'Indiana Jones Moment': CIA Files Revealing Ark of the Covenant Mystery

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has reignited interest in the sacred relic by highlighting declassified CIA documents from 1988 that claim psychic "remote viewing" was used to locate it, the Daily Mail reports.

"The CIA allegedly discovered the Ark of the Covenant," Congresswoman Luna notes on Joe Rogan's podcast about the experience, calling it an "Indiana Jones moment."

The documents detail how “remote viewer #032,” trained to perceive distant objects through psychic means, was given coordinates to observe an unidentified target.

The “observer’s” notes reportedly described a “vessel of wood, gold and silver” decorated with seraphim, hidden in a “dark and damp” dungeon in a Middle Eastern region with “mosque domes” and Arabic-speaking locals in white robes.

"These files were part of the CIA's Project Sunshine Streak, a Cold War program that studied psychic phenomena for intelligence gathering," the documents, which were released in 2000, say. The files were published in a Daily Mail article in March 2025, the publication recalls.

"We don't know how far this goes. I definitely have questions, but this isn't the first time the government has been looking for something, especially since some have speculated that the Ark of the Covenant had superweapon-like powers," Luna notes.

The congresswoman added that she plans to continue the search herself: "I thought I should pay for it myself. So we're not using taxpayer money, but just go check it out."

Podcast host Jorge Rogan’s admiration, mixed with skepticism, added to the impact of the conversation. “It’s a wild story. If it’s true, it’s a wild story,” he said. He wondered if the drawings presented by “observers” resembled a relic from the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

“If I asked you to draw me the Ark, can you imagine what it would look like?” Rogan asked.

Luna, unabashed, emphasized the intrigue of the documents. "I feel like I'm describing an Indiana Jones movie, but it's actually from the CIA," she said.

Some historians believe the Ark was originally kept in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the ancient Jerusalem Temple, before disappearing during the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC, the Daily Mail reports. Legends also suggest the Ark was taken to Ethiopia, where it may be kept in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.

British researcher Graham Hancock claims the Ark is being guarded there, with some guardians reportedly suffering from cataracts, possibly due to "radiation poisoning."

Luna, who consulted with an Ethiopian Orthodox priest, noted his "very optimistic" view.

There is still no evidence that the chest existed, but a CIA document claims that it was discovered in 1988, writes the Daily Mail.

A “remote viewer” involved in the CIA experiments described the ark as a coffin-shaped object, “a container with another container inside it... made of wood, gold, and silver, adorned with a six-winged angel.”

The "observer" reported that the location was somewhere in the Middle East, that the locals spoke Arabic, and that the container was guarded by legal entities and could only be opened by authorized persons.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other intelligence agencies, including the CIA, hired individuals believed to have paranormal abilities to gather intelligence on "remote events."

Project Sunshine Streak used psychics called remote viewers to observe targets using only coordinates. CIA historian Nicholas Dujmovic notes that the program, which was discontinued in 1995, produced no physical evidence.

According to the Daily Mail, this approach was demonstrated during exercises on December 5, 1988.

The psychic projected his consciousness into the search for the Ark, recording observations along the way. They described mosque-like buildings and “people dressed almost entirely in white,” with black hair and dark eyes. “One person I noticed had a moustache,” the psychic noted. “The object was hidden underground in a dark, damp place. Its purpose is to bring people together. It involves ceremony, remembrance, honor, and resurrection. There is an aspect of spirituality, information, lessons, and historical knowledge that goes far beyond what we know now.”

"Attempts to open the container without permission will result in destruction by unknown forces," the notes warned.

The report includes sketches and hastily scribbled notes: a domed building resembling a mosque, eight mummies lined up in a row, a wheel, and a winged creature labeled "seraph." It also lists ominous words such as "death," "forbidden," "protected," "frightened," "destroyed," "pain," and "torment."

Luna added that the Ark's guardians would have to go through a special process to qualify for the honor. "From a biblical perspective, no one would be able to access it anyway because it would be protected," she said. "That's what the Bible says. That's it, it can't be opened until the right time is set."