CIA’s Remote Viewing Claims Spark New Buzz Over the Ark of the Covenant

In a revelation that reads more like a plot from Indiana Jones than a declassified U.S. intelligence document, the CIA is once again at the center of a swirling mystery. Recently resurfaced documents reveal that the agency once claimed to have located the legendary Ark of the Covenant using a psychic technique known as remote viewing — a controversial method linked to extrasensory perception (ESP). The session in question took place on December 5, 1988, involving a subject identified only as Remote Viewer #32. The viewer was unaware of the target — which was the Ark of the Covenant — and was guided through the exercise using standard remote viewing protocols. These protocols involve writing the target’s identity on a slip of paper, placing it in a sealed envelope, and having the viewer describe what they “see” during the psychic session.

According to the declassified file, Viewer #32 described a mysterious, sacred container “fashioned of wood, gold and silver,” shaped like a coffin, and adorned with seraphim — the angelic figures traditionally associated with the Ark. The viewer also reported that the object was located underground in a Middle Eastern setting, surrounded by mosque domes and Arabic-speaking men in white garments and that it was “dark and wet.”

But the most astonishing claims came next.

The viewer alleged that the Ark is guarded by “entities” and can only be accessed by those deemed “authorized.” Any attempt to open it through force would result in the destruction of the intruder by an “unknown power.” Descriptions of spirituality, memory, ceremony, and resurrection were also linked to the object’s purpose, as if the Ark of the Covenant holds a deeper, universal significance far beyond religious history.

The file also includes pages of drawings from the session, one depicting a seraph and another showing mummies lined against a wall — details that fueled speculation across social media once the documents resurfaced.

However, not everyone is convinced.

Joe McMoneagle, known as Remote Viewer #1 and one of the earliest participants in the CIA’s psychic research programs, publicly discredited the session. Speaking to The New York Post, Joe McMoneagle dismissed the 1988 session as a “training target done on a whim,” calling it “bogus” and lacking any credible verification. “Using remote viewing against any target for which ground truth does not exist… is a waste of time and resources,” he stated bluntly.

He added that without physical proof of the Ark’s existence, the session remains nothing more than speculative entertainment.

Still, believers in remote viewing and religious relic hunters have latched onto the claims, reigniting interest in the age-old mystery of the Ark’s location. According to biblical tradition, the Ark of the Covenant once held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments and was said to possess immense, divine power. Its current whereabouts have been unknown for centuries, spawning everything from documentaries to Hollywood films.

While sceptics and experts alike urge caution, the CIA documents — declassified in 2000 — have given fresh legs to the legend. Whether psychic espionage truly located one of history’s most fabled artefacts or simply added a new layer to its mythos, one thing’s clear: the Ark of the Covenant remains a mystery the world can’t stop chasing.