"If only they will let me try out my new teleforce. If only they will let me show how this Nation can be made invulnerable to air attack. My new teleforce, is based on an entirely new principle of physics that nobody ever has dreamed of. It is different from the principle embodied in my inventions relating to the transmission of electrical power from a distance, for which I hold a number of basic patents.

This new type of force, would operate through a beam one one-hundred-millionth of a centimeter in diameter. It could be generated from a special plant that would cost no more than two million dollars and would take only about three months to construct.

A dozen such plants, located at strategic points along the coast, would be enough to defend this country against all possible aerial attack. This beam would melt any engine, whether Diesel or gasoline-driven. It would also ignite any explosives aboard any bomber. No possible defense against it could be devised, as the beam would be all-penetrating.“ [Nikola Tesla, “Proposing the ‘Death Ray’ For Defense.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 20, 1940.]