Since Tesla was often buried deep in research at remote labs, many of his financial and legal affairs were supervised by his closest associate, George H. Scherff. Scherff often advised Tesla about pending patent litigation, contracts, proposals, demonstrations, and financial affairs. As any trusty associate would, Scherff stood beside Tesla through all the ups and downs of his financial nightmares, sometimes arranging for extended credit at the Waldorf-Astoria, where Tesla often resided, or by obtaining a cash advance toward research he had been contracted to perform. Near the end of his career, Tesla was evicted from the Waldorf for an outstanding bill which exceeded $20,000 a rather large sum for those days.
As Tesla worked on secret U.S. government projects at Colorado Springs, Colorado, Scherff communicated to Tesla the status of his business affairs. Tesla spoke of hopeful, future financial successes, though Scherff repeatedly delivered the news of dwindling funds. Tesla had begun construction of a wireless power transmission tower (Wardenclyffe, Shoreham, Long Island) with funds invested by J.P. Morgan. When Morgan discovered that the tower would transmit free electricity and radio waves, he cancelled the project and had the tower dismantled, then sold for scrap. Morgan was not about to allow Americans to receive free electricity, television and radio. Tesla was devastated when he received the news, but continued on with his new inventions.
Some 12 years later, on October 14, 1918, Scherff wrote to Tesla at Colorado Springs. The correspondence focused on the usual disclosure of pending legal issues and attorney matters and was sent to Tesla on Tesla Company letterhead containing the companys headquarters address at 8 W. 40th Street, New York, NY. [10] On October 15, 1918, (the next day) Tesla responded to Scherffs letter (it seems impossible regarding our understanding of the technology available at the time, but these are the dates attached to the correspondence).
An interesting anomaly: Teslas response was addressed to George Scherff, Esq., Union Sulphur Co., 17 Battery Pl., New York, NY (Union Sulphur Company?). [11] This address was not the location of the Nikola Tesla Company.
The Rockefeller Connection
Records show that 17 Battery Place is the Whitehall Building and was owned by Frank Rockefeller, who, with his brothers William and John D., also owned many of the companies with offices located there. The International Longshoremens Association (ILA) had its world headquarters there, as well as a variety of oil, mining, and chemical companies. [12] Though Union Sulphur Company was run by its president, Herman Frasch, a German chemist who patented extraction methods for sulphur and petroleum, Frasch also worked for John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil Company (in New York, New Jersey, and Cleveland, Ohio), developing similar extraction methods.
On the basis of this association, George Scherff, Sr., had connections with the Rockefeller family, though it is unclear if Tesla was at all aware of this connection.
Frank Rockefeller was also an investor of Buckeye Steel Castings in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye manufactured automatic couplers and chassis for railroad cars owned by the Harrimans, the Rockefellers, and J.P. Morgan. Eventually, Samuel P. Bush was promoted from general manager to president of the company after producing gigantic profits.
Samuel P. Bushs association with the Rockefellers and his subsequent position as Director of the War Industries Board afforded him the opportunity to create contracts with Remington Arms during the war, courtesy of Percy Rockefeller.
Nikola Teslas trusted assistant (sometimes referred to as accountant or secretary) George Scherff, Sr., worked at Union Sulphur Company. Normally, this association would not set off alarms, considering the state of Teslas affairs. Scherff had every right to earn a decent living in order to support his family. That was the American Way. But a careful examination of Union Sulphur Co. might reveal that someone was being deceived Tesla, and Scherff was at the root of this deception.
Who was George Scherff?
Who was George Scherff? Better yet, who was George H. Scherff, Sr.? There exists no legitimate record of a George H. Scherff being born in the U.S. from the late-1800s through 1925, yet, George Scherff was Nikola Teslas assistant/accountant. If he was born in Germany, could his birthplace shed some light on this mystery? Probablyif they exist (it has become apparent that individuals associated with the Nazi Party commonly have all or parts of their genealogical records expungedwe will explore this further in the section of this article dealing with the Bush family tree).
Otto Skorzeny: S.S./ODESSA/CIA master spy and assassin
Friends and acquaintances of Nikola Tesla recall him complaining about Scherffs son, George, Jr., always snooping around Teslas lab. On more than one occasion (probably during the late 1930s), Tesla caught the 14-year old Scherff looking at his notes, poring through his books, and stealing small items from his lab. Tesla gave him the nickname, Curious George and likened him to a mischievous monkey. According to Skorzeny, (Adolph Hitlers former bodyguard) in a deathbed confession to Eric Orion (Eric Berman) in S. Miami, Florida, Tesla, hated the younger Scherff. In fact, according to Skorzeny, the Curious George book and movie were inspired by Tesla s suggestion.
Curiously, the day before the national theatrical release of the Hollywood production of the Curious George feature length film, Alan Shalleck, the originator of Curious George (and the man in the Yellow hat), was found murdered under a pile of plastic garbage bags in his driveway in Florida at age 76. [13]
In short, Otto Skorzeny claimed that the true identity of George H.W. Bush was George H. Scherff, Jr., the son of Nikola Teslas illegal-immigrant, German-born accountant, George H. Scherff, Sr.
