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TLS, three pages, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, March 27, 1937. Letter to Radio Journal of Praha, Czechoslovakia, in full: “I have been overwhelmed with the extraordinary sympathy and marks of appreciation of my work in Czechoslovakia. The rare distinction conferred upon me by His Excellency the President, the City of Praha and His Honor the Mayor, and the academic degree bestowed upon me by the leading technical institution of the city, have found me unprepared. I wish to reiterate my sincere thanks and express the hope that in time I may deserve them more fully. The title of Doctor which I am to receive on April 10th from the technical institution of Brno is equally appreciated and valued by me, and I want to voice my gratitude to his Magnificence, the Rector, and to the distinguished body of professors for the honor.
It affords me particular pleasure and satisfaction to receive such evidences from Czechoslovakia, the country which, viewed from the standpoint of average enlightenment, I have always considered the first in the world. It is most fortunate that in these threatening European conditions, its government is in the hands of a man of genius capable of solving the problems confronting the nation. His Excellency realized long ago the danger of a conflict between Italy and Yugoslavia and pointed out the desirability of an amicable understanding between these countries. This has now been achieved but the agreement made in Belgrade will not affect the unity of the Little Entente and Balkan Federation. On the contrary, it has created the necessity of widening of military pacts between the nations concerned and a more positive and closer cooperation in defense against a common enemy. The Yugoslavs are especially anxious to uphold this idea as it was originated by the late King Alexander whose memory as a soldier and statesman is to them a source of constant inspiration. He did not live to see its materialization, but it is now an accomplished fact largely through the efforts of Prince Regent Paul, the ablest man who could be found to carry the projects of the immortal Alexander to their successful completion. Since the agreement between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, recently completed, the united Balkan States have an aggregate population exceeding that of Germany or of Italy, besides commanding much greater natural resources. The nations in this political union supplement each other ideally. Czechoslovakia leads in the technical arts, Roumania and Bulgaria are great agricultural countries, Yugoslavia and Turkey have almost unequalled practical experience in war, and Greece with its glorious past contributes something unique and distinctive.
Through the agreement between Yugoslavia and Italy the immediate danger of a Balkan war has been averted, but the Mediterranean difficulty still exists and is aggravated by the war in Spain. I earnestly hope that nothing will interfere with the further progress and development of Czechoslovakia and that it will continue to carry high the banner of civilization.” In very good to fine condition, with light creasing, stains, and rusty paperclip impressions, and faint show-through in the signature area from an office stamp on the reverse.
Nikola Tesla, born in the Balkans, maintained a lifelong connection to the region and its people, even after relocating to the United States in 1884. A believer in the potential of Slavic peoples, especially in terms of intellectual and technological development, Tesla admired nations like Czechoslovakia for their education and innovation—“Czechoslovakia, the country which, viewed from the standpoint of average enlightenment, I have always considered the first in the world.”
While Tesla opens the letter with grace and praise, he closes with notable apprehension, remarking on the ongoing Spanish Civil War and its deleterious effect on the whole of the Mediterranean. He concludes: “I earnestly hope that nothing will interfere with the further progress and development of Czechoslovakia and that it will continue to carry high the banner of civilization.”
Many historians view the Spanish Civil War as the prelude to World War II, with both sides of the conflict, the Republicans and the Nationalists, receiving widespread international support. Czechoslovakia joined the United States, the United Kingdom, and 50 other nations as part of the International Brigades that volunteered to fight alongside the Spanish Republic, while Nazi Germany and Italy backed the Nationalists, the eventual victors.
To Tesla, Spain’s war and its global involvement assuredly emphasized a disturbing trend, a volatile new world order, one exacerbated by the growing might of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party. Whatever concern he felt whilst typing this letter came to fruition a year later with the infamous Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938.
Adhering to a policy of appeasement, representatives of the United Kingdom, France, and Italy acquiesced to the German annexation of the Sudetenland, which granted Hitler invaluable border control of Czechoslovakia. Undaunted, Germany invaded the remainder of Czechoslovakia's territory on March 15, 1939, an act that outwardly violated the Munich Agreement, exposed Hitler’s expansionist ambitions, and set the stage for the Second World War. A noteworthy letter from Nikola Tesla with rare political insight, praising the elevated minds and hearts of Czechoslovakia while expressing deep concern for Europe’s suddenly unsteady future.
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