The Tesla Papers Page 5

Note: Knowing him as well as I did I knew his reluctance to make a decision in this matter stemmed from his feeling and hope that eventually some kind of memorial would/could/should be raised to Tesla in the United States which would be an appropriate resting place for the ashes.

Mr. Kosanovic died November 14, 1956 in his apartment in Belgrade. Swezey and I were so informed by the Museum by cable. Swezey immediately phoned me to confirm if I had the same sad news.

February of 1957 I was offered a position in the English correspondence section of Centrotextil Import-Export in Belgrade which I accepted. It was July before I sailed on the Yugoslav freighter M/S "Triglav". In my luggage was a small parcel just as I had received it at the Embassy, mailed by insured parcel post by the Ferncliff Cemetery Mausoleum Company of Hartsdale, N. Y.

Prior to leaving for Yugoslavia I insisted that Dr. Mica Trbojevic (she being SNK's sole heir) notify me of her wish in this matter. Finally instructions arrived from Dr. Veljko Korac, director of the Museum, in agreement with Mica, to bring the cremated remains to Yugoslavia for placement in the Museum.

In the fall of 1957 Kenneth Swezey was in Yugoslavia as a guest of the Museum. He was made very welcome and given a grand tour of the country. He was delighted with all places, but specially Dubrovnik but complained via phone of his problem in not being able to read and pronounce (he knew no Serbo-Croat) street and place names since throughout Croatia they were in Latin print. He had no problem in Belgrade. He had studied Russian so Cyrillic was a breeze.

During Mr. Swezey's stay in Belgrade a ceremony was held for the unveiling of the beautiful onyx urn in the Museum containing Tesla's ashes. The ceremony was simple and informal. It left me with a "finis" feeling.

I returned to the United States August 7, 1958 to my old home in Detroit, subsequently going to work in the Plant Engineering Department of the Ford Motor Company. Dr. Mica Trbojevic, whom I loved as deeply as a close member of my family, passed away October 19/20, 1964 in Belgrade. Kenneth Swezey died some time in the early 1970's. I am trying to locate his attorney for information about his papers. We last met in New York in 1970. He had just had a book published and was full of plans for future work and travel. He was also an excellent photographer.

Nikola Trbojevic passed away in Los Angeles, Calif., on December 2, 1973. All the Tesla nephews and nieces are now deceased.

Note: I recall SNK discussing Tesla with his cousins, Mica Trbojevic and Nikola Trbojevich, in Washington, in which SNK stated Tesla told him that "Niko" was one of the best mathematicians he (Tesla) knew.; "Niko" being family pet name for Nikola Trbojevich.

March 1981

* Re: Kenneth Swezey-His lawyer friend of 40 years wrote me May 11, 1981 "I concluded that the Smithsonian was the most appropriate place for his extraordinary collection of Tesla papers. Therefore, the Swezey Collection is lodged in the Division of Electricity and Nuclear Energy, Smithsonian Institution, The National Museum of History and Technology, Washington, D. C. 20560...and I understand the papers are available from the reference section of the Institution to scholars and other interested persons."