(戏剧性的音乐) [dramatic music]
-今晚，离奇的文件丢失案 - Tonight, the curious case of missing files
来自历史上最有影响力的发明家之一。 from one of history's most influential inventors.
——尼古拉·特斯拉就是一个缩影 - Nikola Tesla is the epitome
有些人称之为疯狂的科学家。 of what some would call a mad scientist.
-他的想法非常有创意 - His ideas were insanely creative,
可能会改变世界， potentially world changing,
但没有比死亡射线更令人兴奋的了。 but none more exciting than the death ray.
-特斯拉应该有80个箱子 - Tesla supposedly had 80 trunks full
在他一生的作品中， of designs in his life's work,
但其中只有60人下落不明。 but only 60 of them have been accounted for.
-最大的问题是 - The big question is,
另外20个箱子呢？ what happened to these other 20 trunks?
-直到今天，那些丢失的皮箱的命运 - To this day, the fate of those lost trunks
其中可能有什么仍然是个谜。 and what might have been in them remains a mystery.
-这些东西是怎么消失的 - How did these things disappear
没人知道吗？ with no one being the wiser?
——人们开始投机。 - People began to speculate.
是不是有什么隐瞒的事？ Is there some sort of coverup going on?
-现在，我们将探索围绕的顶级理论 - Now, we'll explore the top theory surrounding
谁可能偷了特斯拉丢失的文件，以及原因。 who might have stolen Tesla's missing files, and why.
-特斯拉一直担心 - Tesla always worried about
他的发明会有多大的作用啊 what his inventions would do
如果它们落入坏人之手。 if they fell into the wrong hands.
1943年是第二次世界大战中期。 - 1943 was the middle of World War II.
任何人都会对科技感兴趣 Anybody would've been interested in technology
这可能会扭转局势。 that could turn the tide.
-特斯拉知道他的一些发明 - Tesla knew that some of his inventions
可以用来毁灭地球本身。 could be used to destroy the earth itself.
-也许是特斯拉，因为他知道自己快走到尽头了 - Maybe Tesla, knowing that he's nearing the end
毁了自己的档案。 of his life, destroys his own files.
-尼古拉·特斯拉丢失的文件到底怎么了？ - What really happened to the missing files of Nikola Tesla?
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
——劳伦斯1943年1月8日 - [Laurence] January 8th, 1943.
这是曼哈顿一个寒冷的早晨。 It's a bitter cold morning in Manhattan.
在纽约客酒店， At the New Yorker Hotel,
一个女佣无视“请勿打扰”的标志 a maid ignores the do-not-disturb sign
那似乎总是挂在3327套房外面。 that always seems to hang outside suite 3327.
在里面，她有了一个可怕的发现。 Inside, she makes a grim discovery.
没有生命的躯体 The lifeless body
在这些房间里住了很多年的人。 of the man who'd lived in these rooms for years.
世界著名的发明家尼古拉·特斯拉 World famous inventor, Nikola Tesla,
享年86岁。 dead at the age of 86.
-死因后来确定 - The cause of death was later determined
是他心脏里的血块， to have been a blood clot in his heart,
但因为有请勿打扰的标志， but because of the do-not-disturb sign,
没有人进过房间 no one had entered the room
在他死后的几天 for several days after his death.
-特斯拉的死没有头版报道 - There's no front-page coverage of Tesla's death.
当特斯拉离去时，他被遗忘了。 When Tesla passes, he's forgotten.
-这是孤独的死亡 - It's a lonely death
对于一个负责任的人来说，也许比任何人都重要， for someone who is responsible, perhaps more than anyone,
让我们所有的家庭都用上了电。 for putting electricity in all of our homes.
多年来，他一直过着这种与世隔绝的生活。 - He had been living this secluded life for many years.
他已经退出了公共社会。 He had withdrawn from public society.
他甚至没有一个亲密的朋友。 He didn't even keep a close cohort of friends.
他的死与他早年的生活形成了鲜明的对比 His death contrasts wildly with his earlier life,
他是一个非常有名的人。 where he was a very well-known person.
-[劳伦斯]一段始于1856年7月10日的生活 - [Laurence] A life that begins on July 10th, 1856
在现在的克罗地亚的一个小乡村里。 in a small, rural village in what is now Croatia.
(雷声隆隆地) [thunder rumbles]
-特斯拉的诞生有一个家族传说 - There's family legend that Tesla was born
在一场雷暴中， during a lightning storm,
这提供了一个强有力的解释 and that this provides a powerful explanation
为什么在以后的生活中， for why, later in life,
他会迷上电的。 he would be so infatuated with electricity.
——从很小的时候起，人们就认识到了 - From a very early age, people recognized
他与众不同。 that he was different.
他是个天才。 He was a genius.
尤其值得一提的是，他是个天才 And in particular, he was a whiz
当涉及到科学问题时。 when it came to matters of science.
-我们说的是一个男人 - We're talking about a man
据说他会说八种语言， who could reportedly speak eight languages,
他有着过目不忘的记忆力， who had a photographic memory,
并且拥有近乎超自然的能力 and had an almost supernatural capability
还有电气工程。 with electrical engineering.
这个人不仅能想象未来， This is a man who could not only imagine the future,
他可以建造它。 he could build it.
——劳伦斯·特斯拉在学生时代就磨练了这些技能 - [Laurence] Tesla hones these skills as a student
在奥地利帝国皇家技术学院 at the Imperial Royal Technical College in Austria,
他专注于电的实验。 where he focuses on experiments with electricity.
当时，新兴的电力工业 At the time, the emerging electric power industry
正在经历成长的烦恼。 is experiencing growing pains.
-到19世纪70年代 - By the 1870s,
电力为一些城市的路灯供电， electricity is powering streetlights in some cities,
但它也有问题。 but it has problems.
它很容易中断，有时甚至爆炸。 It's prone to outages and sometimes even explosions.
(玻璃叮叮当当的) [glass tinkling]
1880年，托马斯·爱迪生的灯泡问世 By 1880, Thomas Edison's light bulb comes out
这使得用电照明更加安全。 and that makes lighting, using electricity, a lot safer.
但是基础设施 But the infrastructure
因为照亮巨大的城市街区还不存在。 for illuminating huge city blocks is just not there yet.
-[劳伦斯]完成学业后， - [Laurence] After finishing his education,
26岁的特斯拉在巴黎工作了两年 26-year-old Tesla works for two years in Paris
在大陆爱迪生公司工作 at the Continental Edison Company,
然后在1884年搬到纽约市 then moves to New York City in 1884
他继续为爱迪生工作。 where he continues to work for Edison.
-纽约和新泽西是所有 - New York and New Jersey are where all
伟大的实验 of the great experiments
电流正在传导。 about electricity are being conducted.
所以这对他来说是个完美的去处 So it's the perfect place for him to go
去完成他的命运。 to play out his destiny.
-问题是他有很大的分歧 - The problem is he has a pretty significant disagreement
托马斯·爱迪生。 with Thomas Edison.
-爱迪生坚持这个想法 - Edison is clinging to the idea
通过使用直流电进行功率分配。 of power distribution through the use of direct current.
特斯拉正在朝着更好的方向努力 Tesla is working toward a better way
用于传输电力。 for transmitting electrical power.
这个想法是他自己想出来的 This idea that he has come up with himself
交流电。 of the alternating current.
