The "Ray of Death" by Nikola Tesla:
Myths and realities of the ultimate weapon of destruction:
After his death the FBI took the material and documents held by Tesla, we have a story open to a thousand hypotheses. It is known that the FBI itself created after its death a report and it is also known that some of its inventions, completed or in development, were kept until today kept locked.
One of them is undoubtedly that "ray of death" that never saw the light and we will never know to what extent a military machine from now or the future will have "drunk" from Tesla sources. What we do know is its history. Tesla's theory and the development that gave it in life, even today we know because that lightning never saw the light. Everything would begin in 1901.
The "death ray" theory
The invention originated from what Tesla called Teleforce, in turn and according to Tesla himself, conceived after studying the generator of Van de Graaf, an electrostatic machine that makes use of a mobile tape to accumulate large amounts of electric charge in the Interior of a hollow metal sphere. With the generator, the production of X-rays or experiments of particle physics and nuclear physics could be applied.
Although the important thing for the general public (and especially for military bodies) is the statement of Nikola Tesla behind the theory. The trigger that we are talking about this powerful device today is that according to the inventor, we are dealing with a weapon that would be capable of being used against all ground infantry or for antiaircraft purposes, a weapon where "it will be possible to destroy anything that is in A radius of 300 kilometers. " The warlike dream of, for example, the United States.
Tesla in the early 1930s. The genius claimed to have invented the "death ray" under the name of teleforce and maintained until the end of his days the claim of such an achievement. Before, in the mid-1910s, the inventor had already talked about a weapon that would mark the beginning and the end of wars as they were known until then. Tesla spoke of the end of the gunpowder by conflicts marked by electricity, where "his" cannon would be the ultimate weapon. With time the inventor was offering more keys of his invention, moment in which the means enlarged the figure of the artifact of Tesla.
Tesla's idea was to get some department to accept the project in his head. This was the reason that his rhetoric and efforts thereafter were directed to the service of the military. Thus we can understand how in 1934 he described his operation and the reason for its construction during an interview with the media:
"Until now, all devices that could be used for defense could also be used for the sake of aggression. This nullified the value of making improvements for the purpose of peace, I have been fortunate to develop a new idea and To perfect means that can be used mainly for defense.If it is adopted, it will revolutionize the relations between nations.It will make any country, large or small, impregnable to armies, airplanes and other means of combat.My invention requires a great machinery , But once achieved it will be possible to destroy anything ".
"This invention of mine does not contemplate the use of any so-called" death ray "as such The rays are not pertinent because they can not be produced in the required quantities and because with the distance they rapidly decrease in intensity. New York City transformed into lightning and projected 30 kilometers could kill a human being because, according to a well-known law of physics, it would disperse to such an extent that it would not be effective. "
"My device projects particles that can be relatively large or of microscopic proportions, which would allow us to transmit to a small area located a great distance billions of times more energy than it is possible to transfer with rays of another type. Thousands of horsepower can be transmitted through a stream thinner than a hair, so nothing can be resisted. This wonderful feature will make it possible, among other things, to achieve in the field of television results that have never been Dreamed, because there will be no limits to the intensity of illumination, the size of the image or the distance of the projection. "
It should not be forgotten that although the slogan to sell it has a clear warlike character, Tesla's mind was above all the scientific value of it. Hence that allusion to the possibility of building a weapon that equals all nations, which is why he argues that no one could face because everyone has the same resources. Tesla came to think that once the device was finished, if it was given to each nation, all would be impregnable to the invasions.
¿What was the reason why it was never possible?
Funding was ultimately the one that made it impossible to realize. This would be evidenced in the following letter of 1934 sent by a passionate Tesla to Samuel Kintner (of Westinghouse Electric) in response to the rejection of his project:
My dear Mr. Kintner,
-"I was very pleased that you brought the matter before Mr. Merrick, for I discovered, after carefully thinking and making many numbers, that it would have involved a lot of money to carry out my proposal, which I did to you without thinking, stimulated by the pleasure of Our meeting and for their warm welcome.The people of Westinghouse made a very kind gesture and I wanted to address them with the same spirit and that they were the ones who had the first opportunity on the discoveries that, honestly, I think are going to be more important Than any of those recorded in the history of the invention. "
- "I have groped for years trying to find some solution to the most pressing problem of humanity - that of ensuring peace - and, little by little, I have come to the ideal medium for this purpose. Perfect without providing a new instrument of attack.The International Peace Conference will insist that it be adopted immediately and universally, as long as countries are perfectly protected, the invasions will be assured. "
-"I have noted your suggestion, but I do not know how to carry it out. Be sure, however, that I will always have your people in high esteem and that if ever it is in my power to promote their interests, I will spare no effort in doing so" .
"The skepticism of his expert was to be expected, he is probably under the influence of misleading modern ideas, and the more he is capable, the more likely he is to be wrong." But I have demonstrated all the principles involved, and I will continue with All my confidence, which is something that not all experts in the world could undermine. "
At your service,
Nikola Tesla.