Dangerous Betrayal

by Bill Blowers

  Nikola was livid. This was the professor who had demanded of the chancellor of the institute that Nikola Tesla be condemned for his behavior, especially for his lack of respect for his elders.

  Nikola went directly to his pensione. He gathered up his belongings and walked several blocks inland to the better part of the city. He rented a hotel room for one night, purchased an entire new set of clothing, and arranged for it to be delivered to the hotel. He threw his tattered clothes into the fireplace and soaked in a hot tub for hours, washing off months of grime and filth. He dressed in his new clothes and paused for a few minutes to enjoy the experience of new cloth against clean skin.

  He walked to a barbershop, got his hair cut, and had his beard shaved completely off down to smooth skin. As he got up to leave and as he was giving the barber an extra-large tip, the barber commented with a smile and a bow, “Grazie! But don’t wait so long to get your hair cut next time.”

  As Nikola turned toward the door, he saw someone in the mirror that he had not seen in years. Standing there was his old self, a young good-looking tall man, with dark hair, a ready smile, and eyes that sparkled with purpose and intent.

  CHAPTER 14

  Retribution

  Professor Hochstein didn’t notice the tall young man enter the lecture hall and take a seat in the last row. Nikola Tesla listened and watched as Hochstein expounded on details of AC’s superiority, especially for long-distance power distribution, simply repeating word for word the arguments Nikola had confronted him with over two years earlier. Hochstein had never expanded upon (or clearly understood for that matter) the theoretical arguments Tesla presented. If he had, he would have realized that Tesla’s early work overlooked important limitations of AC that had to be considered if it was to reach its full potential.

  As Hochstein wrapped up his comments, Nikola stood up and, using the full power of his deep voice, asked the question, “Excuse me, Professor, but aren’t you overlooking the fundamental principles that will limit the distance AC can travel? What you propose will not work.”

  “Young man, I don’t know who you are. Do you realize who I am?”

  “I know exactly who you are; you are a fraud! Nothing more than a thief who takes the work of others and claims it for himself. Now, as I said, you are making a basic mistake. If you had done anything except claim my work as your own, you might have known this.”

  The crowd in the lecture hall turned around to see this outspoken stranger. They snapped back around as Hochstein, red with fury, shouted, “Get this imposter out of here! The work I am presenting here is sound, and I will not be questioned by some upstart.”

  Nikola shouted back, “I am no imposter. My name is Nikola Tesla. The original work you claim as your own is my work, submitted to you over two years ago when I was a young student of yours. How is your memory, Professor? Better than your honesty, I presume?”

  Hochstein was speechless. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his muscles tightened, causing visible shaking of his rigid arms. He shouted, “I said get this imposter—” but was cut off by the audience.

  “Let’s hear him out. Let him speak!”

  Nikola strode to the front of the room. He turned to the crowd. “I am the originator of everything that Professor Hochstein claims as his own work. For those of you who wish proof of this, I ask you to go to the office of the chancellor and locate the records of my attendance at this institute. You will find that I was reprimanded because I disagreed with the professor’s arguments of the superiority of DC over AC, and you will find my paper in which I put forth every argument presented to you as the original work of Dr. Hochstein! This man is a fraud and a liar.”

  A collective gasp came from the crowd at such an accusation. Sweating profusely, obviously in extreme discomfort, Professor Hochstein again attempted to have Tesla removed, but the crowd was not about to listen to his objections.

  Tesla spent the next thirty minutes explaining the oversights and half-truths in Hochstein’s claims, convincing everyone that only the original creator could have such insight. As he completed his explanation, several hands shot up, and for another half hour he answered questions and expanded on his dissertation. One by one they began to see the veracity of Tesla’s technical argument and the increasing belief among them that he had indeed been the original creator of the arguments promoting AC power as the superior form of electricity.

  Hochstein did not show up at his office the next morning and for two weeks missed all of his lectures.

  Tesla had a basic belief in the goodness and honesty of others. He was shocked and disappointed that a man of Professor Hochstein’s stature would stoop to such depths. It was difficult for him to understand why Hochstein, being a scientist himself, couldn’t have simply stated that it was indeed Tesla’s work he was promoting. This was an important lesson but unfortunately one that Tesla would never understand, and as time would tell, it would ultimately be the cause of his downfall.

  The morning after his confrontation with Professor Hochstein, Nikola went to the chancellor’s office, obtained copies of his grade reports, and boarded the next train to Prague.

  The turn of events had a profound impact on Nikola Tesla. His drive to return to the world of science knew no limits. He went directly to the office of the chancellor of the University of Prague and announced that he wished to enroll the next day. It was unusual for the chancellor to deal directly with incoming students. When Chancellor Dr. Reithofer heard this request his reply was predictable.

  “He wants to do what?”

  “This young man wants to be admitted today.”

  “This is the middle of the semester! Tell him to come back in the fall at the beginning of the school year.”