当直流电传输时， As direct current is transmitted,
它很快就会失去所有的力量。 it very quickly loses all of its power.
我们必须有一个 We would have to have an
每英里都有输电站。 electrical transmission station every mile.
我们会有更多的电力传输站 We would have more electrical transmission stations
而不是加油站。 than gas stations.
特斯拉最终开发的系统， The system that Tesla ultimately develops,
交流电是某种东西 alternating current, is something
即使距离很远，它的强度也不会减弱。 that, over great distances, does not lose its intensity.
-[劳伦斯]与爱迪生的冲突让他感到沮丧， - [Laurence] Frustrated by his conflict with Edison,
6个月后，特斯拉辞职创办了自己的公司。 Tesla quits after six months to start his own company.
-现在有这样的竞争 - There's now this competition
爱迪生的直流电系统 between Edison's DC, direct-current, system,
由摩根大通支持 backed by JP Morgan,
与特斯拉和他的交流电系统相比 versus Tesla and his AC system, or alternating current,
他得到了西屋公司的支持 and he's backed by the Westinghouse Company.
-[劳伦斯]激烈的竞争变得众所周知 - [Laurence] The bitter rivalry becomes known
如海流之战 as the War of the Currents.
- 1893年他们都在争夺的大奖 - The big prize that they're both going for in 1893
是芝加哥世界博览会的开幕 is the opening of the Chicago World's Fair.
这是事先宣布的 It's announced beforehand
世界博览会将被照亮 that the World's Fair is going to be illuminated
十万个白炽灯泡。 by 100,000 incandescent light bulbs.
问题是，谁的系统将为它提供动力？ The question is, whose system is going to power it?
获得合同的一方是有可能的 The side that gets the contract is likely
为美国的城市提供电力 to be the one that provides power to America's cities.
-最终，是西屋电气 - Ultimately, it is Westinghouse
以及赢得合同的特斯拉。 and Tesla who win the contract.
当格罗弗·克利夫兰总统按下按钮时， And when President Grover Cleveland presses the button,
10万个灯泡亮了起来。 100,000 bulbs light up.
这是一次惊人的电力展示。 It is an amazing display of electrical power.
-到20世纪初，交流系统已成为标准 - By the early 1900s, AC systems are the standard
用于电网。 for electric grids.
所以这意味着特斯拉基本上赢了 So this means that Tesla essentially won
海流之战 the War of the Currents.
他被认为是最成功的发明家之一 He's set up to be one of the most successful inventors
一直都是。 of all time.
特斯拉的问题是， - The problem with Tesla is,
尽管他是个冷酷的天才 even though he is a stone cold genius
说到电气工程， when it comes to electrical engineering,
他是个糟糕的商人。 he's a terrible businessman.
1888年，特斯拉卖掉了他所有的专利 - In 1888, Tesla sold all his patents
他的空调技术以6万美元的价格卖给了西屋 for his AC technology to Westinghouse for $60,000.
所以特斯拉的工作让另一个人变得超级富有 So Tesla's work made another person super rich
而他收到的钱 while the money he received,
他把它用于更多的研究和开发。 he used it for more research and development.
-他的生活被控制了 - His life is dominated
其他人因为他的创新而变得富有。 by other people becoming wealthy off of his innovations.
例如，特斯拉是第一个 - For example, Tesla was the first person
发明无线电技术， to invent radio technology,
但赚大钱的不是他。 but he wasn't the one who cashed in.
那是马可尼。 That was Marconi.
马可尼最终创造了一个无线无线电系统 - Marconi ultimately creates a wireless radio system
基于尼古拉·特斯拉的创新， based on innovations that were developed by Nikola Tesla,
到了20世纪初， and by the turn of the 20th century,
几乎每个人都在使用它。 almost everyone's using it.
然而，特斯拉并没有从中得到一分钱。 And yet, Tesla doesn't see a penny of that money.
马可尼变得异常富有，而特斯拉却没有。 Marconi becomes fabulously wealthy and Tesla does not.
-在1916年，他必须这么做 - In 1916, he has to
宣布破产, declare bankruptcy,
这也成为了特斯拉公共事业的终结。 and that really becomes the end of Tesla's public career.
他的精神健康从一开始就不稳定 His mental health, which had been precarious from the start,
情况急转直下。 takes a turn for the worse.
他被妄想症所困扰 He's plagued with feelings of paranoia,
非常严重的头痛。 very serious headaches.
他有严重的失眠症。 He has terrible insomnia.
特斯拉也有强迫症倾向 - Tesla also exhibits obsessive-compulsive tendencies
这使他更加远离人民 that set him even further apart from the people
在他的日常生活中。 that surround him in daily life.
-尽管面临挑战，特斯拉仍然声称 - Despite his challenges, Tesla still claims
他正在创造新的奇妙的发明， that he's creating new fantastical inventions,
一个用于瞬间移动，一个用于时间旅行， one for teleportation, one for time travel,
一个可以摧毁一栋建筑的发电机。 a generator that can take down a building.
-他有个想法，他称之为传力 - He had this idea for what he called teleforce
可以击落飞机 that can take down airplanes
还能拆除炸弹， and can take down bombs,
一次多达一万人。 as many as 10,000 at a time.
他认为这样可以结束战争。 He thought that this could end war.
当然，它最终变成的就是所谓的死亡射线。 What it ends up being, of course, is called a death ray.
-[劳伦斯]特斯拉的新发明 - [Laurence] While Tesla's new inventions
永远不会完全实现， are never fully realized,
据信，这些计划都保存在他的档案中。 it's believed plans for them are kept in his files.
特斯拉已经告诉他的朋友了 - Tesla has told his friends
他有80个箱子装满了他的设计 that he has 80 trunks full of his designs
以及他所有发明的技术原理图。 and technical schematics for all of his inventions.
基本上是他毕生的心血。 Essentially, all of his life's work.
-据说这些秘密也都被锁上了 - It's believed that all of those secrets are locked either
和他在酒店房间里 in the hotel room with him
或者在曼哈顿其他地方的仓库里 or in storage somewhere else in Manhattan.
但1943年他去世后 But after his death in 1943,
这些箱子要过九年才运来 it's nine years before those trunks are shipped
贝尔格莱德的特斯拉博物馆 to the Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
当它们到达那里时，一共有60个。 And when they get there, there's 60 of them.
另外20个箱子呢？ What happened to the other 20 trunks?
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-有人注意到，特斯拉去世时， - Some have noted that, when Tesla died,
有一个显著的间隔 there is a significant interval
从女佣发现他在酒店房间的那一刻起 between the time when the maid finds him in his hotel room
当人们来取回尸体时。 and when people come to retrieve the body.
一些人推测，足够的时间， Enough time, some speculate,
可能会有人进入公寓 for somebody to potentially go into the apartment
然后偷点东西。 and steal something.
-据特斯拉的一些研究人员称， - According to some Tesla researchers,
有一群人决心要确保 there was a group who were determined to make sure
特斯拉的发明从未见过天日 that Tesla's inventions never saw the light of day.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-我们知道有故事 - We know that there are stories
从这个时期的代表 from this period of representatives
从石油工业破坏有前途的新技术 from the oil industry sabotaging promising new technologies
那会挑战这个地方 that would've challenged the place
石油工业在经济中的地位。 of the oil industry in the economy.
