
Freedom of Information Release on Nikola Tesla (2011) - huntermeyer
https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2001%20of%2003/view
======
lettergram
Most of this doesn't appear to be confiscated documents, but rather just
letters sent to the FBI and a few scanned (covers of) books.

The 3rd part of the release is somewhat interesting as it's about flying
saucers (from a news letter). It has the statement(s):

> This letter will not reach you in time to sight a flying saucer over New
> York on the night of June 10, from 10pm to 1am

It then goes on to discuss "space people".

Honestly, I'm wondering what exactly they released, as this was just a letter
sent to Nikola Tesla... So it's not all that interesting, besides getting
insight(s) into some tabloids of the time. Nothing really all that juicy,
unless I'm missing something.

Part 1: [https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%200...](https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2001%20of%2003/view)

Part 2: [https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola](https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola)
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2002%20of%2003/view

Part 3: [https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%200...](https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2003%20of%2003/view)

~~~
lgats
Part 2: [https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%200...](https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2002%20of%2003/view)

------
mabbo
It's important to keep in mind that near the end of his days, Tesla sure
seemed to be experiencing some mental illness. He made wild claims that were
never quite backed up by proof, claims that even now no one seems to believe
were actually possible.

It's a sad end to a brilliant mind.

But then, when you're the FBI and WW2 is ongoing, you pay attention when a
famous and brilliant inventor claims to have death rays and super weapons.

~~~
readhn
He made wild claims that were never quite backed up by proof, claims that even
now no one seems to believe were actually possible \-------

when Leonardo da vinci sketched out a parachute or a helicopter-looking self
propelling device prototypes that took 500 years to actually build - what did
contemporaries think of him?

who are we to judge a great mind? we simply cant. yes he might have gone mad,
but there is a very fine line between madness and brilliance and its often
blurred. all we can do is take these ideas and test/iterate/test. id rather
bet on a horse that is capable of running than on a just born foal.

~~~
canjobear
> who are we to judge a great mind? we simply cant.

It's not like these "great minds" are alien superintelligences. How much
smarter do you think they were than the average person, in terms of IQ? Maybe
2x maximum? Seems quite possible to judge. Tesla was not a Singularity.

~~~
bthornbury
IQ is an irrelevant metric. Look at his achievements pragmatically.

In terms of understanding of electric phenomena, its difficult to point at
another with a similar level of understanding (or at least productive
understanding).

With that in mind, it would seem he's quite a bit "smarter" than even very
intelligent people, with the same life long pursuit.

~~~
mhh__
> In terms of understanding of electric phenomena, its difficult to point at
> another with a similar level of understanding (or at least productive
> understanding).

Maxwell? Faraday? Heaviside? etc. Or are we explicitly talking circuits?

------
jonstaab
For anyone interested in a really good biography on Tesla, this [0] is the
best one I've read. It's written by John J. O'Neill, a journalist who knew
Tesla personally for 30 years or so IIRC. It sticks to the facts, eschewing
the various myths about aliens and such that tend to stick to him, and it
covers his whole life, from what is known of his childhood all the way through
his death. It's a super interesting read.

[0] [https://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Genius-Life-Nikola-Tesla-
ebo...](https://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Genius-Life-Nikola-Tesla-
ebook/dp/B00295RQQU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1508860080&sr=8-2&keywords=nikola+tesla+biography+by+John)

~~~
cr0sh
That's one of the biographies I've read about Tesla, and which I referenced in
an earlier comment I made upthread. It should be noted that others have said
it isn't without bias. It was an excellent read, though.

------
two2two
> Exhibit M. Part 03 of 03 pg. 43. The article further discusses the subject
> of wind, tides, lightning, and water power as a source of commercial energy.
> The last sentence of this memorandum states: "With my wireless system, it is
> practicable to transmit electrical energy at a distance of twelve thousand
> miles with a loss not exceeding 5 per cent. I can conceive of no advances
> which would be more desirable at this time and more beneficial to the
> further progress of mankind."

No further details are given, or the exhibit itself, but interesting
nonetheless.

