Nikola Tesla FBI Files - Page 126

March 23, 1961     

Lt. Col. A. J. MacLaren
Military Assistant
Strategic and Space Systems
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
Washington, D. C. 20301

Dear Colonel MacLaren:

        A complete search of our retrievable files concerning Dr. Nikola Tesla shows that all notes and material in his interdicts possession at the live of his death on January 7, 1943, were placed in the custody of the Alien Property Custodian under seal by the United States Government. Those materials have never been in the care or custody of the FBI.

        On January 25 and 27, 1943, Federal authorities made a thorough revies of the effects of Dr. Tesla to determine it on ideas of significant value to the United States war effort could be found. His effects were examined at the Manhattan Warehouse and Storage Company at 52nd and 7th Avenue, New York, New York, where they apparently were taken after his death. Participating in this examination were representatives from the new York and Washington Offices of the Alien Property Custodian, Office of Scientific Research and Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and United States Naval Research. The FBI did not participate in this examination. (65-47953 section 1)

        It was the considered opinion of a spokesman of those examiners "that there exist among Dr. Tesla's papers and possessions no scientific notes, descriptions of hitherto unrevealed methods or devices, or actual apparatus which could be of significant value to this country or which would constitute a hazard in unfriendly hands." There was thought to be no technical or military reason why further custody of the property should be retained. However, our files indicate that certain papers, which were regarded as typical of Nikola Tesla's writings and thoughts in the period of 1925 to 1942, were removed for the purpose of record to the Office of the Alien Property Custodian. (65-47953 section 1)

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