特斯拉对未来有着大胆的愿景 - Tesla has a bold vision of a future
每个人都可以免费用电的地方 where electricity is free to everyone
并且可以无线传输。 and can be transmitted wirelessly.
-他对特斯拉塔有个想法， - He has this idea for the Tesla Tower,
用塔来抽取自然电力 using a tower to pump the natural electricity
从某种程度上说，是来自地球的 from the earth in a way
它可以在全世界传播。 that it can be transmitted across the world.
特斯拉的塔项目得到了资助 - Tesla's tower project is funded
由伟大的金融家和实业家JP摩根 by the great financier and industrialist, JP Morgan.
-这是一个巨大的进步 - This would've been a huge step forward
在他为世界提供免费清洁能源的计划中。 in his plans to bring free clean power to the world.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
不幸的是，Morgan拔掉了插头 - [Laurence] Unfortunately, Morgan pulls the plug
特斯拉的高塔项目 on Tesla's tower project.
但是为什么呢? But why?
-有传言说摩根最终撤资了 - There's a rumor that Morgan eventually pulls his financing
因为他能看到特斯拉的前进方向， from Tesla because he could see the direction it was going,
它是这个方向的 and it was going in this direction
每个人都有自由的权力。 of free power for everyone.
而摩根的想法是，让我们赚钱吧。 And Morgan was all about, let's make some money.
那么，他为什么要继续花钱呢 So, why would he continue spending money on something
就这么免费给所有人吗？ that's just gonna give it to everyone for free?
-所以摩根大通撤资了 - So JP Morgan pulled funding
并要求其他投资者也撤出资金。 and told other investors to pull their funding as well.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
很多大企业，尤其是石油巨头， So many big businesses, big oil especially,
试图压制特斯拉 tried to keep Tesla down.
他们起诉了他。 They sued him.
他们称他为疯子 They called him a madman,
把他扔进泥土里，踩在他身上， threw him into the dirt, stepped on him,
再也不让他站起来了。 and never allowed him to get back up again.
-[劳伦斯]但如果大商业巨头寻求 - [Laurence] But if big business titans sought
让特斯拉的革命性思想消失 to make Tesla's revolutionary ideas go away,
他们怎么能在他死后偷走他的设计呢？ how could they have stolen his designs after his death?
-怎么会有人真的去 - How could someone actually go
关于偷偷移走20个箱子 about sneakily removing 20 trunks
从特斯拉的房间偷偷溜出来 from Tesla's room without anyone noticing?
事实证明 It turns out that
实际上在纽约客酒店下面有一条隧道 there's actually a tunnel underneath the New Yorker Hotel
一直到宾州车站。 that leads right to Penn Station.
-[劳伦斯]这开启了另一种可能性。 - [Laurence] This opens up another possibility.
也许罪魁祸首是与他更亲近的人。 Perhaps the culprit might be someone much closer to him.
-可能是凶手干的 - It might be the person responsible
所有这些画都消失了 for the disappearance of all of these drawings
是他的家人。 is someone in his family.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
1943年尼古拉·特斯拉去世时， - [Laurence] When Nikola Tesla dies in 1943,
他的死因很明显 the cause of his death is obvious,
心脏中的血块。 a blood clot in the heart.
但还有一个谜， But one mystery remains,
谁拿走了他丢失的文件，为什么？ who took his missing files and why?
[紧张的音乐][轰鸣的炮声] [tense music] [artillery booming]
1943年，我们正处于第二次世界大战的中期。 - In 1943 we're in the midst of World War II.
目前还不清楚这需要多长时间 It's still not clear how long it's going to take
打败纳粹德国和日本帝国 to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
一场巨大的技术竞赛正在进行。 There is a huge technological race on.
以飞机为例。 Just look at the aircraft, for instance.
到1939年，双翼飞机仍在广泛使用。 There's still biplanes being used pretty commonly in 1939.
到1945年，进入喷气机时代。 By 1945, it's the jet age.
(飞机的) [jet roaring]
-有许多不同的政府 - There are a number of different governments
他们在寻找优势。 who are looking for an edge.
尼古拉·特斯拉（Nikola Tesla）或许就是能为他们提供这种优势的人。 Nikola Tesla may be the man who could offer them that edge.
-时间的流逝是有规律的 - The passage of time had sort
让86岁的特斯拉变得无足轻重， of driven 86-year-old Tesla toward irrelevance,
但也许是环境 but maybe the circumstances
将会改变这一切 of the Second World War were going to change all of that.
关注他一生工作的人都知道 People following his life's work knew
他的思想多么具有革命性， how revolutionary his ideas are,
但他们也明白他的想法可能有多危险。 but they also understand how dangerous his ideas could be.
-对政府来说，特斯拉一点都不重要。 - To governments, Tesla's not irrelevant at all.
问题是，是谁偷看了他的东西 And the question is, who's been poking around in his stuff
在他死后找东西？ and looking for things after his death?
有一个人我们很确定， And there is one person that we know for sure,
这是他的侄子， and that's his nephew,
萨瓦河Kosanovic。 Sava Kosanovic.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-萨瓦·科萨诺维奇是南斯拉夫流亡外交官 - Sava Kosanovic was a diplomat in exile from Yugoslavia
因为，在当时， because, at the time,
南斯拉夫被纳粹德国占领了。 Yugoslavia had been taken over by Nazi Germany.
-萨瓦·科萨诺维奇也许是出于政治动机 - Sava Kosanovic was politically motivated, maybe,
从《纽约客》酒店拿走一些材料 to take some of that material out of the New Yorker hotel.
这可能是他的政治动机 And it might be that his political motivation
实际上反映了即将到来的冷战政治。 was actually a reflection of oncoming Cold War politics.
南斯拉夫已经开始了 Yugoslavia is already beginning
向着苏联的轨道移动。 to move toward the orbital pull of the Soviet Union.
正如我们所知，在第二次世界大战之后， And as we know in the aftermath of the Second World War,
南斯拉夫将成为苏联的卫星国。 Yugoslavia will become a Soviet satellite nation.
——就连美国政府成员也感到担忧 - Even members of the U.S. government are concerned
有了科萨诺维奇的动机， with Kosanovic's motivations,
更严重的是他在欧洲的关系 and even more seriously his connections back in Europe.
特斯拉死后不久 - [Andrew] Shortly after the death of Tesla,
萨瓦和其他几个可能的代表 Sava and a couple other possible representatives
《纽约客》的管理人员进入了特斯拉的房间 from the management of the New Yorker enter Tesla's room
为了撬开保险箱。 in order to break into the safe.
-萨瓦怀疑有人持枪 - Sava suspects that someone had rifled
通过特斯拉的物品 through Tesla's belongings.
-科萨诺维奇声称他只对 - Kosanovic claims that he's only interested
在家庭照片中。 in family photographs.
这很难让人接受 It's hard to swallow that
并接受它所暗示的清白， and accept it for its suggested innocence,
因为天知道保险箱里有什么。 because God knows what was in that safe.
当然，里面可能有一些家庭照片， Sure, there were probably some family photos in there,
但萨瓦·科萨诺维奇真的只是来拍全家福的吗？ but was Sava Kosanovic really just there for family photos?
或者他去那里是为了别的什么？ Or was he there for something else?
-特斯拉的侄子，就是那个制造噪音的人 - Tesla's nephew, the one who is making all the noise
关于这些丢失的箱子。 about these missing trunks.
