The potential utility of long-range NOEs in DNA has not been exploited since the observed signals have contributions both from the direct magnetization route and from multiple diffusion pathways. The Quiet NOE approach can be used to select for the direct magnetization transfer pathway by suppressing spin diffusion. A single-band Quiet NOE, which allows detection of the direct NOEs between protons in a selected chemical shift window, has been demonstrated on two duplex DNAs, and the NOEs observed can contain important structural information.