Incoming Mail

“I was fascinated by Mr. Anderson's article (Volume 9, #4). In one section, he gave reasons as to why Tesla may have been overlooked (both in the past as well as the present). It is my feeling that there is another reason why Tesla's name may have been expunged from technical literature. I believe it is because he has been tagged with the title “Yugoslav-American.” I say this not because of any personal bias against Yugoslavia or those of Slavic origins but because Americans in general have always held a prejudice against foreigners (even though the bulk of our history revolves around emigration from foreign lands).

“Tesla was a citizen of the United States and proudly displayed his citizenship papers. Other important documents (degrees, patents, business transactions, testimonials, etc.) were relegated to a lower rank and stored in trunks. Heaping a partly nonAmerican title on Tesla may have had some effect upon the type of treatment he received. The General Electric Company made sure that such immigrants as Charles Steinmetz and Ernst Alexanderson were looked upon as fellow Americans. The people of Schenectady would have responded in loud protest had Steinmetz been given the label of German-American or Alexanderson a Swedish-American. Likewise, Princeton University would have let its feelings known if their beloved Einstein had been tagged a German-American.

“I can understand the pride that Americans of Slavic extraction have in sharing with Tesla a common origin. However, the general population might not be so endeared to someone less than fully American. In addition, Americans have always looked upon communism as a treacherous cause. Yugoslavia is a communist country. Tesla was never a Yugoslav. He left his native land long before Yugoslavia was politically formed. While he continued to foster a love for the land of his birth, Tesla never demonstrated any support for Communist Yugoslavia. I believe that the title “Yugoslav-American” is motivated more as a political act rather than a sign of ethnic pride. Tesla may have fared much better had he not been associated with a Europeon communist country. Please be assured that the above was stated in good faith and not to be construed as an affront to any ethnic group.” (Don Champlin)

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