BobGuccioneandInesco

An excerpt from Fusion: The Search for Endless Energy, by Robin Herman,
1990, Cambridge University Press, pg. 193-196, rherman@hsph.harvard.edu
Relativelyfewindividualsoutsidethescientic
andgovernmentfraternityworkedontheir
ownforafusionfuture.Somewhodidconsidereditapersonaldiscovery,evenapersonal
crusade.Inthefederalbelttightening1980s,
mostofthosewhotriedintheirowndistinct
waytopromotetheresearcheventuallysuccumbedtotheapathyofthemarketplace.
Theywereaquirkycollection,displayingvirtuallynothingincommonexceptadesiretoadvancethecauseoffusionenergy.

Guccionehadmorethanapassinginterestin
science.In1979,helaunchedanewpublication,Omni,amagazineofsciencefactandction.AfterreadinganOmniinterviewwitha
fusionphysicistandinnovatornamedRobert
Bussard,thewealthyandrestlessGuccionebecamepersonallyinvolvedinthefusionmission.

BobGuccione,thefounderandpublisherof
Penthousemagazine,cametofusioninthe
greatentrepreneurialtraditionofAmerica,
withaneyeonaquickprotfromanhistoric
technologicalbreakthrough.Hehadacolorful
image,onethathehelpedperpetuatebywearinghisshirtsopenedtomid-chesttoshowoL
ropesofgoldchainsandmedallions.Hehada
marbledManhattantownhousedecoratedin
Renaissancesplendorwithoriginalpaintings
bythemasters.Hisnetworthwasabout$250
million,hesaid,andhewasalwayslookingfor
seriousprojectsinwhichtopourthesteady
cashowfromhismagazine.
Whenfusioncaughthiseye,Guccionebecame
themostcommittedprivateinvestorinthe
historyoftheresearch.Overthecourseofve
yearsduringthe1980s,Guccionespent$16
milliontosupportresearchonanoVeat
miniaturetokamakdesignthatpromisedto
revolutionizetheworldsenergyeconomy.It
wasaventurecapitalriskthatcouldhavegiven
GuccionemoreinuencethanOPEChadit
succeeded.Hisexperienceillustratedthemarketplacehurdlesthatfusionfacedbeyondthe
scienticchallenges.

Robert Bussard, 1981, Photograph by Norman Seeff

BussardhadworkedforLosAlamoslaband
thenasanassistanttoDOEsBobHirschbeforestrikingoutonhisown.Hehadstarteda
privatecompanyincorporatedinMaryland,
InternationalNuclearEnergySystemsCompany(Inesco),throughwhichhehopedto
buildasmall,compacttokamakusingex-

ExcerptfromFusion:TheSearchforEndlessEnergy

tremelypowerfulelectromagnets.Bussards
partnerinthedesignworkwastheItalian
BrunoCappi,whohadfoundnomoneyto
supporthislittleinventioninthegovernment
programatMIT,hishomelab.Thecompact
tokamakwouldgeneratetremendousheatina
verysmallspace.Thelargetokamakslike
Princetonsusedcostlyshieldingtoprotectexpensiveelectromagnetsfromthedamaging
neutronsoffusionreactions.Bussardand
Cappisinnovationsoughttodoawaywiththe
shieldingandmakethetokamakssmall,relativelycheapanddisposable.Theinteriorvessel,onceitbecameradioactivelyweakenedby
thefusionreaction,couldbethrownawayand
replacedbyanothermodularunit,muchasone
replacesaburntoutlightbulb.

Bob Guccione

Guccionerecalledthinkingthat,economically
atleast,thismadeabsolutesense.Hewanted
tohearmore,soBussardwasinvitedtodinner
atthepublishersNewYorktownhouse.

Overthemeal,Bussarddescribedthedifcultieshewashavingobtaininggovernmentfunding.Afterall,theDepartmentofEnergyhad
committed$314milliontothetokamakat
Princetonand$100milliontothemirrormachineatLivermore.GuccioneurgedBussardto
seekindustrialandbusinessinvestors,butBussardhadalreadyexhaustedthatroute.The
troublewas,BussardtoldGuccione,hecould
notstiranyenthusiasmbecausehecouldnot
saydenitivelywhenamarketableproduct
wouldbeready.Bussardbelievedhecouldproduceacommerciallyviablemini-reactorinten
years,buttherewouldbenoguarantee.
Bussardwasunawarethathishostwasalready
atruebelieverinion.Guccionesaidhehad
longsinceconcludedthatfusionwastheonly
waytogotosolvemansenergyproblems,and
hefeltitwasabsolutelycrucialtothefuture
securityandtechnologicalstrengthofthe
UnitedStatesthatitachievefusionpowerrst.
Whocreatestherstfusionreactorliterally
controlstheworldsenergysupply,Guccione
saidinaninterview,andifitwasntthiscountry,whowasitgoingtobe?Russia?Communist
China?Foranindividualinvestor,fusionheld
agoldenpromise,Guccionebelieved.Imagine
havingauniquepatentonthetelephonesystemandtheelectriclightsystemcombined,
becausethewholeworldusesit,especially
ThirdWorldcountries,hesaid.Itwouldtotallytransformtheworld.
BobGuccionedecidedtonancetheminitokamakproject,hopingthathispersonal
weightmightserveasthegravitytodrawin
otherinvestors.Hewasnotnaiveaboutthe
prospects.Theconventionalwisdomheldthat
afusionreactorwouldtaketwoorthreedecadestobuild,notthetenyearsBussardwas
predicting.Andtheresearchwouldcostafew
hundredmilliondollars.Butifitworked,the
consequenceswouldbenothingshortofspectacular.
InMarch1980,Guccioneformedapartnership
withBussardandturnedover,asherecalled
later,some$400,000instartupfunds.Engineers,computerprogrammers,andmetallur-