[https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%200...](https://vault.fbi.gov/nikola-
tesla/Nikola%20Tesla%20Part%2003%20of%2003/view)

~~~
woodrowbarlow
i believe this is referencing some of his ideas on global wireless power
transfer.

> Early on he seemed to borrow from the ideas of Mahlon Loomis, proposing a
> system composed of balloons to suspend transmitting and receiving electrodes
> in the air above 30,000 feet (9,100 m) in altitude, where he thought the
> pressure would allow him to send high voltages (millions of volts) long
> distances. [...] Experiments he conducted [at Colorado Springs in 1899] with
> a large coil operating in the megavolts range, as well as observations he
> made of the electronic noise of lightning strikes, led him to conclude
> incorrectly that he could use the entire globe of the Earth to conduct
> electrical energy.

> His observations also led him to believe a high voltage used in a coil at an
> elevation of a few hundred feet would "break the air stratum down",
> eliminating the need for miles of cable hanging on balloons to create his
> atmospheric return circuit. Tesla would go on the next year to propose a
> "World Wireless System" that was to broadcast both information and power
> worldwide. In 1901, at Shoreham, New York he attempted to construct a large
> high-voltage wireless power station, now called Wardenclyffe Tower, but by
> 1904 investment dried up and the facility was never completed.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer#Tesla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer#Tesla)

i've heard a claim that the idea described in the latter quote would
effectively involve "igniting the ionosphere" which would permanently change
the color of the sky, but i can't speak to the accuracy of that.

------
qxzw
Another Croatian - Serbian conflict regarding his ancestry in 5,4,3 ...

Kidding aside, what would people like him achieve if they had resources of
today, computers and internet...

~~~
ivcha
there's no conflict there (not that it's too relevant, but his ancestry is
quite clear)... I guess there will always be people who like creating
conflicts :)

------
NicoJuicy
Everytime i read something about Nikola Tesla, i go back reading:
[http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla)

~~~
matteuan
I like the oatmeal, but that comic is just a collection of urban myths about
Tesla.
[http://edisontechcenter.org/tesladebunked.html](http://edisontechcenter.org/tesladebunked.html)

~~~
rm999
> Mr. Inman [author of The Oatmeal], like many comedians seems to be
> fundamentally unhappy and finds an outlet through humor. Oddly enough his
> behavior is similar to Tesla's in that he reacts in a nasty fashion if
> someone challenges his ideas

Yikes, got a less biased source? It's 2017, it's sad the emotional feud
between Tesla and Edison continues like this.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
You're cherrypicking the part of the document that addresses the comic and I
do agree the tone could be more professional, but it a fairly serious rebuke
of some pretty terrible claims. Ironically, when Hawkings, Linus, Dawkins,
Hitchens, etc use the same tone, the tech community seems to not have any
problems with it. The factual aspects of this page are pretty good and I'm
hard pressed to find any issue here historically. I'm something of a amateur
Edison-era historian, love this period, and feel that if we want to properly
honor history and the lives of the people who more or less helped build the
modern world, then we should be honest about the facts and park the fanboyism.

I do feel they gloss over the elephant electrocution and even by standards of
that time was a bit shocking, even if there were almost no animal welfare
laws. To be fair to Edison's group, this PR stunt was tasteless, but the
elephant was already sentenced to death. My understanding is the alternative
would have been a grisly shooting with an elephant gun which is far less
humane than electrocution.

Again, the Oatmeal comic is pretty poor representation of the period. I
understand its popular and ties in with Tesla fandom and an over-represented
demographic on the web, but I think those honest about knowing what these men
did should dismiss it and dig into more academic sources. This period is so
exciting and interesting, its a shame a lot of youngsters grow up with a
simple minded 'Tesla vs Edison' narrative which is such a stupid
oversimplification of an amazing and progressive period in US history.

~~~
nulagrithom
> A cartoonist (a guy with no engineering, legal or historian background) born
> in 1982 on the wrong side of the continent

> cynical style typically demonstrated by the worst of US-born Millennials

> Disclaimer: The works below are the opinion of the author and not the
> official viewpoint of the Edison Tech Center

That's enough for me to forget this whole article. I'm not buying all the
"facts" in The Oatmeal's comic either, but wow, when you have to lash out at
someone for being a young cartoonist living in Seattle...

~~~
jstarfish
Why not? A wide and impressionable audience now understands this part of
history as interpreted by an internet celebrity.

The ability to publish misinformation on the internet far outscales the
ability of anybody to refute it. At some point you have to filter out the
noise by appraising the source. If that means dismissing inflammatory history
lessons from young cartoonists in Seattle, or dismissing medical advice from
has-been Playboy models on the basis that neither group knows what the hell
they're talking about, then so be it.

~~~
nulagrithom
So we should take the word of a random "author" who didn't even bother to
publish his name and credentials over Inman simply because this guy blasted
Inman for being a Millennial? That's just as wrong as accepting some dumb
comic as the authority on history.

This guy, whoever he is, goes on about "crap on the Internet" then cites a 3rd
of his sources from the Internet, four of those being Wikipedia. Even better,
half his non-Internet based sources are _museums_ \-- no further information
provided. His sources are mostly unverifiable crap, then he stoops to an ad
hominem. It's garbage.

