This collection consists primarily of letters exchanged between Edison and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, along with related correspondence. Many of the typewritten letters are accompanied by drafts in Edison's hand. The documents in this folder are from February-May 1917. They pertain to Edison's efforts to develop a small wind turbine that could be mounted on the head of a shell. The turbine would provide the shell with the rotation necessary for stability in flight, thus obviating the necessity for rifling the guns of a warship (i.e., cutting spiral grooves into their bores). Included is an unfavorable report by the Navy's Special Board of Ordnance, which Daniels forwarded to Edison. Also included are photographs related to the invention.
This project is described on p. 183 of Lloyd N. Scott's Naval Consulting Board of the United States.
[X128C04A], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Josephus Daniels, February 16th, 1917 1917-02-16
[X128C04B], Letter from Josephus Daniels to Thomas Alva Edison, February 1917 1917-02-00
[X128C04C], Letter from U.S. Navy Dept. Special Board on Naval Ordnance to U.S. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance, February 23rd, 1917 1917-02-23
[X128C04D], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Josephus Daniels, May 7th, 1917 1917-05-07