Harry Veeder wrote:
Suppression and conspiracy are two separate and
> unrelated concepts. A conspiracy is organized, covert, and conducted by a
> small number of people. The suppression of cold fusion is unorganized; it
> could not be more overt; and it is conducted by thousands of people.
>
Similar to discrimination based on race or class.
Exactly right!
I suppose it is possible that in addition to this overt suppression, there
is also a clandestine conspiracy to prevent cold fusion research. As I said
in the book, if there is a conspiracy, I have not heard about it, and the
conspirators have not invited me to their monthly meetings. However, I see
no need for a conspiracy because the overt suppression, hostility, and
ridicule quashed nearly all research in the U.S. long ago, and it prevents
the publication of news about cold fusion in nearly all journals and
newspapers.
There is no way I would find out about a conspiracy, but in the distant
future some historian might stumble over evidence for one. There may be
e-mail or notes from meetings. Someone like Zimmerman may be involved. He
seems to enjoy a cloak and dagger techniques; he tried to hide his badge
from me when I met him at the APS conference.
Before 1963, racial discrimination in U.S. southern states was both overt
*and* covert. The overt discrimination was completely open and obvious,
with separate schools, separate drinking fountains, different pay scales,
laws against interracial marriage and so on. Meanwhile the Klu Klux Klan
and some so-called citizens councils secretly conspired to commit
terrorism, reprisals et cetera. Some of these "council" files came to light
years later.
- Jed
