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was brutally cut open with metal-cutting power saws, leaving _ meeting, which took place in Totten's office. While Totten looked Viktor totally speechless. While some continued their examina- on grimly from behind his desk, Donner sat at a small table in the tion unmoved by this event, Viktor and Walter were asked to middle of the room. When Viktor entered he was shown to a seat accompany the others to a nearby office for further detailed dis- | opposite Donner, the remaining company—Gerchsheimer, cussion of the project. Both Viktor and Walter had many ques- Donner's lawyer and Walter—standing at the back of the room. tions arising from the previous meeting and urgently asked for Donner then signed a document in front of Viktor and passed his more information and clarification. Their questions were brushed _—_ golden pen over for Viktor's signature. Picking up the document, aside, however, and they were told that these would be answered | Gerchsheimer handed it to Viktor and announced that it had been at the next conference. decided to permit his return to Austria, the only stipulation being On the way back to their quarters, Viktor confided to Walter that he should countersign the document. At first, Viktor that he was going to insist that he be returned to Austria after the | demurred because it was written in English, a language he could agreed three months had passed, otherwise he would henceforth _ neither read nor understand. Looking to Walter for help, an argu- remain silent. When Gerchsheimer appeared the next day, Viktor ment then broke out between Walter and Gerchsheimer, Walter at once informed him that since they had broken their agreement _ insisting that the document be translated into German so that with him he would remain silent and would not cooperate in the | Viktor would know what he was supposed to sign. Gerchsheimer project. became extremely irritated at this and asked Walter to keep silent. About three days after this second bead! Viktor having He then turned to Viktor and assured him that he could safely sign returned to hospital, Walter accom- 5 the document unread, for with its panied Gerchsheimer on a trip to signing all his wishes would be Colorado Springs for a decisive fulfilled. third meeting with Donner and At this point Gerchsheimer executives of the Eastern Oil reminded Donner that they had to Company and Trunk Line be at the airport in ten minutes, Company. Attended by their scien- whereupon Walter demanded that tific advisers, they had flown spe- the contents of the ‘contract’ should cially from New Mexico for the at least be translated to Viktor meeting to be held on the following orally. By this time in a state of day. While Gerchsheimer stayed semi mental paralysis born of his with Donner, Walter was put up at desperation to return home and to a nearby hotel, Gerchsheimer hav- get the whole matter over quickly, ing lent him his imported white Viktor told Walter that he wanted Mercedes to drive to the meeting at to sign the agreement whatever it the Broadmoor Hotel in the morn- contained. Walter then asked ing. Gerchsheimer for a copy of the The meeting took place as sched- document so that he could check, uled, but without Walter's atten- as far as he was able, the accuracy dance. Instead, he had apparently of the salient points of the oral driven up to the top of the famous translation. Pike's Peak (about 14,000 feet), It is not known how fluent returning from there only in the ate Walter's English actually was. In _ afternoon. When he eventually London in 1951, however, he was arrived at the Broadmoor Hotel, invited by Richard St Barbe Baker Gerchsheimer was almost speech- to give lectures and conduct exper- less with fury because Walter's iments at the Dorchester Hotel, to attendance had been crucial to the which the full diplomatic corps success of the conference, which, had been invited—an event that St in his absence, had been a total Barbe Baker described as highly fiasco. Demanding an explanation, successful. While in England, Walter apparently answered that he Walter gave lectures in had simply forgotten. This only Cambridge, Birmingham and added fue! to Gerchsheimer's fire Viktor Schauberger Oxford, and also took the opportu- because Walter is an intelligent 30 June 1885 - 25 September 1958 nity to visit Sir William Lawrence man and his non-attendance could Bragg (who won the Nobel Prize therefore not have been an accident. Why Walter did this will for Physics in 1915 for his X-ray study of crystal structures) and never be known. Perhaps he was motivated by his and Viktor's Sir James Chadwick (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1935 for his 1932 desire to withhold any further information on implosive nuclear discovery of the neutron). Apparently there had been few commu- energies. Whatever the reason, it effectively scuttled the whole __ nication difficulties during their exchanges of view, although both project. Donner was equally furious, and, after ordering Bragg and Chadwick may well have spoken German. All this Gerchsheimer to send the Schaubergers home at once, instructed having happened some seven years previously, however fluent his lawyer, Mr Ross, to draw up a final contract for the Walter may have been at the time, his English had no doubt Schaubergers' immediate signature. become extremely rusty in the interim. Two days later, on 13th September at about 5 pm, Viktor and This demand to sight the document, however, provoked even Walter were collected by Gerchsheimer for the fourth and final further argument. When it was finally explained to him in NEXUS * 43 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1996