  “I did that already. He will not listen to me. He insists on talking directly with you.”

  These people had never met anyone like Nikola Tesla. Despite the chancellor’s busy schedule, he reluctantly agreed. It was a providential meeting. Nikola was able to convince Dr. Reithofer to allow him to take a graduate-level exam, with the provision that if he achieved a passing grade, the university would admit him.

  He answered all questions perfectly, in the unheard of time of eight hours. Graduate students were normally given two full days to complete the exam. After having the heads of the physics, chemistry, and mathematics departments review the results, Dr. Reithofer agreed that they should consider the request that this Tesla be admitted. They had not found a single error, not a misspelled word, not one cross-out in any of the eighty-seven pages of work.

  Dr. Reithofer found Tesla pacing back and forth in the hallway. It was after midnight and he invited Tesla to meet with the distinguished professors, among them, the most learned men in Europe. He introduced Tesla to the group and for the first time in memory was unable to think of anything else to say. It was Professor Krausz, the head of the chemistry department, who broke the ice. “Young man, Nikola is it? I assume that this is your work we have been reviewing here?”

  “Yes sir, I trust that you have found my test results satisfactory.”

  “Mr. Tesla, this is the most extraordinary work we have seen in our entire tenure here at the university. Is it true that you completed this entire test in just eight hours?”

  “It was exactly seven hours and fifty-six minutes, sir.”

  “Were you told that these test questions are normally used as a final passage for our most gifted graduate students before we bestow the degree of doctorate?”

  “No sir, I was not.”

  Next, the head of the physics department, Dr. Schulesko, spoke up. “Mr. Tesla, why have you asked to be enrolled at our university? Your knowledge of things scientific seems to be complete, and your analytical capabilities are beyond our ability to comprehend. What do you hope to learn here? I quite frankly feel that you should be teaching us, not the other way around.”

  “I wish to learn all there is to know about the new science of electricity. I have developed a theoretical conc
ept for alternating current electricity, but there is much I have to do to reduce it to workable machinery. This university, with its vast library and faculty of learned men such as you gentlemen, can provide me with the environment I require.”

  Dr. Schulesko turned to the others. “It is my opinion that we should offer this young man a position in our graduate fellowship program and allow him to arrange his own course of study, with full access to any material or individual he deems necessary. I offer myself to be his sponsor and guide, and will review his study progress. This is a unique opportunity to help this gifted young man, and his work here will further advance the stellar reputation of the university.”

  Dr. Reithofer looked at the other professors, who nodded their agreement.

  “Consider it done, Dr. Schulesko. Mr. Tesla, when would you like to begin?”

  “As I told you when we first met this morning, I want to enroll immediately. Tomorrow, actually later this morning would be ideal.”

  Thus began a two-year period of unprecedented growth. Before his first year was over Tesla had completed his dissertation on electricity and chosen the term “polyphase” to describe a method for generating AC electricity, which would ultimately be adopted worldwide. He was also exposed to humanitarian issues and as a result spent much of his career later in life striving to unburden mankind from unnecessary physical labor.

  Two years later Tesla made the decision to move on, applying his knowledge and theories of electricity to the world of everyday. He was offered a full professorship and a handsome salary, as well as complete freedom to pursue research in any area of interest if he would remain at the university. He would have the services of bright young students to assist as he saw fit, opening vistas of opportunity to explore as many parallel concepts as his fertile mind could create.

  Tesla turned down the offer. His mental capacity was superior to virtually anyone he had ever encountered. Because of this he felt burdened when working with or through others. When he was alone, he was unfettered—free to think, to create, to move at breakneck speed through the most complex of issues. But when he attempted to function with others, he had to operate at their slower more deliberate pace, a pace he found untenable. It wasn’t an attitude of superiority, it was a simple statement of fact, but the long-term effect of this on his future success would prove to be disastrous. When he walked away from the offer, he also walked away from the opportunity to develop an ability to manage and lead people. Tesla did not appreciate that he could amplify his own abilities through the efforts of others. He was a perfectionist, preferring to do everything himself, thus being assured that everything was done correctly.

  It was the first of many times in his incredible career that he would exhibit shortsightedness.

  CHAPTER 15

  Tesla Meets Edison—Oil and Water Don’t Mix

  Tesla left Prague with the intention of traveling to Paris where interest was being shown for his concept of AC power generation. In his last months at the university he corresponded with leading engineers throughout Europe, attempting to find support for his “radical” approach to electrical power generation. He invariably found that most were building or planning to build DC generating plants. Try as he might, he had little success in persuading anyone that AC generation was superior for the efficient production and distribution of electrical power.

  The reasons were twofold. In the first place, it was difficult to understand the theory of AC and its intricacies, but the most compelling reason could be attributed to the most famous inventor of the age, Thomas Edison. His reputation as the leading electrical technologist of the century was such that anything he promoted was pretty much the last word on the subject. Edison had a worldwide grip on the direction electrical power generation would take. But in Paris, Tesla had at least found a few people willing to listen.