有可能是科萨诺维奇自己拿到了这些东西 It's possible that Kosanovic himself grabs these things
然后说，嘿，他们怎么了？ and then says, hey, what happened to them?
为了摆脱自己的嫌疑。 To throw suspicion off himself.
但为什么特斯拉的侄子如此绝望 - [Laurence] But why is Tesla's nephew so desperate
让他拿到他叔叔的文件吗？ to get his hands on his uncle's files?
根据联邦调查局的文件， According to FBI files,
苏联人对特斯拉的工作表现出了兴趣 the Soviets show interest in Tesla's work
在他死前 prior to his death.
-苏联在想办法 - The Soviet Union were looking for ways
有可能将德国飞机从空中击落。 to be able to possibly shoot German aircraft out of the sky.
根据特斯拉的说法， - [Laurence] According to Tesla,
他的武器就能做到这一点 his weapon is able to do just that,
摧毁250英里外的10000架敌机 destroy 10,000 enemy planes from 250 miles away.
-随着战争的继续 - As the war carries on,
希特勒的空军看起来势不可挡。 Hitler's air force looked unstoppable.
很明显，苏联是 It's obvious that the Soviet Union is
成为希特勒的准星 in Hitler's crosshairs.
他们当然会感兴趣 Of course they would've been interested
特斯拉的潜在武器 in Tesla's potential weapon.
——美国政府是积极的 - The United States government was positive
苏联对此非常感兴趣 that the Soviet Union was extremely interested
在他的装置里。 in his device.
-有一个古老的传说 - There's an old legend
苏联政府伸出援助之手 that the Soviet government reached out
通过死亡光束传送给特斯拉 to Tesla over this death beam,
他们甚至给了他5万美元。 and that they even offered him $50,000.
但传说特斯拉拒绝了。 But the legend goes that Tesla refused it.
-所以当特斯拉1943年去世时， - So when Tesla dies in 1943,
这对美国来说是有意义的 it would make sense for the U.S.
认为苏联在努力 to think that the Soviets are trying
来拿到特斯拉的文件 to get their hands on Tesla's files.
战争远未结束， The war is far from over,
尽管美国和苏联是盟友， and even though the U.S. and the Soviets are allies,
裂痕已经开始显现。 the cracks are already starting to show.
美国和苏联都在期待 Both the U.S. and the Soviets are anticipating
这将是一场战后的对决 there's gonna be a post-war face off
在德国被淘汰之后。 after Germany is eliminated.
因此，双方都在迅速追击 And so both sides are rapidly pursuing
强大的新技术将改变世界。 powerful new technology that's going to be world changing.
(汽车的) [vehicle roaring]
-[劳伦斯]但是有确凿的证据吗 - [Laurence] But is there solid proof
特斯拉的侄子走私了一些 Tesla's nephew smuggled some
把他叔叔的秘密文件交给苏联人 of his uncle's secret files to the Soviets?
-联邦调查局在监视科萨诺维奇。 - The FBI is watching Kosanovic.
他们拿出了足够的证据来介入并逮捕他。 They come up with enough evidence to move in and arrest.
毕竟，科萨诺维奇是一名特工 Because, after all, Kosanovic is an agent
一个友好的外国政府， of a friendly foreign government,
所以你必须非常小心。 so you have to be very careful there.
然而，作为特斯拉的侄子， However, as nephew of Tesla,
科萨诺维奇是法定继承人， Kosanovic is sort of the heir apparent,
所以这很自然 so it's natural
我们会把他的材料交给科萨诺维奇 that his materials we're gonna go to Kosanovic.
科萨诺维奇想把他们全部送回南斯拉夫。 And Kosanovic wants to get all of them back to Yugoslavia.
最终，尼古拉·特斯拉博物馆在贝尔格莱德开放 Eventually a Nikola Tesla museum opens in Belgrade
而这60个箱子的内容就成为了依据 and the contents of those 60 trunks become the basis
为了博物馆的展品。 for the museum's exhibits.
-那个博物馆于1955年开放。 - That museum opened in 1955.
特斯拉于1943年去世， Tesla died in 1943,
这意味着科萨诺维奇有足够的时间 so that means that Kosanovic had more than enough time
去处理他需要的文件 to take care of whatever papers he needed
然后泄露给苏联人 and leak 'em to the Soviets.
但话说回来，也有人说 But then again, there are those that say
这就是美国怀疑科萨诺维奇的原因 that the reason why the U.S. laid suspicion on Kosanovic
是为了掩盖他们自己的阴谋吗 was to cover up their own schemes
窃取特斯拉的工作 for getting at Tesla's work.
-[劳伦斯]尼古拉·特斯拉死的时候 - [Laurence] At the time of Nikola Tesla's death,
第二次世界大战的结果悬而未决。 the outcome of World War II hangs in the balance.
-还有很长的路要走 - There's still a long way to go
从1943年1月到欧洲战争结束。 from January, 1943 to the end of the war in Europe.
如果特斯拉能提供任何有承诺的技术 If Tesla can offer any technology that promises
为了加速冲突的结束， to hasten the end of the conflict,
任何可能带来更多优势的事情 anything that might bring more of an advantage
支持协约国的事业 to the Allied cause,
政府肯定对此感兴趣。 well, governments are definitely interested in that.
(爆炸繁荣) [explosion booms]
-苏联也在这个过程中 - The Soviet Union were in the process
将德军赶出斯大林格勒 of kicking the Germans out of Stalingrad,
但离登陆日还有几个月。 but D-Day was still months away.
美国仍然需要这种优势。 The United States still needed that edge.
任何可能的新武器 Any possible new weaponry
美国能想出的办法 that the United States could come up with
对他们有利。 would be to their benefit.
j·埃德加·胡佛和联邦调查局都处于警戒状态 - [Laurence] J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI are on the alert
在美国活动的敌方间谍 for enemy spies operating in the U.S.
-这绝不是定局 - It's by no means a foregone conclusion
盟军将赢得这场战争 that the Allies are going to win this war.
任何一种技术 Any kind of technology
这可能会让盟军对轴心国有优势 that might give the Allies an advantage over the Axis
可能会引起很大的兴趣。 is likely to generate a great deal of interest.
更重要的是，它要确保没有其他国家拥有它。 More importantly, it's making sure no other country had it.
- [Laurence]包括一些先进的技术 - [Laurence] Including some advanced technologies conceived
已故的尼古拉·特斯拉 by the late Nikola Tesla.
——所以我们知道美国政府非常感兴趣 - So we know the U.S. government is intensely interested
在特斯拉的发明中 in Tesla's inventions.
这并不奇怪 And this isn't surprising
因为，在这个时候， because, at this point of time,
我们知道他声称拥有这些危险武器， we know that he's claimed he has these dangerous weapons,
其中之一当然是死亡射线。 one of which, of course, is the death ray.
-他们想知道死亡射线是不是真的 - They want to know if the death ray is real.
他们还听说特斯拉可能发明了其他东西 They also hear that Tesla may have invented other things
这可能被用作武器。 that could be used as weapons.
-有传言说美国保留了联邦调查局特工 - Rumors have it that the United States kept FBI agents
在尼古拉·特斯拉住过的同一层的房间里 in rooms on the same floor that Nikola Tesla lived.
