The FBI and the Missing Tesla Papers Page 461

Although Kosanovich assured O'Neill that "there was no reason to worry" and that the OAP "conveyed full rights to the Tesla papers" to him, in fact, Kosanovich was not allowed to touch the estate for ten years, although he was given the combination to the safe and took care of the $15 per month rent for the storage of these papers through this period.

The Trump Report

Prompted by the highest levels of government, Walter Gorsuch and Joseph King of the Washington Office of the OAP and John O. Trump, an MIT engineer commissioned from the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, went to the warehouse to conduct an investigation of the contents of the 80 trunks. Trump, as the qualified scientist able to comprehend the work, followed this visit by a more detailed investigation. He was aided by John Newington, New York Office of the OAP, Charles Hedetniemi, Washington representive of the OAP, Willis George, from the Office of Naval Intelligence, and Edward Palmer and John Corbett, both Chief Yeomen of the US Marine Reserves (Trump, 1/30/1943).

The Trump papers, which included a synopsis of about one dozen articles by or about Tesla, began with an opening letter. Trump acknowledged that he and his colleagues investigated the Tesla trunks at Manhattan Storage on January 6 and 27, summarizing first that: (1) "No investigation of the Tesla trunks held for 10 years in the basement of the Hotel New Yorker was conducted"; (2) "No scientific notes, descrip- tions of hitherto unrevealed methods or devices or actual apparatus...of scientific value to this country or which would constitute a hazard in unfriendly hands [was found].... I can therefore see no technical or military reason why further custody of the property should be retained." Nevertheless, Trump "removed...a file of various written materials which covers typically and fairly completely the ideas which he [Tesla] was concerned [with] during his later years" and forwarded it and/or copies to Mr. Gosuch of the OAP.

Trump concluded that the last 15 years of Tesla's life were "primarily of a speculative, philosophical and somewhat promotional character."

This cover letter strikes me as very odd as these so-called "insignificant" papers attracted (and continue to attract) so much interest. Trump could have stated this for a variety of reasons such as the following:

1. It could have been true.

2. Arrogance: as Trump understood the non-technical, yet detailed Tesla papers he re-