1976  “[HIF] warranted high confidence … heavy ion fusion faced no show stoppers.” ERDA Summer Study of Heavy Ions for Inertial Fusion, Final Report December 1976 LBL 5543(1976)

1979  “…heavy ion accelerators have great promise as reactor candidates because of their inherently high efficiency, developed repetitive-pulse technology, and favorable theoretical predictions of target coupling.”  Foster Committee Report to the Energy Research Advisory Board at its May 3, 1979, meeting.

1983  “We conclude that the uncertainties in coupling physics for high-energy heavy ions are minimal.”  The Jason Report of January1983  (JSR82-302).

1986  “Heavy ion beams may well be the best eventual driver for energy applications.”  The National Academies of Sciences Report of March 1986 entitled, “Review of the Department of Energy’s Inertial Confinement Fusion Program”

1990  Recommended parallel development of inertial and magnetic fusion with a budget level of about $30 million per year for HIF.  The Fusion Policy Advisory Committee Report 1990 (Stever Panel)

1993 “We recognize the great opportunity for fusion development afforded the DOE by a modest heavy-ion driver program that leverages off the extensive target program being conducted by the Defense Department…” Fusion Energy Advisory Committee (Davidson Panel).
 
1994 “heavy ion accelerators are still regarded as "the best bet for drivers." What is not said is that nearly 16 years after the first Foster panel report, the heavy ion program is still starved for funds, and we have made very little progress on "the best bet."  SCIENCE Magazine Letter VOL. 01/ 28/1994 Burton Richter, Director, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

1996 “In agreement with previous reviews, we consider the heavy ion accelerator to be the most promising driver for energy applications.” FESAC (Sheffield) Report.

1998  The HIDIF-Study, GSI-98-06 Report, August 1998.

2010  “Abundant clean energy can be generated from pure fusion … on a timeline consistent with the urgency of the world’s energy, economic, and environmental problems.” Physics Today Letter, June 2010 Page 58, Robert J. Burke, Chairman, Fusion Power Corporation.
 
2010  “… we know that inertially confined fusion (ICF) is possible since we can create nuclear explosions.” Physics Today Letter, October 2010, Page 8, Martin Stickley, Director of Office of Laser Fusion at Energy R&D Administration (ERDA) in 1976-1979.

2011  AHIF ... stay tuned.