The Tesla Papers Page 4

Another last chore was to engage an attorney in New York to settle the estate, make a search for all outstanding debts, unpaid bills, judgments, etc., re- gardless of any statute of limitations that might apply; to redeem any and all property that might be stored in locations other than the Manhattan Ware- house.

SNK had a fund of $10,000 (either from the Yugoslav Government or the Tesla Institute in Belgrade all financial matters in this connection were handled by the Embassy) for this purpose so the Tesla property would be free and clear for dispatch to Yugoslavia. SNK had an absolute obsession about unpaid bills.

Power of attorney was given the writer to act in SNK's absence. However, payment of all storage fees to the Manhattan Warehouse and Ferncliff were my responsibility up to the final disposition of both, for which I was fully reimbursed, of course.

Early in September of 1951 I was on my way to Yugoslavia having accepted an offer to teach and assist in the organization of a secretarial school in Belgrade. I was sailing on Yugoslav freighter M/S "Srbija". On board I found Mr. Ed Barrett of the Barrett Transportation Co. of Long Island. (He had been decorated by the Yugoslav Government as had others with him for services during the war in expediting shipment of supplies from Bari, Italy, across the Adriatic Sea to the Dalmatian coast.) Mr. Barrett informed me he was on board supervising the loading of the Tesla property to Yugoslavia! I was pleased to learn from him also that the labor of crating all the mat- erial had been donated by members of the Yugoslav Seamen's Club of N. Y. It was their contribution to their countryman Nikola Tesla.

Note: During the war many Yugoslav merchant seamen were stranded on our shores. Those who could find berths, shipped out. The rest had to stay and find what work they could. The Club served as a clearing center for their employment and recreation activities.

My teaching stint terminated on July 12, 1952. I was picked up immediately after graduation ceremonies and taken to the building which was purchased by the Tesla Institute at Bulevar Revolucije 51, Belgrade, and was to become the Tesla Museum. This beautiful mansion had been the residence of the "Wagon Lit" family. The Institute also appointed a committee of five to inventory and sort the property and material. Except for SNK, I do not re- call the names of the others. (Photographs available.)

* Philip Wittenberg (since deceased) 70 W. 40th Street, New York City

The make-up of the committee was such that it possessed a wide range of knowledge of many subjects and all the necessary languages. The object was to unpack, sort and inventory the material: correspondence, reports, documents, papers, furniture, wardrobe, everything. A young man, with complete equipment, was brought in from the Archives in Dubrovnik to micro- film the most important and sensitive documents which were then stored in the Tesla safe after it had been cleared of its original contents. The job was completed by the end of July. A caretaker was already installed in the basement apartment.

There were exciting moments. One trunk contained Tesla's wardrobe from his gallant and dashing era: cane, white gloves, tails, silk topper! It also contained articles of the native dress from Lika. That was touching.

The safe was opened first per combination which I now delivered to the committee by SNK as it was presumed to contain the keys that would be re- quired to open various other containers, trunks, etc. However, the ring of keys was not in the drawer where deposited January 8, 1943. The keys were not found, anywhere, in the safe. After a search they were found in one of the numerous cases of documents. No gold medal was found in the compartment. The medal was missing and it never was found. The keyring was not in the safe. SNK, Swezey and Muzar had seen both locked in the safe. SNK and Muzar were present when the safe was opened and these two items not in it.

The writer returned to the Embassy in Washington November of 1952. The Mu- seum inquired into the possibility of having a duplicate of the medal made but the price of $250 was considered too steep and the matter was dropped.

In my correspondence with SNK I kept asking "what do you want to do with the Tesla ashes?" Throughout the years he spoke of perhaps leaving the ashes in America — "something of Tesla should be there" was his often repeated remark.