysterious target, unaware of its true nature.

Joe McMoneagle, a pioneering figure in remote viewing and a retired US Army Chief Warrant Officer, explained the intricate process: “Information collected under this protocol is the only information that can be identified as remote viewing.” In these sessions, a target’s identity is concealed in a sealed envelope, with a guide helping the viewer navigate their psychic exploration.

The Mysterious Vision

The remote viewer’s description was remarkably detailed and evocative. They reported a secret Middle Eastern location housing a unique container constructed of wood, gold, and silver—reminiscent of a coffin and adorned with seraphim. The vision included:

• Mosque domes in the surrounding landscape
• Arabic-speaking men dressed in white
• An underground location that was dark and wet
• A container with another container inside

Intriguingly, the viewer claimed the artifact was “protected by four seraphim” or “entities” and could only be opened at a predetermined time. They warned that unauthorized attempts to access the container would result in destruction by its mysterious guardians through “a power unknown to us.”

Expert Skepticism

Despite the vivid description, key experts remain profoundly skeptical. Joe McMoneagle himself, considered a legendary remote viewer who once identified a secret Russian warship, dismisses this particular session.

“Using remote viewing against any target for which ground truth does not exist or is impossible to obtain… is a waste of time and resources,” McMoneagle stated. He challenged the methodology, emphasizing that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof: “If someone claims that remote viewing proves the existence of something, such as the Ark of the Covenant, they must produce the Ark to substantiate their claim.”

Ark Expert: CIA got some right but some wrong

In general, the CIA report came to the same conclusion that I did,’ though my findings were based on authoritative Jewish sources and archaeological evidence,” Moskoff said. “Jewish sources maintain that the ark is under the Temple Mount, as my book explains. It’s a theory, of course, since it has not been investigated. But all of the facts that I write are biblical and from the Talmud and Midrash. I gather the facts from the actual sources and that’s the best way to do it. 

“While it is encouraging, I would take the CIA report with a grain of salt.”

Rabbi Harry Moskoff is an investigative archaeologist, Bible scholar, and art expert whose book The Ark Report chronicles his findings concerning the possible locations of the Ark of the Covenant. He generally reacted positively to the CIA report but expressed several criticisms to Israel365 News.

Moskoff noted that Jewish sources describe a hiding place under the location of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, slightly to the southwest underneath the Dome of the Rock. Fear of a Muslim reaction has prevented the Israeli government from carrying out any archaeological excavations at Judaism’s holiest site.

“It is reassuring that interest in the Ark is growing, as we are approaching the time of the Third Temple when this will be relevant. There’s no question about it. When you look at the Middle East, that’s happening now in Israel. So the timing of the report’s release is significant, even though the ark has been there for 2700 years and it hasn’t moved. The CIA actually describes the hiding place as dark caves. 

‘But there are some things in the CIA report that aren’t completely correct. They described the presence of silver. But there’s no silver in the Ark of the Covenant. There’s only gold and wood. The report describes several ‘seraphim’, but there are only two angels, cherubim, as it says in the Torah.” 

“They describe a lock system on the ark, but there’s no lock system. Theoretically, any person could open the lid, though it’s very heavy because it’s one solid piece of gold. So it’s going to take more than one person to lift it up.”

“The CIA report said that the primary purpose of the Ark was to bring people together. That is one of the purposes, but it’s not the primary purpose. The main objective is practical: to hold the 10 Commandments. It also contains a scroll of Deuteronomy written by Moses himself. Moskoff admitted that he had considered consulting with mentalists in his search but opted against it. 

“I never actually went through with it, but I believe that these things do happen, that they go to these types of people, and they do believe that they have capabilities. There may be a bit of an agenda to publishing the article, though I’m not entirely sure what it would be. I am not sure it is bad, as it gets people hopeful and inspired.

“I would like to see more on those classified documents, for sure. That would be very interesting and hopefully we’ll hear more about it, I’m sure.” 

Historical Context

The Ark of the Covenant remains one of archaeology’s most enduring mysteries. According to biblical tradition, it was a sacred chest said to have contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, brought down by Moses from Mount Sinai. Its actual existence and current location have fascinated scholars, theologians, and adventurers for centuries.

Conclusion

While the CIA’s remote viewing session offers a tantalizing glimpse into unconventional intelligence methods, it ultimately remains a speculative exercise. The document serves more as a testament to the Cold War era’s willingness to explore unconventional intelligence gathering techniques than as evidence of the Ark’s location.

As McMoneagle succinctly noted, “Currently, the Ark of the Covenant is a legendary tale. If they can produce the actual Ark based on the information, it will be a surprise to me, as well as to many others.”