  In 1981 N. Herbert proposed a gedanken experiment in order to achieve by the
''First Laser Amplified Superluminal Hookup'' (FLASH) a faster than light
communication (FTL) by quantum nonlocality. The present work reports the first
experimental realization of that proposal by the optical parametric
amplification of a single photon belonging to an entangled EPR pair into an
output field involving 5 x 10^3 photons. A thorough theoretical and
experimental analysis explains in general and conclusive terms the precise
reasons for the failure of the FLASH program as well as of any similar FTL
proposals.