-他死后他们有足够的时间 - They would've had ample time after he died
偷偷溜进他的房间 to sneak into his room,
甚至在他的尸体被发现之前 even before his body was discovered,
在死亡广为人知之前搜索文件 and search for documents before the death was widely known,
-这就解释了为什么 - Which would explain why,
当科萨诺维奇最终到达那里时 when Kosanovic ultimately gets there,
他说看起来像那个地方 he says it looked like the place
已经被洗劫一空。 had already been rifled through.
这一系列事件引出了这一理论 This sequence of events leads to the theory
联邦调查局冲进来清理了公寓 that the FBI rushed in and cleared the apartment
为了保护国家安全。 in the interests of protecting national security.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
虽然我们可能不知道到底发生了什么 Although we might not know exactly what happened
对于这些材料， to some of this material,
其中一些在公众面前上演 some of this played out in the public
根据公共记录， as a matter of public record,
因为他死后两天 because two days after his death,
一些属性 some of the property that was
在曼哈顿的其他酒店 at other hotels across Manhattan
是根据外国人财产法案被扣押的。 was seized under the Alien Properties Act.
这是一项在第一次世界大战期间制定的法案 This is an act that was created during the First World War
扣押属于外国人的资产 to seize assets belonging to foreign nationals
敌国在美国的威胁 of enemy nations in the United States.
-为什么要找外国人财产管理处 - Why the Office of Alien Property would be called upon
处理特斯拉的材料很神秘 to dispose of Tesla's materials is mysterious,
因为特斯拉是美国公民。 given that Tesla was an American citizen.
就连外星人财产办公室也不确定 Even the Office of Alien Property isn't sure
这确实在他们的管辖范围内。 that this is really within their sphere of jurisdiction.
——政府的解释是 - The government's explanation is that
这样做是为了防止材料 this is done to prevent material
以免落入萨瓦·科萨诺维奇之手 from falling in the hands of Sava Kosanovic,
一个为外国政府工作的人 someone who was known to be working for a foreign government
与苏联有联系的国家 that had contact with the Soviet Union.
j·埃德加·胡佛作为联邦调查局局长 J. Edgar Hoover, as the head of the FBI,
如果符合更大的利益，任何事情都是正当的吗 could justify anything if it served the greater interests
防止它掉下来 of preventing it from falling
落入共产党手中 into the hands of the Communists.
-因为萨瓦不是美国公民， - Because Sava was not an American citizen,
人们担心这些材料会被交出 it was feared that this material would be turned over
给苏联 to the Soviet Union.
这是 And this is something
这是美国绝不允许发生的事情。 that the United States simply could not allow to happen.
联邦调查局甚至暗示可以逮捕萨瓦·科萨诺维奇 The FBI even suggested that Sava Kosanovic could be arrested
因为你撬开了特斯拉的保险箱 for burglary for getting into Tesla's safe.
-但最终，联邦调查局的证据还是不够 - But ultimately, the FBI just doesn't have enough
让他逮捕科萨诺维奇 on him to arrest Kosanovic.
但人们仍然担心他可能会做什么 But there's still a concern about what he might do
用他叔叔的文件。 with his uncle's documents.
-[劳伦斯]美国政府指派了一位专家 - [Laurence] The U.S. government assigns an expert
分析被扣押的特斯拉文件 to analyze the seized Tesla files.
——美国政府聘请了麻省理工学院的约翰·g·特朗普博士， - The United States government hired MIT Dr. John G. Trump,
他是电子学专家。 who is an expert in electronics.
特朗普花了两天时间浏览这些材料 Trump spent two days going through the material
只在特斯拉的房间里找到的 that was only found in Tesla's room.
后来，他写了一份备忘录，什么也没说 Afterwards, he wrote a memo stating nothing
其中的一部分具有科学意义。 of it was of scientific interest.
——现在，许多专家提出了质疑 - Now, many experts have questioned
任何科学家都能在两天之后， that any scientist could, after just two days,
查看特斯拉的所有文件 go through all of Tesla's papers
得出这个结论 and come to this conclusion
-对于那些可能有阴谋思想的人， - To those who might be conspiratorially minded,
这听起来像是烟雾弹，不是吗？ this sounds like a smoke screen now, doesn't it?
因为这听起来就像你会说的话 Because it sounds like exactly what you would say
如果你突然得到了这个矿脉 if you suddenly were delivered this mother lode
非常重要的创新技术。 of incredibly important innovative technology.
你当然会说，哦， You would of course then go, oh,
这里找不到任何实用的东西。 nothing practical can be found here.
有一种信念 There's a belief
美国政府发现了可用的技术 that the U.S. government actually found usable technology
在特斯拉的文件里 that was in the Tesla files,
而那些材料， and that that material,
几十年来一直延续到20世纪80年代末， transmitted forward through the decades into the late 1980s,
成为了后来被称为 became the foundation for what was ultimately termed
战略防御计划 the Strategic Defense Initiative.
-[劳伦斯]也被称为星球大战， - [Laurence] Also known as Star Wars,
这是一个武器系统 it was a weapons system
可以拦截来袭的苏联导弹 that could intercept incoming Soviet missiles
用横梁打他们 and hit them with beams
可以把他们从天上打下来， that could knock them out of the sky,
特斯拉专家认为这类似于特斯拉的死亡射线。 something Tesla experts see as similar to Tesla's death ray.
-我们知道美国政府拿走了 - We know that the U.S. government took
并且仍然保存着特斯拉的许多文件。 and still has many of Tesla's files.
2016年，大约250页 In 2016, about 250 pages
特斯拉的部分文件被解密。 of Tesla's files were declassified.
但相比之下，这真的只是沧海一粟 But that's really just a drop in the bucket compared
回到那里。 to what was there.
-那么，当那批文件 - So, when that trove of documents was
2016年解密， declassified in 2016,
有趣的是，会弹出一个人的名字 interestingly a name pops up of a person
他与特斯拉和美国政府都有关系。 who's involved with Tesla and the U.S. government.
一些研究人员认为 Some researchers think
这个年轻人可能两种手段都有 that this young man may have had both the means
以及偷走特斯拉文件的动机 and the motive to make off with some of Tesla's files.
-在尼古拉·特斯拉去世70多年后 - More than seven decades after Nikola Tesla's death,
寻找更多关于他失踪文件的线索 the quest to learn more about his missing files
走进了死胡同 has hit a dead end,
留下历史学家，科学家， leaving historians, scientists,
以及特斯拉专家的猜测 and Tesla experts alike to speculate
关于那些文件的内容 on what was in those documents,
谁可能拿走了它们，为什么。 who might have taken them, and why.
然后，多亏了2016年的上映 Then, thanks to the 2016 release
在一些长期保密的联邦调查局文件中，一个新的嫌疑人出现了。 of some long-classified FBI files, a new suspect emerges.
-其中一份解密文件 - One of these declassified documents
有一个叫布洛伊斯·菲茨杰拉德的人的信息 has information about someone named Bloyce Fitzgerald,
陆军二等兵 an Army Private.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
菲茨杰拉德其实和特斯拉有联系。 Fitzgerald actually had a connection with Tesla.
这是一个阴暗的世界。 It was a murky one.
但他是个年轻的电气工程师 But he was a young electrical engineer
他和特斯拉也有关系 and he had some involvement with Tesla.
他还参与了政府的研究 And he also was involved with government research
美国陆军军令部 for the U.S. Army Ordinance Department,
他对特斯拉有点着迷。 and he had somewhat of a fascination with Tesla.
