Nikola Tesla FBI Files - Page 170

Federal Bureau of Investigation
United States Department of Justice
New York 7, New York

IN REPLY, PLEASE REFER TO
FILE NO. 65-12290    
     HER:mhm

CONFIDENTIAL          

October 17, 1945

Director, FBI

                           Re: UNKNOWN SUBJECTS;
                                 SAVA KOSANOVICH;
                                 Experiments and research of NIKOLA TESLA (deceased)
                                 ESPIONAGE - M

Dear Sir:

        Reference is made to the Bureau letter dated January 21, 1943, which bore a caption similiar to that mentioned above.

        The referenced letter dealt with the death, on January 7, 1943, of the famous inventor, NIKOLA TELA, who as well as being the inventor of Alternating Current, perfected many electrical devices. He is also credited with having developed the so called "death ray" which would safeguard any country from attack by air.

        On June 9, 1945, [REDACTED] of New York City furnished information of a nonspecific nature indicating that it was his belief that persons sympathetic to Russia were making an effort to secure the effects of NIKOLA TESLA in order to salvage therefrom any models or designs of possible military value. [REDACTED] claimed that he heard that ABRAHAM N. SPANTE, President of the WATIONAL LATEX CORPORATION, of Dover, Delaware was the motivating influence behind this attempt to obtain TESIA'S papers which are presently held in storage at the MANHATTAN STORAGE WAREHOUSE in New York City. [REDACTED] promised to return to the New York Field Division shortly after his initial visit and furnish further and more specific information to support his claims.

        He was not heard from again, however, until September 27, 1945, at which time he furnished the following additional information:

        He said that a boyhood chum of his from Wichita, Kansas, BLOYCE FITZGERALD, had been TESLA'S protege and one of the inventors few confidents. According to [REDACTED], FITZGERALD who is now an Army Private stationed at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, is a brilliant 29 year old scientist who spent endless hours with TESLA prior to the latters death, during which time TESLA explained to him most secret experiments. [REDACTED] stated that FITZGERALD met TESLA in November 1942, but he had been corresponding with the latter since 1935. According to the informant, FITZGERALD had developed some sort of anti-tank gun, the details of which he presented to TESLA who made certain corrections in design and specifications to further perfect the weapon.

        [REDACTED] related that sometime in December 1942, when FITZGERALD was attending a meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, he made the acquaintance os ABRAHAM SPANTE who became interested in FITZGERALD'S