In a letter dated Dec. 24, 2001, Peter Farrow, attorney for the Cambridge Center, wrote to Brent Britton (the attorney representing Loebner at the time), expressing exasperation. The center was trying to honor the terms of the gift, he wrote, but Loebner himself was making its job impossible. Time after time the center had had a host and sponsors lined up, only to have them withdraw after they discovered Loebner's other interests.

"The Science Museum of London ... exercised their option to end their contract with the Cambridge Center. In a letter to the Cambridge Center, their spokesperson said that the Loebner Prize didn't fit with the Museum's long range plans. Privately and off the record, a representative of the Museum told Dr. Harshbarger that the Museum was concerned about the sexually oriented material on Dr. Loebner's Web site."

The letter went on to chronicle similar experiences at the 2002 contest and to cite the case of another potential host for the 2003 Contest (Duke University) that had removed itself from consideration after finding out more about Loebner.

"After lining up sponsors and financial contributions that would fund a well-managed Competition, the sponsors withdrew their support ... due to concerns about the material on Dr. Loebner's site."

Farrow wrote with considerable delicacy about "the tarnishing of the intellectual image of the Loebner Prize by Dr. Loebner's other activities that appears to be occurring in the minds of hosts (a problem that probably is accentuated by Dr. Loebner's personal involvement in administration of the Competition)." In light of these and other considerations, he said, "The Cambridge Center is prepared to return the gift to Dr. Loebner, or to transfer it to a suitable not-for-profit organization he selects."

However, in the meanwhile, Farrow said, "the Center intends to ... administer the Competition for the intellectual and scientific purposes for which it was given, and not simply as part of Dr. Loebner's personal agenda."

In a subsequent letter to Loebner dated Jan. 4, 2003, Farrow summarized the tension between Loebner and the center and repeated the offer to give the whole thing back (by this time Britton was out of the picture and Loebner was acting as his own attorney):

"The dilemma requiring resolution is how to enable the Center to manage the Competition free of the obstructions caused by you (some perhaps inadvertently). One solution ... is to return the funds and medals to your control either by returning the gift or transferring it as you direct.

"Another solution might be a more cooperative role by yourself which supports, rather than conflicts with, the Center's role to a net effect of enhancing rather than obstructing the Center's management. The difficulty I see in this is, the Center has no right to affect how you choose to behave. For example, if the legalization of prostitution is important to you, the Center respects that. However, the deleterious effect of your activities on the Competition remains.

"The current situation is unlikely to be sustainable over the long term..."

Loebner's response to Farrow's overtures (summarized in a letter that Loebner shared with me) has been as wacky as anything I put in my nonsensical novel.

The core of his argument is reasonable and, dare I say it, noble: Loebner explicitly makes the connection between Alan Turing on the one hand, and exploited and oppressed workers in the sex trade on the other hand, and he resolutely denies that there is any inappropriate material on his Web site:

"I state for the record: 1. There is no 'sexual material' on my Web site. I do have an advocacy position regarding the decriminalization/legalization of prostitution. This is a human rights matter, not a sexual matter, although it does, of course, relate to the human rights of consenting adults to engage in mutually agreeable sexual behavior. I espouse this view for two reasons: Turing's suicide because of the intolerance of his homosexuality heightened my sensitivity to sexual oppression of minorities, and the persecution of sex workers and their clients is persecution of me and mine."

Loebner then refutes the idea his opinions have anything to do with the Cambridge Center's problems.

"2. This advocacy has been on my Web site since, I believe, 1995 or 1996. It was in effect well before the London Museum agreed to host the contest. I believe the main reason that the Museum opted out of the prize is that the main proponent, who initiated contact with me, moved to Australia. My advocacy did not dissuade Flinders University or Dartmouth University from hosting the contest."

And then he veers into more volatile territory. According to Loebner, the Cambridge Center, which has run this contest, presumably at a loss of money and certainly with no small amount of headache since 1991, owes him $200,000 in damages!

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