-我们知道菲茨杰拉德联系过我们 - We know that Fitzgerald reached out
多次向特斯拉求助 to Tesla multiple times
他们交换了一些信件， and that they exchanged some letters,
但我们不知道他们是否见过面。 but we don't know whether they ever met in person.
-特斯拉死的时候 - At the time of Tesla's death,
菲茨杰拉德在麻省理工学院从事技术研究， Fitzgerald was working on technologies at MIT,
麻省理工学院 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
所以这不是难以置信的想法 So it's not implausible to think
也许特斯拉和他分享了一些想法 that maybe Tesla shared some ideas with him
甚至给他看一些设计。 or even showed him some designs.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
FBI的文件揭露了证据 - [Laurence] The FBI files reveal evidence
菲茨杰拉德和特斯拉关系密切 of a close relationship between Fitzgerald and Tesla.
-我们不知道确切的性质 - We don't know the exact nature
这段关系是怎样的。 of what that relationship was like.
看起来很友好， It seems to have been friendly,
我们知道特斯拉 and we know that Tesla
他对朋友很慷慨。 could be very generous with his friends.
-看来布洛伊斯·菲茨杰拉德 - It appears that Bloyce Fitzgerald
也许我只是个粉丝 may have just been a fanboy,
一个钦佩特斯拉的人。 someone who admired Tesla.
他在1938年他生日那天给他打了电话。 He called him on his birthday in 1938.
我们知道菲茨杰拉德企图 We're aware of the fact that Fitzgerald attempted
安排与特斯拉的会面 to arrange meetings with Tesla.
我们不知道是否 We don't know whether or not
这些会议确实发生了， those meetings actually took place,
但布洛伊斯·菲茨杰拉德毕竟是一个人 but Bloyce Fitzgerald was nevertheless a person
是谁在等着呢 who was just waiting in the wings
似乎有这种兴趣 and appeared to have this interest
接近他，也许能接触到他的材料。 in being close to him and maybe have access to his material.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-菲茨杰拉德接受了联邦调查局的采访 - Fitzgerald is interviewed by the FBI,
还有访谈节目的记录 and the records of the interview show
菲茨杰拉德知识渊博 that Fitzgerald was very knowledgeable
关于特斯拉的发明和计划。 about Tesla's inventions and plans.
-他怎么知道这么多？ - Why does he know so much?
仅仅是因为他是特斯拉的朋友和门徒吗？ Is it simply because he was a friend and protege of Tesla?
还是因为他拿到了特斯拉的文件？ Or is it perhaps because he gained access to Tesla's files?
特斯拉可能跟菲茨杰拉德有私通。 Tesla may have shared things with Fitzgerald.
-特斯拉死后， - After Tesla dies,
一些非常可疑的事情发生了。 something very fishy happens.
当他的侄子萨瓦·科萨诺维奇想要打开保险箱时， When his nephew Sava Kosanovic wants access to the safe,
他没有保险箱的密码， he doesn't have the combination to the safe,
所以他是在场的几个人之一 so he's one of multiple people who are present
当锁匠来打开保险柜的时候。 when a locksmith comes to open the safe.
-这就是谜团加深的地方。 - Here's where the mystery deepens.
当特斯拉的侄子出现打开保险箱时， When Tesla's nephew shows up to open the safe,
房间里还有两个人声称 there are two other men in the room who claim
成为酒店经理。 to be hotel managers.
一个是菲茨杰拉德先生，另一个是多蒂先生。 One is Mr. Fitzgerald, the other Mr. Doty.
-但根据特斯拉传记作者马克·塞弗的说法， - But according to Tesla biographer, Mark Seifer,
没有叫这些名字的人被雇佣 there's no one with those names who are employed
那时候在旅馆门口。 by the hotel at that time.
-也许菲茨杰拉德先生不是别人 - It might be that Mr. Fitzgerald is none other
比布洛伊斯·菲茨杰拉德 than Bloyce Fitzgerald,
可能是多蒂先生描述的 and it could be that the Mr. Doty described
是拉尔夫·e·多蒂上校 was Colonel Ralph E. Doty,
他在美国陆军军事情报部门工作。 who was in U.S. Army military intelligence.
-[劳伦斯]正是这些人在做的事 - [Laurence] Exactly what these men were doing
特斯拉房间里的秘密仍然是个谜。 in Tesla's room remains a mystery.
——特斯拉传记作者马克·塞弗 - Tesla biographer, Mark Seifer,
查找一些指示的信息 finds some information that indicates
保险箱里有一把保险箱的钥匙 that inside the safe was a key to a safe deposit box
那是在克林顿州长酒店 that was at the Governor Clinton Hotel
在曼哈顿的其他地方。 elsewhere in Manhattan.
有一种观点认为，也许第一个可操作的例子 There is a belief that maybe the first operational example
死亡射线被关在那里。 of the death ray was being held there.
-是不是菲茨杰拉德想要 - Could it be that Fitzgerald wanted
当保险箱被打开的时候我在场 to be there when the safe was opened
这样他就能拿到钥匙了 so he could gain possession of the key
那打开了保险箱里面的计划 that opened the safety deposit box where the plans
因为传力应该被保留了？ for the teleforce were supposedly kept?
原因有很多 There are a number of reasons
菲茨杰拉德为什么想要这些计划 why Fitzgerald may have wanted the plans
到所谓的死亡射线。 to the so-called death ray.
-菲茨杰拉德和美国军队有联系 - Fitzgerald has connections with the U.S. Army,
所以也许他是出于国家安全的考虑。 so maybe he wants it for reasons of national security.
但也许菲茨杰拉德自己想要 But maybe Fitzgerald wants it for himself
卖给出价最高的人 to sell to the highest bidder.
-这对任何人来说都很诱人 - This could have been tempting for anyone,
但对一个年轻的电气工程师来说尤其诱人 but especially tempting for a young electrical engineer
他们知道这些计划的价值。 who understood what the plans could be worth.
-有一些猜测 - There's some speculation
他可能有更多的渠道 that he might have had greater access
比大家认为的要多。 than everybody thought that he did.
所以有两种方法来看待这个问题。 So there are two ways of looking at this.
一种可能是，他只是一个仰慕他的超级粉丝 One could be that he is just the admiring super fan
谁想置身于更大的引力之下 who wants to be within the greater gravitational pull
关于这位伟人， of this great person,
也可能是他在暗中密谋什么 or it might be that he is secretly up to something
是政府让他这么做的。 and that the government put him up to it.
-[劳伦斯]所有被指控的内容 - [Laurence] Of all the alleged contents of the
丢失的特斯拉文件， missing Tesla files,
最吸引人的是他的死亡射线 it's his death ray that attracts the most interest,
甚至在这位伟大的科学家去世之前。 even before the great scientist passed away.
-我们有采访记录 - We have records of an interview
《纽约时报》 in "The New York Times"
他声称他即将在那里推出一项新技术 where he claims that he is about to unveil a new technology
这将改变世界。 that's going to be world changing.
-特斯拉称他的装置为传力装置。 - Tesla called his device the teleforce.
但teleforce这个名字不够性感 But teleforce is not a sexy enough name
《纽约时报》 for "The New York Times"
他们将其命名为“死亡射线” who dub it instead the "Death Ray."
更不祥的描述是， Much more ominous description,
这完全违背了特斯拉的意图。 completely at odds with Tesla's intentions.
