REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON MR. WILLIAM MARCHANT'S 'PROJECTING ELECRONIC RAY'

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02194749
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: October 26, 2018
• Case Number: F-2016-02255
• Publication Date: December 23, 1952

DOCUMENT NO.
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SECURITY 1NFOFMATION
MEMORANDUM TO: AD/00
CONFIONTIAL
THROUGH: DD/I
2 Assistant to the Director (R, E.
In turn)
AD/SI
SUBJECT:
tz4
DEC 2 3 1952
Request for Lntannation on Mr. i1iiam Earchrnt's
"Projectinc, Electronic Ray"
1. Attention is invited to the attaChea letter to the )CI from
Mr. Walter W. CoVhiT of Boston, Mass. which requests data frem the
files of this Agency on a 1"Projectinc Electronic Ray. t'OU lll
recall we evaluated this invention of Mr. William Merchant at the
request of the President and with the assistance of joue Office in
DeceMber 1950. The background file an this effort two years a6o is
also attached for your information.
2. Unfortunately, Mt. Chi han seen at least part of this
Agency's letter of 20 January 1951 closin oat coil- 1950 review of the
case, and he knows we have information on the "Rev." It word net be
desirable to make our technical files on this case availaUle to him,
nor is it recommended that we co on record it a fomial letter to him
denying that we have any- information or transmittin the unclassified
history of the considerations of the invention varf.oas otter
government agencies-
3. Therefore, it is recommended that Mr. Col,rht4 he contacted
informally through the appropriate field office and .;f/ren r;tih of the
following unclassified information as is deeMod appropriate in such a
way as to divorce this Agency from the case and avoid ellY svoseeuent
publicity.
a. There is no technical information aa the 'Pr. etin6
Electronic Ray" available with CIA that wolAd be helpful to
Mr. �Whig that is not available with the inventor, Mr. liarchunt.
b. The invention has been evaluated 1:4 the Ordnerce Corps,
Department of the Army and by the Eatiatal Inventors Council.
(1) The idea of the "Ray" was o,.1 inaLl, offered -b
the US Government in 1936, and it ens the subject of an
investigation contract of 9 May 1912,G (Word-259 for
$3,000) between the Army Ordnance (Wate_town arsenal)
and the Merchant Associates, inc. The contract uas
terminated on 8 October 1937 due tO fai_ure of the
r to fulfill his contractual obli,at-ens. This
contract and 03 matur.;a1 pertainin, Lo it Iras dom,raded
141t4classified " on 30 July 1947.
MOM
DENTIAL
COPIED FROM NEARLY ILLEGIBLE ORIGINAL
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(2) The matter was reviewed by the Army �ramuce
in 1937, upon a recommendation of W. James Roosevelt,
and in 1938 as the result of an inquiry by Senator
H. C. Lodce, Jr. In 1940 the matter was recroened an
offer of the inventor to modify the basi._: idea for use
as an "airplane detector." In all cases, Arq: Ordnance
reviews failed to find valid reasons for a positive
action.
(3) Early in 1942 the same basic idea was sahnitted
to the National Inventors Council W171ch requeeted teenni-
eal infermatiOn necessary for evaluation. This informa-
tion was not supplied, and the project of avall)atioP. was
abandoned.
4. The attached papers should be returned to Central Records of
Executive Registry upon completion of the action on the attached letter
from Mr. Cowhig. The technical files on the 'Ray" have been retained
by this Office.
14ARSEALL CBAINELL
Attachments
SECRET
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i
I. 3 i (SENDER WILL CIRCLE CLASSIFICATION0.0P AND BOTTOM) ,
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
TO
INITIALS
DATE
1
Assistant Director for
2
Scientific Intelligence
____
Ex Reg for file
,�)�-)ie.
4
5
DATE
FROM
Deputy Assistant Director f
.----
4 Jan 53
2
Operations
3
APPROVAL E INFORMATION SIGNATURE
-
ACTION DIRECT REPLY RETURN
COMMENT PREPARATION OF REPLY DISPATCH
0 CONCURRENCE RECOMMENDATION FILE
REMARKS: As per your request, we are returning
all papers in relation to ITrojecting Electronic
Ray!' and letter from Mr. Walter Cowhie to the DCI�
As you know,
has already discussed this matter with Mr. Cowhig.
