FAQ: History - Frederick R. Furth

[Richard Hull]

Frederick R. Furth was the sole reason there was a Fusion effort at ITT in the 60's, yet few credit him with that coup.

Furth was an admiral in the Navy. In the 50's he was commander/director of the prestigious US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). (the military equivalent of old Bell Labs)

When he retired in the late 50's he went to work with ITT out of New Jersey as director of research for all of ITT. He had been in contact with Farnsworth and liked his ideas about IEC fusion. The former head of ITT had refused to fund Farnsworth's effort as early as 1957. Farnsworth kept begging but without success. In 1959 Farnsworth decided to "go it alone" and self fund a modest effort at his own State Street residence.

For this, he would need to buy a modest amount of gear and rearrange his basement and attic to contain the effort. He would need assistance. He found it in Gene Meeks who was a Technician at ITT who let it be known he needed to earn money after work. Farnsworth, with Meeks help and occassional assistance from Philo's youngest son, slowly assembled a fledgling lab. Gene and Philo would work into the wee morning hours and Pem would fix midnight snacks for all. Gene slowly became part of the extended family.

This lab would never be put to use though, for Furth did what ever needed to be done.once the old boss of bosses left, to secure minimalistic funding for a fusion effort at the Fort Wayne, Pontiac Street plant. Furth was nicknamed "Fritz" while in the Navy, amongst his peers, but no one dare use that moniker to his face at ITT. To all, he was simply known as "the Admiral".

At first, the fusion group was ordered into a cramped and dank basement area well out of sight and daily scrutiny by the rather tight assed Fort Wayne management. Management there was focused on turning out the special purpose vacuum tubes that this ITT division was famous for. Side ventures there were commericial telelvison assembley and Military radio production. Both of these would soon end and the facility would be turned over soley to special app vacuum tubes.

Like General Groves, of the Manhattan Project, Furth came to Fort Wayne and made a simple edict that was of the usual military bluntness........

The Fusion group was solely under Farnsworth's direction in the absence of the Admiral. No one at Fort Wayne was to hamper or interfere with this effort. The fusor group was closed. No outside visitors. No thru traffic. The Admiral was the top bannana in this effort and no one outranked him in Fort Wayne.

The budget that first year of 59-60 was pretty much salaries only. Farnsworth did what he was famous for. He assembled the best and brightest.

At first, he only had Gene Meeks, his now trusted "do anything guy". Philo had the admiral fetch Meeks, officially and by hand, from his tube lab job. The admiral told Gene's boss... "I'm transfering Meeks now!.... I'll do the paperwork later....and off they went.

Farnsworth, with the admiral's approval, also got George Bain to be the engineering head of the effort. They were now off and running. With nearly zero funds, Gene spent most of the first year cobbling up disgarded or used vacuum pumps and power supplies form tube lab closets. What he couldn't beg, borrow or steal, he made by hand with Bain's direction and assistance.

Furth saw that each year, the budget grew by some decent amount. It was tacitly assumed that no progess was due for about 3-4 years as materials and people were assembled.

Furth got ITT to formally announce the Farnsworth fusion effort.

Amazingly, ITT stock shot up to the roof following the announcement and a lot of company "big wigs" sat up and took notice. Some, were happy about the income generating ability of the fusion concept, others, more cautious, wondered if the admiral's fusion effort was in ITT's area of expertise.

Regardless, the Admiral made so many trips to Fort Wayne that he had a permanent appartment in Fort Wayne!!! Like a mother hen,he nurtured the effort, often rolling up his sleves and loosing his tie to help out in the lab.

Other times he was cussing out some poor petty department head at Fort Wayne for impeding the flow of "his peoples" work. This A-1 clearance held by this secretive and isolated group of never more than 6 people out of the hundreds daily employed there, just made the regulars there more mistrustful and suspicious.

The team members agree that the admiral was like a totally benevolent but stern father. If he told you to do something, he better see a cloud of dust and elbows and assholes as you went off to accomplish the task he gave you. Likewise, he would stand out in front of his people if danger or difficulties arose. You were never afraid of the admiral, but when he entered the room, your butt hole might pucker up a bit, impulsively.

After 1963, the Admiral was a little more remote as he got busier out of New Jersey. The budget kept growing right up to the end in 1967.

Ultimately, the effort was shut down by ITT management when the AEC would not take over the effort. Furth was, effectively, fired in the end as well.

It is estimated that with Furth's travel expenses and all the group's expenditures and salaries, perhaps 6-8 million was spent over 8 years. Half of that in the last 3 years. Not much for a fusion effort, but enough to get Furth axed, the effort disbanded and have ITT never dabble in the nuclear business again.

The admiral did his best by Farnsworth, but the funding was slow and meager. Farnsworth changed direction several times during the effort which did not instill much confidence in ITT managment, the admiral, or some team members. The effort was never a well oiled machine, but ran by fits and starts, sputtering along in an upstream battle against a hostile facility within which it was literally held captive, save for the admiral's fearful presence.

Richard Hull

[Adam Szendrey]

Thanks Richard, this is really interesting. I always like to hear about the history of the Fusor. Especially such details.

Adam

[Richard Hull]

This is why I spent some bucks in the late 90's and ealry part of this century talking with and personally interviewing all of the living parties to the Farnsowrth effort. Many will soon be gone.

Richard Hull

[3l]

Hi folks:

Thanks Richard for posting this history again.
I finnally saw it in the old songs.
Here's another Furth project in the NRL
Enjoy:
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4217/ch2.htm
This was the start of over the horizon radar.

Happy Fusoring!
Larry Leins
Fusor Tech

[Paul_Schatzkin]

Furth's name shows up in another interesting context... I don't have the exact dates in front of me, but while he was with the Navy (NRL), it was on his desk where the papers that supposedly exposed "The Philadelphia Experiment" first showed up....

Just another one of those curious connections that's been showing up in my current research for the TTBrown biography.

--PS

[Adam Szendrey]

Maybe you will find the truth behind the myth some day...though i boudt it's possible....though if even a little bit is true of the legend....rotating magnetic (electromagnetic) fields have always been present here and there in the scientific "underground".
Well i guess the fusor was also a kind of legend until it has been replicated. Still many "scientists" just smile if someone is talking about tabletop fusion....

Adam