-特斯拉不喜欢它被称为死亡射线 - Tesla didn't like it to be called the death ray.
他喜欢把它叫做和平射线或传力。 He liked it to be called the peace ray or teleforce.
他认为这是一种防御武器 He saw this as a defensive weapon
释放出钨粒子， that shoots out tungsten particles,
它可以摧毁1万架飞机。 and the idea is it can take out 10,000 planes.
它能熔化炸弹。 It can melt bombs.
(炸弹繁荣) [bomb booms]
——因此，造就了国家 - Therefore, making the country
它控制着传送力不受外来攻击。 that controlled the teleforce impervious to foreign attack.
问题是， The thing is though,
如果你看到的是能造成那种伤害的光束， if you're looking at a beam that can do that kind of damage,
没有必要解释为什么会这样 there's no necessary reason why it has
用于防御目的 to be used for defensive purposes.
你为什么不能用无礼的语气呢？ Why couldn't you use it offensively?
还有1940年的世界 And who out there in the world in 1940
会对武器感兴趣吗 would be very interested in a weapon
可以用来攻击吗？ that could be used offensively?
阿道夫·希特勒。 Well, Adolf Hitler.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-这不仅仅是疯狂的猜测 - It is not just wild speculation
想象国家社会主义第三帝国 to imagine that the National Socialist Third Reich
对特斯拉很感兴趣 had interest in Tesla.
时机在这里至关重要 The timing is critically important here,
因为《纽约时报》的文章出来了 because "The New York Times" article comes out
1940年9月。 in September of 1940.
在美国有德国特工的小分队 There are cells of German agents living in the United States
是来监视美国政府的 that are here to spy on the American government
和美国军队。 and the American military.
他们在搞间谍活动 They're conducting espionage
在美国参战之前 before the U.S. gets involved in the war
在美国参战后 and then after the U.S. gets involved in the war,
纳粹德国当时仍然非常强大 Nazi Germany is still very powerful at the time
尼古拉·特斯拉死的时候 when Nikola Tesla dies.
德国可能会赢得战争 Germany might just win the war
如果他们有合适的武器 if they have the right weapons,
越来越依赖于它的技术。 banking more and more on its technology.
-希特勒的想法是他到处都有间谍 - Hitler's idea was that he had spies all up
沿东海岸而下 and down the Eastern Seaboard,
其中一个可能会绑架特斯拉， and that one of them possibly could either kidnap Tesla,
把他带到纳粹德国 bring him to Nazi Germany,
或者至少抓住他 or at least get ahold
特斯拉所有的材料 of whatever material Tesla had available.
-所以在这段时间里， - So it's plausible that during this entire time,
甚至是特斯拉死亡的时间 even the time of Tesla's death,
希特勒的军队在美国 Hitler's men were in the U.S.
他们都在放哨 and they were on the lookout
窃取特斯拉的技术。 for stealing Tesla's technologies.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-这是一些理论家推测的 - It has been speculated by some theorists
德国政府正在努力 that the German government was trying
来获取特斯拉的信息 to get access to Tesla's information
希望能研发出一种死亡射线来达到自己的目的。 in the hope of developing a death ray for its own purposes.
这是一种潜在的战争胜利武器 This is a potential war-winning weapon
上面有原子能。 up there with atomic power.
至少有一个可能的纳粹同情者 There is at least one possible Nazi sympathizer
与特斯拉关系密切的人 who had gotten close to Tesla.
他是匈牙利人， He was Hungarian,
一个叫提图斯·德·波布拉的怪人 an eccentric guy named Titus de Bobula.
德博布拉实际上被赶出了匈牙利 De Bobula was actually kicked out of Hungary
因为与纳粹组织结盟。 for being aligned with a Nazi organization.
-所以de Bobula被监视了 - So de Bobula is under surveillance
当他回到美国的时候。 when he returns to the United States.
特斯拉在20世纪40年代与德波布拉合作。 Tesla is working with de Bobula during the 1940s.
他们在一起研究死亡射线 They're working on the death ray together,
所以这肯定是个男人 and so certainly this is a man
谁能告诉别人， who could tell other people,
也许是在纽约活动的德国间谍 perhaps German spies operating in New York City,
这武器有多大的威胁。 what kind of threat this weapon might be.
De Bobula也对极端政治感兴趣。 De Bobula is also interested in extreme politics.
-据说他已经放弃了效忠 - He had supposedly disavowed an allegiance
德美同盟 with the German-American Bund,
同情纳粹的人 known to have Nazi sympathies,
虽然他可能这么做了， and although he may have done that,
他这么做是因为他真的不喜欢这种意识形态吗 did he do that because he genuinely disliked the ideology
国家社会主义？ of National Socialism?
还是说他这么做是为了低调行事？ Or did he do it to lay low and fly under the radar?
-[劳伦斯]不过，可能还有其他特工 - [Laurence] Still, there might have been other agents
希特勒下令 that Hitler tasked
追踪特斯拉的先进技术 with tracking down Tesla's advanced technologies.
-根据一些研究人员的说法， - According to some researchers,
希特勒派党卫军军官去了美国 Hitler actually sent SS officers to the U.S.
来获取特斯拉的死亡射线技术 to gain access to Tesla's death ray technology.
那是在1943年 It was in 1943
一个叫奥托·斯科尔泽尼的人负责监督任务。 with one Otto Skorzeny overseeing the mission.
他是一个可恶的纳粹人物 He was a nasty Nazi figure
他脸上有个伤疤， with a scar on his face,
看起来像邦德里的反派。 looks like a Bond villain.
特斯拉死后， And after Tesla's death,
他成为纳粹德国的主要人物。 he becomes a main figure in Nazi Germany.
他领导了很多突击行动 He leads a lot of commando operations
并为自己赢得了绰号， and earns himself the nickname,
欧洲最危险的人。 the Most Dangerous Man in Europe.
-战争结束后，Skorzeny逃离了欧洲 - After the war, Skorzeny flees the part of Europe
人们在那里寻找前纳粹分子， where people were looking for former Nazis,
他去了西班牙，用假名生活 he makes his way to Spain, lives under an assumed name,
直到1975年，他的去世才被广泛报道。 until 1975 when his death is widely reported.
-现在有趣的是，在21世纪初， - Now what's interesting is that, in the early 200s,
你有一个29岁的佛罗里达人 you have a 29-year-old man from Florida
谁说他女朋友的老祖父 who claims that his girlfriend's elderly grandfather
实际上是Otto Skorzeny。 is actually Otto Skorzeny.
-现在这个所谓的Skorzeny在临终前坦白了 - Now this purported Skorzeny on his deathbed confesses
从特斯拉那里偷了死亡射线的设计图 to having stolen the plans for the death ray from Tesla
然后交给了阿道夫·希特勒 and given them to Adolf Hitler.
-斯科泽尼逃到西班牙的想法 - The idea of Skorzeny escaping to Spain
伪造自己的死亡也很神奇。 and then faking his own death is pretty fantastical.
但是这些纳粹分子想要占领 But the idea of these Nazis actually trying to get ahold
特斯拉的设计和任何现存的原型， of Tesla's designs and any prototypes that exist,
这并不是幻想。 that's not so fantastical.
-如果是这样，那死亡射线在哪？ - But if that's what happened, where's the death ray?