A...' �-:- .4 . -
i
SECRET, CONFIDENTIAL RiSTRICTED UNCLASSIFIED
FORM �4
SEP. WV
10,---637611-1 U. L GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
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�
41NCEASSIEIED RESTRICTED NwINFIDENTIAL ., SECRET
(SENDER WILL CIRCLE CLASSIFICATION TOP AND BOTTOM) '
..
. .
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
TO
INITIALS
DATE
AD/Scientific IntellLgence
Deputy Director/Intelligence
141kt"
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Assistant to the Director
4
Assistant Director 0
FROM
INITIALS
DATE
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Assrt to the Director
REL/.Z
12/15/52
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APPROVAL INFORMATION 0 SIGNATURE
ACTION D DIRECT REPLY RETURN
COMMENT PREPARATION OF REPLY DISPATCH
. CONCURRENCE RECOMMENDATION FILE
REMARKS: Please return all papers together
with your recommendation. I have talked with
-- nothing to be added from that
quarter.
R. E. Long
SECRET CONFIfttfHM-------ltSTRICTED UNCLASSIFIED
FORM
SEP. ISO
16-03794-1 u. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OPPICE
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899 BOYLSTON STREET
BOSTON IS, MASS.
TEL., KENMORE 6-8833
December 13,1952
General W. B. Smith,
Central Intelligence Agency,
2430 E Street N.Y4
Washington, D.C.
Dear General Smith;
On December 11th I visited your office where the rec-
eptionits turned me over to your who
asked me to write this letter rather than wait for the infor-
mation I am seeking. I showed a copy of a letter
addressed to Hon. Wells Blodgett Priest, Backettstown,N.J.dated
January 20,1951 as written by Warner Stutler,Authorized Contract-
ing Officer, wherein a letter from General Smith to Judge Priest
was refeeedd to. That letter was dated 12-12-50 on the subject
of "Projecting Electronic Bay"
The inventor of the "Projecting Electronic Ray' Urjifliam
Merchant, Woburn,Mass., has asked me to join him in the manufacture
of the 'ray' for industrial applications but before I invest any
substantial sums of money I must ask your assistance as being the
only source of verifing statements made by Mr. Merchant.
Mr. Merchant states that he has had four contracts with
government agencies, the first with Army Ordanace,Contract Word-259
dated April 30,1936,a secret contract between the United Stites of
America and Merchant Assoc.,Inc.�for design and construction of
Projector T-11 The cover sheet of the contract states 'Amount -
$ 3,000,000.00. I would want to be permitted to read the contracts
that follow this contract for many reasons and probably the most
important reason is that Mr. Merchant claims that he, in all the
contracts, retained the right to manufacture the 'ray' for industrial
uses and that there were no leins by the government , and further
that application for Letters Patent were made in his name but kept
secret at that time for security purposes.
The letter of January 20th referred to above states that
the agreement regarding security was abrogated by that letter. Would
you therefore advise me wheather you are free to let me read the
file on the subject so that I may learn wherepin what other government
departments there is a technical file that has evaluated the 'ray'.
Very truly yours,
00WHIG INDUSTRIES
Wal er ,,ow' g; Gen. M
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(sEr ER WILL CIRCLE CLASSIFICATION
5
'CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
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002194749SECR
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Central Records
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FROM
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Assistant to the Director
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OF REPLY
RECORD
SIGNATURE
RETURN
DI ATCH
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APPROVAL INFORMATION
I
I_ACTION I DIRECT REPLY
[-------1
1---ICOMMENT
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PREPARATION
CONCURRENCE RECOMMENDATION
LiiiiiIFILE
REMARKS:
correspondence
by
SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR THE
The information contatned
was given verbally
the DCI on 29 December 19
CONFIDENTIAL RESTRICTED
in attached
to the President
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I F I ED
, IINCLASS
FORM NO.
SEP 1947 30.4
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