Nikola Tesla FBI Files - Page 111

Chaptor 34 some ol, pertoinen to liab was not published TE A TRIES TO PREVENT WORLD R II. O'Nei was vc² Johny Neill book have mis ampret Thon Tosh was talking as a scientist he was opposed to wars on moral, economic and all practical and theorctical grounds. I disco But, like most scientists, when he stopped thinking as a scientist, ese and let his emotions rule his thoughts, he found exceptions in which he felt some wars and situations were justifiable. As a claims, but scientist he was unwilling to have the discoveries of scientists applied to the pruposes of war makers, but when the emotional phase or of his nature took the ruling position he was then willing to applyer his genius to devising measures that would prevent wars by supplying-el protective devices. there may be Compir after all, This attitude is exemplified in the following statement which he prepared in the twenties but did not publish: "At present many of the ablest minds are trying to devise expedients for preventing a repetition of the awful conflict which is only theoretically ended am the duration and main issues of which I correctly predicted in an article printed in the Sun of December 20, 1914. The League is not a remedy but, on the contrary, in the opinion of a number of competent mon, may bring about results just the opposite. It is particularly regrettable that a punitive policy was adopted in framing the terms of peace because a few years hence it will be possible for nations to fight without armies, ships or guns, by weapons far more terrible, to the destructive action and range of which there is virtually no limit. Any city at any distance whatsoever from the onemy can be destroyed by hi and no power on earth can stop him from doing so. If we want to avort an impending calamity and a state of things which may trangorm this globe into an inferno, WC should push the development of flying machines and wireless transmission of energy without an instant's delay and with all the power and resources of the nation." Tesla saw preventative possibilities in his new invention which embodied "death ray" characteristics and which was made several years after the fore going statement was written. He saw it providing a' curtain of protection which any country, no matter how small, could use as a protection against invasion. while he might offer it as a defensive weapon, however, there would be nothing to stop military mon from using it as a weapon of offense. tha I While I did not know the nature of Tesla's plan I was convinced that it did embody many discoveries that would be of commercial value, and these were the angles he should seek to develop. folt that if he could be induced to develop some minor phase of his work that would have immediate commercial use he could derive an income from it which would enable him .to. proceed with his more elaborate plans. To this end I sought to gain some insight into his thoughts, that would enable me to get a practical plan in operation. This was no secret to Tesla and he successfully parried every thrust I made. The clearest conception I got, and that was largely from scattered remarks, and by making deductions from them, concerned a possible manner in which one phase of his curtain of protection might operate. This was a "war" angle and as such it did not interest 100-2237200 3 9 4 11