~~~
jstarfish
> So we should take the word of a random "author" who didn't even bother to
> publish his name and credentials over Inman simply because this guy blasted
> Inman for being a Millennial?

No. I'm not saying anyone should "just" believe either party over the other.

For all of Inman's bold assertions, he cites no sources whatsoever-- not even
random crap on the internet-- and ends his comic with an appeal to vandalize
Wikipedia to support his argument.

Without knowing anything about ETC, from an objective standpoint, I agree with
ETC's assertion that Inman isn't qualified to be publishing unsubstantiated
claims about anything related to a dead man's character or accomplishments.

~~~
King-Aaron
> I agree with ETC's assertion that Inman isn't qualified to be publishing
> unsubstantiated claims about anything related to a dead man's character or
> accomplishments.

He's an entertainer and comedian, not a bastion for everlasting factual
histories of the world...

I seriously feel that a large percentage of commenters on HN need to step back
a bit and be less rigid in their assessment of society around them.

------
pdog
Interestingly, "John G. Trump" (on pages 178-185) is President Trump's uncle.
He examined Tesla's papers and reported his findings to the FBI.

~~~
CharlesDodgson
I smell a conspiracy theory!

~~~
ForRealsies
Do you even John Titor?

~~~
CharlesDodgson
confused.biz

~~~
moviuro
El. Psy. Congroo. [0]

[0]
[https://myanimelist.net/anime/9253/Steins_Gate](https://myanimelist.net/anime/9253/Steins_Gate)

------
morisy
Raw FBI FOIA files and articles about them on some other major figures
including Richard Feynman:

[https://www.muckrock.com/project/subjects-matter-fbi-
files-1...](https://www.muckrock.com/project/subjects-matter-fbi-files-10/)

------
dkfmn
I don't have high hopes for historical accuracy but i'm excited to see The
Current War which puts some of these topics to
film:[https://youtu.be/wMECv6yLOFM](https://youtu.be/wMECv6yLOFM)

~~~
cornchips
I'm excited for another Weinstein ensemble, but we'll have wait
[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/the-current-war-
postponed-...](http://variety.com/2017/film/news/the-current-war-postponed-
weinstein-company-1202590094/) :-)

------
salqadri
Check out this great 3 minute video to know who this man was and the conflict
he got into with Thomas Edison:
[https://youtu.be/iEJNJ0rFSe8](https://youtu.be/iEJNJ0rFSe8)

~~~
mikejb
I cannot speak for the entire video, I only looked up the elephant story, but
that seems to be told inaccurately. I might agree with the general sentiment
(Edison is a jerk), but wouldn't quote any of the anecdotes told as fact.

------
staltz
Why do I see "We're sorry... The request has been blocked." when I try to open
this site? Anyone else see it?

I can see it normally when I access through Tor.

~~~
kowdermeister
It's the FBI, man :) Your TOR exit point is probably blacklisted ;)

------
sschueller
Why does the FBI have all these files on Nikola Tesla?

~~~
c517402
My paraphrase of page two with a direct quote: He possibly did stuff important
to us and "other nations controlled by insane dictators." We should consider
watching him and protecting him.

------
aflex
It's hard to see those documents. Is there a digital version of those papers
or has anyone translated it to a readable font?

------
neves
249 pages! Other comments said that it was released a year ago. Can someone
write about the juicy stuff?

~~~
dmix
The stamp on the papers say it was marked unclassified in 1980-82, which would
have been ~40yrs after most of the papers dates (and his death). Was it really
only released a year ago?

~~~
ivanche
Well you may believe me or not, but this was in circulation at one of the
Serbian BBS around 15 years ago.

------
hari_seldon_
Nikola*

Sorry for being picky about it, but I always think that we should respect
people enough to spell their names correctly!

~~~
gambiting
I get similarly annoyed that Maria Skłodowska-Curie is known only as Maria
Curie pretty much everywhere, even though she was very particular about
including the Polish portion of her surname on all of her work.

~~~
dEnigma
Or even "Marie Curie"

~~~
yoz-y
From personal experience, the French have little regard for native writing or
pronunciation of names.

------
rando444
The title is misleading.

The FBI 'released' these documents to the public over a year ago.

~~~
sctb
Thanks, we've updated the title from the submitted “FBI Releases Nikola Tesla
Documents”.

------
stemc43
I wanna see time travel research and Tump connections:
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4754000/Late-1800-s-...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4754000/Late-1800-s-books-
spooky-connections-present-day-Trumps.html)

------
hakimi94
d

------
away2017throw
Definitely incomplete, questionable whether intact.

------
subie
Distraction from the upcoming JFK dump. half /s

~~~
mici
These documents were released a year ago, and were declassified in 1980.

