Andrija Puharich (February 19, 1918 – January 3, 1995) — born Henry Karel Puharić — was a medical and parapsychological researcher, medical inventor, physician and author, known as the person who brought Israeli Uri Geller (born 1946) and Dutch-born Peter Hurkos (1911–1988) to the United States for scientific investigation.

During World War II, Puharich attended Northwestern University as a student in the Army Specialized Training Program.

[3] During that time, he was in and out of Edgewood Arsenal Research Laboratories and Fort Detrick, inter-acting with various high-ranking members and officials primarily from The Pentagon, CIA, and Naval Intelligence.

Puharich was impressed by the stories about the Dutch psychic Peter Hurkos and invited him to the U.S. in 1956 to investigate his alleged abilities (see below).

He sets up an experiment using a Faraday cage in an attempt to demonstrate the extrasensory perception (ESP) abilities of Mason's client.

In 1963, Puharich investigated the Brazilian psychic surgeon Zé Arigó, who he viewed favourably,[6]: 87  providing an afterword for his 1974 biographer.

According to Puharich the beam was based on the work of Nikola Tesla and could be used as a weapon to control people.

[9][10] Puharich was impressed by the stories about the Dutch psychic Peter Hurkos and invited him to the U.S. in 1956 to investigate his alleged abilities.

"[13] Raymond Buckland has written "with the exception of Dr. Andrija Puharich, not a single recognized psychic investigator has been impressed with Hurkos's performances.

[21] Puharich claimed that extraterrestrial beings had communicated to him that Geller was the chosen savior of humanity and had been given the ability to contact flying saucers and perform paranormal phenomena such as psychokinesis, spoon bending, telepathy and teleportation.

[23] While working in Mexico, Puharich married and later divorced Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, the future founder and director of The American Visionary Art Museum.