  Before he left for France, he made a short trip to visit his sister Christina and to meet her son. Viktor Gracac had been born shortly after Tesla began his studies in Prague, and he was intrigued to meet this latest addition to the family. Viktor (Viko) had already exhibited some of Nikola’s traits, primarily his insatiable curiosity about everything. His physical resemblance to Nikola was uncanny, and Christina made the observation that Nikola looked just like Viko when he was two years old.

  Tesla arrived in Paris, began to lecture on his concepts for AC power, and started to develop a few disciples. But finding investors willing to commit money was very slow going. He was a brilliant scientist and a foremost expert at the emerging science of electrical generation. He had no problem finding employment but his true goal was to introduce AC as the ultimate source of electrical power. He spent the next few years in an unsuccessful attempt to find disciples for his theories.

  In 1883 fate knocked on Tesla’s door when Charles Batchelor, Edison’s foreman, arrived in Paris. Edison’s European operations were having a difficult time getting a large new DC generator to work properly. Batchelor was about to give up when one of his French colleagues, Pierre Chales, suggested they talk to this young engineer, Nikola Tesla. With no other options, Batchelor agreed. He was quite surprised at Tesla’s approach to the problem. Unlike Edison, Tesla did not start tearing the machine apart. He listened to the description of the problem, sat back, and closed his eyes. After a few minutes he asked for a paper and pen, and drew out the solution to the problem.

  If he had not already tried every possible solution, Batchelor would have dismissed the paper just handed him. However, he had the machine taken apart and the changes made. Later that afternoon when the generator was tried again, it worked precisely as Tesla predicted.

  The next morning a dapper young Tesla walked in and expressed no surprise at all that the machine had operated through the night with the problem solved. There had never been any question in his mind that his solution would work.

  Batchelor had trouble understanding what he had just witnessed. Edison would most likely have figured out the answer, but only after days or weeks of around-the-clock experimenting with one thing or another until he stumbled on the correct answer. Tesla had listened to the symptoms, analyzed the problem entirely in his head, and correctly determined the course of action without so much as laying a hand on the generator.

  He asked Tesla, “Would you like to come to America and work with Thomas Edison? After what I have witnessed here, I think you are just the man for the job.”

  They shook hands in agreement.

  Batchelor then asked Tesla how much he wanted in compensation for helping with the generator problem. He was prepared to give Tesla any amount he wanted, but he was not at all prepared for Tesla’s answer.

  Tesla said, “You owe me nothing. Work such as this should be offered as a free gift from those like myself who have been blessed with extraordinary gifts of the mind. Such abilities are for the good of all.”

  This kind of reasoning would follow Tesla his entire life and was one of the ingrained beliefs that led to his obscurity.

  Edison solved problems by experimentation. He simply kept trying things until he found something that worked. Tesla, on the other hand, would sit back, think, almost go into a trance, and then propose a simple elegant inventive solution that worked exactly as predicted.

  No one can question Edison’s success in creating new products by trial and error. He had 2,332 patents granted worldwide in his lifetime. Tesla had an impressive record of patents also, but his methodology of creation by careful analysis and thought stood in marked contrast to Edison’s approach.

  The problems of cooperation and collaboration boiled to the surface when the two tried to work together. The boisterous egotist Edison and the quiet, self-assured Tesla were cut from different cloth, never destined to be woven into a cohesive tapestry.

  Tesla began working for Edison in 1884. At that time Edison was having problems with a new generator. It was the largest ever attempted. Edison was trying to “electrify” New York City. He was fighting insurmountable technical odds
because of his choice of DC power distribution. He felt that all he had to do was use a bigger generator so he could shove more power into the wires that were already clogging the streets of lower Manhattan.

  Tesla had the ultimate solution, his polyphase AC system. But at the time, Tesla was in such awe of Edison that he declined to offer an alternative as radical as switching from DC to AC.

  Edison proposed a deal. He told Tesla that he would give him a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus if he could fix the generator. Tesla was thus motivated to solve the problem. He wanted to impress Edison, but his driving motive for the first time in his life was money. Fifty thousand dollars would give him the seed money he desperately needed to build an AC generating system and prove conclusively that his concepts were valid. He put in many sleepless days of analysis and after a few weeks had the generator working perfectly, with a few added new features never anticipated by Edison.

  Edison was impressed. The generator was installed in Manhattan and its operation brought a minor improvement to the distribution of DC power. Typical of Edison, he claimed that the inventions and improvements were his—that Tesla was only following his directions.

  Tesla waited for the fifty thousand dollars that never came. He was very reluctant to ask for money. However, earning eighteen dollars per week as a technician at the Edison factory was not what Tesla had in mind for himself. He got up the courage and demanded the fifty thousand dollars he had been promised. Edison laughed at him. “You stupid Europeans, you believe everything you are told—get back to work.”