Of course, this is strictly my speculating ...

 Referring to the earlier post, "Is any of this false?"

That sole letter was never publicized by Mallove, and it wasn't obvious why.  Both the lack of response to Issue #24 and that letter were a crushing blow that destroyed what had been a reasonable assumption that academia exists to improve the human condition.

At the time, it was just one more quirky thing that would have seemed very improbable prior to moving to Bow, New Hampshire and working for Gene Mallove.

Now, 27 years later, besides wishing that I had the letter, I feel that the reason for not publishing it is more apparent.

When Gene worked at MIT, he had a direct feed of unlimited credibility, respectability and authority.  It was imbued into him.  It was identity and he probably never imagined needing to scramble for recognition ever again.  He'd been a real bright boy, from respected parents who performed very well at the best schools.

The wind wasn't just taken out of his sails.  It was a silent torpedo beneath the waterline.  It wouldn't be the last torpedo.

If he had published that letter, it would be just one more incredible item in another issue full of incredible things.  It would've been too easy for the kind of character assassins who thrive on social media to simply state the letter to be an obvious fraud.  After all, we're talking what perhaps most people saw as the world's preeminent technical institution, where a discovery like the reality of cold fusion would be coveted most highly.

One could reasonably think that, anyway.

He realized by MIT's lack of response (except for that most cynical letter) that he no longer could see them as partners in the human endeavor.

Individuals within MIT and other institutions, absolutely, would risk their everything to be involved, but the institutions themselves, it seems, have been captured.

So, this is what informs my perspective on Dr. Mills.

Mallove was not in a position to wage war on the scientific establishment, and neither is Mills.

So, if some unspecified party were to make an unmistakable impression, specifically upon Dr. Mills, that his life and the lives of those dear to him, would suffer unimaginable horrors, and leave him with no evidence of the threat, what would such a reasonable man do?

My father, son of a NY City cop, took me to see The Godfather when it came out.  Both he and my mother made it clear to us kids that this was not simply a work of fiction.  My mother was hardly a shrinking violet, believe me.  They had to face life and death challenges routinely from very early ages, challenges that fortunately us kids couldn't imagine.