如果他们有的话， If they'd had it,
武器应该是针对英国皇家空军的 the weapon would've been directed against RAF
以及带来苦难的美国陆军轰炸机 and U.S. Army bombers that were bringing misery
飞往德国城市的航班。 to German cities on a daily basis.
(炸弹蓬勃发展) [bombs booming]
也许原因是 Maybe though the reason
我们在战争中看不到死亡射线是 that we don't see the death ray during the war is
这些技术都是理论上的， that the technology was all theoretical,
而德国人仍在研究它 and that the Germans were still working on it
当他们没时间的时候。 when they ran out of time.
所以他们永远也做不到 And so they were never able
来完善特斯拉的死亡射线 to perfect Tesla's death ray.
-有些人认为也许 - Some people think that maybe
美国政府的第一个结论 the American government's very first conclusion
是正确的。 is the correct one.
特斯拉的档案里没有任何有价值的东西。 There was nothing there of value left in Tesla's files.
原因是特斯拉自己确保了 And the reason why is because Tesla himself made sure
什么都不会留下。 that there would be nothing left.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
——[劳伦斯]在20世纪40年代早期， - [Laurence] In the early 1940s,
年老的尼古拉·特斯拉面临着身体和精神的衰退， as an aging Nikola Tesla faced physical and mental decline,
有没有可能他开始处理自己的文件了？ is it possible he began to get rid of his own files?
——特斯拉即将走到生命的尽头。 - Tesla is nearing the end of his life.
他认为自己就是其中之一 He sees himself as one
世界上最伟大的科学家之一。 of the greatest scientists in the world.
他认为自己比爱因斯坦强， He sees himself as better than Einstein,
当然比爱迪生好。 of course better than Edison.
他给世界带来了所有这些伟大的发明， He's given all of these great inventions to the world,
然而他却被骗走了这么多的成功。 and yet he's been swindled out of so much of his success.
他会如何看待自己的成就 How would he have felt about his accomplishments
然后在他死后被利用？ then being used after his death?
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-也许在他参加面试之后 - Maybe after he sat for the interview
《纽约时报》关于死亡射线的报道 with "The New York Times" about the death ray,
也许他改变主意了。 maybe he had second thoughts.
也许他销毁了自己关于瞬间移动的文件 Maybe he destroys his own files relating to teleportation
或者是死亡射线这样它就不会带来更高的水平 or the death ray so that it wouldn't bring greater levels
给世界带来痛苦和痛苦 of misery and suffering to the world
比第二次世界大战带来的还要多 than what World War II had already delivered.
-我们必须考虑特斯拉的个性 - We have to think about Tesla's personality
以及这些年来的变化。 and how it changed over the years.
特斯拉对自己的天才深信不疑。 Tesla was convinced of his genius.
他认为自己是世界上最伟大的人。 He thought that he was the greatest mind in the world.
他抱怨那些无知的人 He grumbled that ignorant people
是那些把爱因斯坦当成皇室的人。 are the ones who treat Einstein like he's royalty.
-随着时间的推移，特斯拉越来越相信 - As the years go on, Tesla becomes increasingly convinced
有人想要剥削他，窃取他的创意。 that people are seeking to rip him off and steal his ideas.
他的另一个例子 Another example of his
对现实的把握越来越脆弱， increasingly tenuous hold on reality,
他有恐惧症。 he had phobias.
他害怕女人的首饰。 He was afraid of women's jewelry.
每顿饭，他都要三张折叠餐巾。 For every meal, he ordered three folded napkins.
没有它他就吃不下饭。 He wouldn't eat without it.
今天他很可能会被诊断出来 Today he would likely be diagnosed
患有强迫症。 with obsessive compulsive disorder.
-他完全被孤立了 - He became just completely isolated.
他总是被锁在酒店房间里 He was always locked in his hotel room
门上挂着“请勿打扰”的牌子。 with his do-not-disturb sign on the door.
所以也许在他孤立和偏执的状态下， So maybe, in his isolated and paranoid state,
特斯拉觉得有很多人在等着他 Tesla felt that there were just troves of people waiting
突然闯入并窃取他的杰出设计。 to just swoop in and steal his brilliant designs.
-没有什么比成为受害者更让你偏执的了 - Nothing will make you more paranoid than being the victim
你身边的人偷你的东西。 of people close to you stealing from you.
这在特斯拉的一生中一次又一次地发生。 And that happened over and over again in Tesla's life.
就在他死前几天 Just days before his death,
罗斯福总统亲自问道 President Roosevelt himself asked
了解特斯拉的最新情况。 for an update on the Tesla situation.
因此，就连总统办公室也在关注此事 So even the office of the presidency was paying attention
这位86岁的老人在曼哈顿做了什么 to what this 86-year-old man was up to in Manhattan.
有传言说那里有联邦调查局特工 There's a rumor that there were FBI agents
就在大厅那头的酒店房间里 that were in a hotel room just down the hall
在《纽约客》上盯着他 at the New Yorker, keeping an eye on him.
也许这就是为什么当他快死的时候 And perhaps that's why, when he was nearing his death,
他意识到， he realized that,
我要让这些珍贵的画作消失。 I'm gonna make these valuable drawings go away.
我要把他们处理掉 I'm gonna get rid of them
因为这个世界骗走我的钱已经够久了 because the world has cheated me out of money long enough
我死后它也不会这样对我 and it's not gonna do it to me after I've died.
-也许特斯拉这么做是为了造福人类。 - Perhaps Tesla did it as a service to humanity.
他知道有一些令人讨厌的人 He knew that there were unsavory people
谁对他的想法感兴趣 who were interested in his ideas
也许他把它们都处理掉了 and maybe he got rid of them
这样他们就不会落入坏人之手。 so that they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands.
- [Laurence]特斯拉是否摧毁了任何一个 - [Laurence] Whether Tesla destroyed any
他的论文无人知晓， of his papers is not known,
而是联邦调查局解密了他们自己的文件 but the FBI's declassification of their own files
让很多人相信，他在2016年对特斯拉的投资 on Tesla in 2016 has led many to believe
还有更有价值的特斯拉文件 that there are more valuable Tesla documents
还有待揭晓。 yet to be revealed.
-我们知道有些文件不见了 - We know that there are files missing,
但是谁拥有它们呢？ but who has them
什么时候政府可能会透露更多信息 and when the government might shed more light
在这一点上确实是未知的 on this is really unknown
-文件是否丢失 - Whether the files went missing
因为他们被政府抓去了 because they were grabbed by some government
或者是因为特斯拉自己毁了它们。 or because Tesla destroyed them himself.
许多研究人员一直在寻找 Many researchers have been looking
从那以后他的发明就消失了。 for his lost inventions ever since.
(紧张的音乐) [tense music]
-我们仍然对这位古怪的天才发明家着迷 - We're still fascinated by the eccentric genius inventor
他现在可能比他去世时更受欢迎。 who is perhaps more popular now than he was at his death.
寻找特斯拉丢失文件的工作仍在继续 The search for Tesla's missing files continues
因为我们有理由相信 because there's reason to believe
革命的秘密也许会在这些书页中发现。 that revolutionary secrets may be discovered in those pages.
也许有一天他们会被找到。 Maybe someday they'll be found.
我是劳伦斯·菲什伯恩。 I'm Laurence Fishburne.
感谢收看“历史上最伟大的谜团”。 Thank you for watching "History's Greatest Mysteries."
[紧张的音乐继续] [tense music continues]