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1991). "Which is it?" (A detailed chronology of this scientific So addicted is the plasma fusion community to government cover-up can be found in the same issue of Infinite Energy.'*) research funds, that even innovative concepts for hot fusion which Most people, including physicists, continue to be unaware that threaten to lead to practical fusion energy soon—and to a low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) are real, and have been corresponding gigantic embarrassment for the hot fusion verified in hundreds of experiments throughout the 1990s. establishment—are viciously suppressed. In February 2002, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center A recent example is the suppression effort aimed at "focus of the United States Navy in San Diego released a 310-page fusion". Plasma physicists Eric J. Lerner, Dr Bruce Freeman and report, titled "Thermal and Nuclear Aspects of the Pd/D ,0 Dr Hank Oona used an innovative design to achieve System",'* that discusses the overwhelming experimental evidence hydrogen-boron fusion, which, unlike the deuterium-tritium that the cold fusion effect indeed exists. Dr Frank E. Gordon, reaction which the hot fusion mainstream is trying to create, Head of the Center's Navigation and Applied Sciences produces no lethal neutrons. Yet the discovery met with stiff Department, writes in the foreword: resistance from the hot fusion establishment, perhaps because it "We do not know if Cold Fusion will be the answer to future threatened the funding and prestige of the hot fusion program. A energy needs, but we do know the existence 2002 press release from the Focus Fusion of Cold Fusion phenomenon through repeat- Society'® describes the suppression attempts: ed observations by scientists throughout the "On May 23rd Dr Richard Seimon, Fusion world. It is time that this phenomenon be . . Energy Science Program Manager at Los investigated so that we can reap whatever While wars over oil are Alamos, demanded Dr Hank Oona, one of benefits accrue from additional scientific being fought, a potential the physicists involved in the experiment, understanding. It is time for government dissociate himself from comparisons that funding organizations to invest in this source of energy that showed the new results to be superior in key research." could solve humanity S$ respects to those of the tokamak and to A March 2003 New Scientist article'* remove his name from the paper describing quotes Robert Nowak, an electrochemist and energy problems for all the results. The tokamak, a much larger and a program manager in chemistry at the eternity Is being ignored more expensive device, has been the center- Suice vane Research (ONR). and by all but a small piece of the Fe uusion effort tor * years. elvin Miles, an electrochemist working . eimon did not dispute the data or the with the Naval Air Warfare Center, on the community of achievement of high temperatures. He objected to the comparisons with the tokamak, arguing that it [ sic] was biased against the tokamak. In addi- suppression efforts that the US Navy researchers. research had to overcome: "From the beginning, the idea was to eep things modest. 'We put less than At the same time, the tion, Seimon pressured Dr Bruce $1 million a year into the programme,’ Ly " ion" Freeman, another co-author of the Nowak says. 'Above that level, the red dead end hot fusion paper, to advocate the removal of all flags go up.' [ONR Executive Director program continues to tokamak comparisons from the paper. Fred] Saalfeld and Nowak never gave receive billions of dollars "Both of my colleagues in this the programme its own line in the . blic fund research have been threatened with ONR's budget, but allotted money to it In pubic tunas. losing their jobs if they don't distance from miscellaneous funds. 'We were to eep working and we were allowed to ublish our results, but we weren't supposed to say a lot about it,' Miles recalls. ‘Some people were worrie themselves from the comparisons with the tokamak,' says Lerner who is lead author on the paper. 'Both of them had carefully reviewed and approved the paper originally and had endorsed its that word would get out and it would jeopardise the navy labs’ conclusions. For them to be forced to recant under threat of firing funding from Congress for other research. We didn't even call it is outrageous. It undermines the very basis of scientific discourse "cold fusion". We called it "anomalous effects in deuterated if researchers are not allowed by their institutions to speak systems"." honestly to each other..."" "That was still not enough to keep the sceptics off their backs. If the claims about focus fusion pan out, it could be the cheap, ‘Fairly prominent individuals within the physics community clean, inexhaustible source of energy that the hot fusion establish- voiced threats,’ Nowak admits. 'They said that they were aware ment has been promising the world for half a century but has that federal funds were going into cold fusion research and they failed to deliver. were going to do what they could to stop it." That "cold fusion" continues to be ignored by the scientific © TRANSMUTATION CONTROVERSY establishment, and, to add insult to injury, is being used synony- If a new class of nuclear reactions can take place under low- mously with "bad science", usually in such expressio! s "the energy conditions, then it is reasonable to expect even transmuta- cold fusion debacle", constitutes one of the greatest scientific tions of heavy elements. But to conventional chemistry and scandals in human history and a human tragedy. While wars over _ physics, the claim of heavy elemental transmutations occurring in oil are being fought, a potential source of energy that could solve "chemical" systems, apparently validating the ancient proto- humanity's energy problems for all eternity is being ignored by all science of alchemy, constitutes an even greater provocation than but a small community of researchers. At the same time, the cold fusion. dead-end "hot fusion" program continues to receive billions of John Bockris, a distinguished professor of chemistry at Texas dollars in public funds. If there is a scandal associated with cold A&M and one of the world's leading electrochemists, had to learn fusion, this is it. this lesson in the early years of the cold fusion scandal. He While wars over oil are being fought, a potential source of energy that Ps nata A ak SN Stee tata ean ave could solve humanity's energy problems for all eternity is being ignored by all but a small community of researchers. At the same time, the dead-end "hot fusion" program continues to receive billions of dollars in public funds. TRANSMUTATION CONTROVERSY If a new class of nuclear reactions can take place under low- energy conditions, then it is reasonable to expect even transmuta- tions of heavy elements. But to conventional chemistry and physics, the claim of heavy elemental transmutations occurring in "chemical" systems, apparently validating the ancient proto- science of alchemy, constitutes an even greater provocation than cold fusion. John Bockris, a distinguished professor of chemistry at Texas A&M and one of the world's leading electrochemists, had to learn this lesson in the early years of the cold fusion scandal. He NEXUS = 51 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2004 www.nexusmagazine.com