ExcerptfromFusion:TheSearchforEndlessEnergy

gistswerehired,andInescosetupanewshop
inLaJolla,California,witheighty-veemployees.Overthenextfouryears,asdesignwork
progressedandthesearchforinvestorscontinued,Guccionepouredin$16millionor$17
million,byhisaccounting.Predictably,theInescoscientistswhoattendedinternational
meetingsenduredconsiderableribbingabout
workingforoneofthemostsuccessfulpurveyorsofadultmagazinesintheworld.Physicists
andpinupsseemedsohilariouslyincongruous.
ButtheInescoteamknewGuccionewasaseriousinvestorandasincereproponentoffusion.Thatswhatreallymattered.
Guccionesawtheincongruity,too,andhewas
notwithoutasenseofhumoraboutitall.To
overseePenthousesinterestinInesco,the
publishercreatedasubsidiary,whichhe
dubbedPenthouseEnergyandTechnologySystems,thuscreatingtheacronymPETS.Itwas
aconsciousreferencetoPenthousesnudecenterfold,PetoftheMonth,andawayfor
Guccionetoacknowledgetheuninhibited
womenwhointruth,werecreatingtheprots
tonancefusionresearch.
EvenGuccioneandhisPETSmoney,however,
couldnotconvinceotherinvestorstocommit
themselvestofusion.Inescosprojectwasjust
toospeculative.Guccionesaidhealsogrewto
suspectthatthenuclearpowerindustry,the
ssionplantowners,wereputtingpressureon
WashingtontoignoreprojectslikeInescos,
whichthreatenedtoreplacessionpower.
Guccionehadnodirectevidenceofthis,butit
wasathemecommonlysoundedbyfrustrated
fusionresearchers.

Ifonlythegovernmentwouldmountaatout,do-or-die,Manhattan-styleprojectthatwe
hadforthedevelopmentofthenuclearbomb,
Guccionelamented.Withthatkindofcommitmentfusioncouldbeconqueredinadecadeorevenless,hebelieved.Fusionwouldbe
thesinglebiggestboontomankindever,he
said,thesortofthingapresidentshouldget
behind.Likethespaceprogram,fusioncould
putthiscountryrightbackontop...the
numberoneindustrialnationintheworld.
TwoyearsaftertheInescocollapse,Guccione
hadnotlosthisfervor.
Fusionistheultimatesourceofenergyfor
thisplanet,hesaid.Itobviouslycanbedone.
Ifitexistsinnature,itcanberecreatedby
man.
Hespokewithasmuchconvictionasthefusionpioneers.Guccionehadthelitanydown
pat.Fusionwasclean.Fusionwassafe.Fusion
wasanaturalprocess.Fusionwasinevitable.
Hehadbecomeoneofthem,oneofthefusion
proselytizers,abelieverinthemission.Only
themoneyfellshort.OutsideoftheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,therewassimplynomarketforfusion.

In1984,anattempttotakeInescopublic
oppedaftertheunderwriterfailedtosellthe
last400,000shares.BussardsdreamandGuccionesgamblewerecrushed.Thetwomensalvagedafewpatentsthatmightsomedayprove
valuableandtookwiththemanundyinghope
forfusionsfuture.Thathopelaywithgovernment,Guccionehadtoconcede.Onlynational
governmentspossessedtheresourcesandthe
freedomtoinvestinresearchprojectsatsucha
basicstageandwithsuchexpensivetools.

ExcerptfromFusion:TheSearchforEndlessEnergy

About Robin Herman

Robin Herman

BorninNewYorkCityin1951,Robingrewup
inthepostWWIIsuburbsofLongIsland.She
wasamemberoftherstclassofwomenadmittedtoPrincetonUniversityin1969,graduatingin1973.
ShejoinedTheNewYorkTimesin1973asits
rstfemalesportsreporter.In1975shecrossed
alineinpursuitofthesamepost-gameplayer
quotesthathermalecolleaguesroutinelyobtained.AttheNationalHockeyLeaguesAllStargameinMontreal,shebecametherst
femalereportertoenteramaleprofessional
sportslockerroom.
SheleftsportswritingafterveyearstobecomeapoliticalreporterforTheTimesand
thenahealthandmedicalwriterforThe
WashingtonPost.
Shewroteahistoryofsciencebook,Fusion:
The Search for Endless Energybetween1985and
1990andlivedinFranceforsevenyears.Sheis
currentlyassistantdeanforcommunicationsat
HarvardSchoolofPublicHealth,priorto
whichshewasitsDirectoroftheOfceof
Communicationsforsixyears.
Shemarriedthemanwhoeditedwithspecial
careaNewYorkTimesarticleshewroteabout
thecounterculture10yearsafterWoodstockin
August1981.Asof2006,theyhavetwoteenagedchildren,aboyandagirl.

ExcerptfromFusion:TheSearchforEndlessEnergy