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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Assistant Attorney General James W. McInerney
February 3, 1951
Director, FBI
THEODORE VON KARMAN INTERNAL SECURITY — R
CONFIDENTIAL
Reference is made to your memorandum of January 18, 1951, entitled "John Whiteside Parson [Jack Parsons], Wa. Espionage — IS," your reference JMM:CEN:vb.
Particular reference is made to paragraph 6 of your memorandum which requested advice as to whether the Dr. Theodore Von Karman under whom William Perl, formerly worked at Columbia University, is identical with Professor Theodore Von Karman of the California Institute of Technology, who referred subject Parsons to Herbert T. Rosenfeld. Your memorandum also requested advice as to whether this Bureau has any information indicating that the above matters are at all related.
Information in the files of this Bureau, furnished by reliable informants, reflects that Dr. Theodore Von Karman, who was a former superior of William Perl at Columbia University, has been Director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Research Laboratory and Professor of Aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology since the late 1930'2. He has served in various capacities with United States Government agencies.
According to the informants, Dr. Von Karman, as Director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, played an important part in causing the Air Force to set up the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in the early 1940's, and was an original stockholder in the Aerojet Engineering Company of Asusa, California, a private firm which was set up to manufacture pilot models developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Because of the fact that John Whiteside Parsons, during a recent interview advised he was employed from 1938 to 1944 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, and from 1941 to 1946 by the Aerojet Engineering Company, it appears that the Professor Theodore Von Karman who introduced Parsons to Herbert T. Rosenfeld is identical with that individual who was a superior of William Perl at Columbia University.
This Bureau has no information indicating that the cases of Perl and Parsons are related other than that information which has been previously furnished you and that which is herein set out.
There is furnished for your additional information the results of a review of the files of this Bureau concerning the name Theodore Von Karman.
As of recent date, another Government agency that conducts intelligence investigations advised this Bureau that they were in possession of information concerning one Todar Karman. The information had been furnished them by letter from Vienna, Austria, dated April 1, 1948, and was originally furnished by a source evaluated as fairly reliable.
According to the source, Todar Karman joined the Hungarian Communist Party inn 1918 while working as Assistant Professor of Physics at the Josef Nador Technical University, Budapest, Hungary. In 1919, when the Communists seized power in Hungary, Karman was appointed Deputy Commissar of Cultural and Educational Affairs in charge of Higher Education. Karman continued to function in that capacity until late 1919 when Communists were routed by the Nationalist forces of Admiral Horthy. At that time, Karman was forced to flee from Hungary and escaped to Germany where he settled at Aachen. His membership was then transferred to the German Communist Party. Karman engaged in scientific work in Germany and was invited to lecture at the University of Aachen. In 1931 he received an invitation to lecture in the United States and was issued an entry visa to the United States from 1931 to 1933.
According to the source, Karman gave several lecture courses at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, and returned each time to Aachen after the completion of the courses. After Hitler seized power in Germany, Karman applied for an extension of his permit of residency in the United States and was subsequently granted an extended residence permit. He then became a regular Professor at the California Institute of Technology and during World War II engaged in research work in Aerodynamics for the Army Air Forces.
The source also stated that in 1945, Karman was assigned to a position on the research staff of an Army-sponsored guided missile project at Pasadena, a position which the source believed he maintained as of 1948. The source further believed that Karman covered up his Communist Party membership when first applying for an entry visa to the United States in 1931.
The Chicago Office of this Bureau has recently advised that one [Redacted] telephonically contacted that office while passing through the City of Chicago. [Redacted] advised that he had been previously employed on the development of rockets and guided missiles in the Guggenheim Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in 1943 and 1944. He also advised that after the war he spent some time in Germany checking laboratories of German scientists and that he selected approximately 100 such scientists to be allowed to enter the United States to complete their scientific work.
[Redacted] recalled the fact that he had read recent newspaper articles concerning Dr. Nem-Shen Tsien who was an Assistant to Dr. Theodore Von Karman and who had classified information of the United States Government in belongings which he was taking with him to China. He also recalled that Dr. Frank Malina has been described in recent news articles as having allegedly held Communist cell meetings in his home before World War II. [Redacted] stated that Frank Malina had the reputation of being Dr. Von Karman's "shadow" at the California Institute of Technology and had worked on classified and restricted projects with Dr. Von Karman.
[Redacted] also reported that at the end of the war he had spoken with Colonel W. H. Joiner of the U.S. Army Air Force who advised [Redacted] that he had held a private meeting wit Dr. Von Karman and during this meeting Dr. Von Karman questioned Joiner regarding the atomic bomb. According to [Redacted] his conversation with Colonel Joiner brought up the question as to whether Dr. Von Karman should have had access to atomic information at a time which was approximately one and one-half years before information regarding the bomb had been revealed to the public.
The present address of [Redacted] is unknown, however, he stated that he had formerly resided at [Redacted], Los Angeles and had received mail at [Redacted]. [Redacted] advised that he believes Colonel Joiner is now retired from the Air Force and presently resides in Alabama. Pertinent reports have been furnished you in connection with the investigations entitled [Redacted], wa., Espionage — R" and [Redacted], wa., Internal Security — R."
During an investigation of [Redacted] conducted by this Bureau in 1945, reliable informants advised that on January 9, March 7, March 22, April 3, April 24 and 25, 1945, Dr. Theodore Von Karman, who was then associated with the Army Air Force, contacted [Redacted]. The investigation of [Redacted] was based on information furnished by other reliable informants to the effect that [Redacted] was in frequent contact with members of the Soviet Embassy in Washington and the Soviet Consulate in New York. The informants also advised that [Redacted] had been associated with Russian War Relief and the National Council for American Soviet Friendship. At that time [Redacted] was [Redacted].
In 1947 when interviewed in connection with an investigation being conducted by this Bureau, Dr. Theodore Von Karman stated that he was then Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Commanding General of the Army Air Force and a holder of the Medal of Merit.
In the January 1, 1951, issue of "Time" magazine, a photograph of Dr. Von Karman appears, together with an article which relates how he and four associates originally invested $8,700 and established the Aerojet Engineering Company of Asusa, California, as a result of Von Karman's knowledge that rockets would be an important weapon. The article states that the Aerojet Company now has a $25,000,000 backlog of orders and is planning a new $6,000,000 plant.
The present address of Dr. Theodore Von Karman is reported to be Scientific Advisory Board, Office of the Director, Research and Development, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, The Pentagon.
There are attached for your additional information copies of the following reports which were made in connection with an investigation of which Dr. Theodore Von Karman was carried as a subject:
Report of Special Agent [Redacted], dated May 7, 1940, at Los Angeles; Report of Special Agent N. M. Davis dated August 12, 1941 at Los Angeles; Report of Special Agent Logan J. Lane dated October 6, 1941, at Cincinnati, Ohio; Report of Special Agent [Redacted], dated June 3, 1942, at Los Angeles; Report of Special Agent [Redacted], dated July 30, 1943, at Los Angeles.
Pertinent information concerning Dr. Von Karman has been furnished the Director of Special Investigations, Department of the Air Force, with the request that that agency advise whether Dr. Von Karman is presently employed by the Department of the Air Force. That agency was also requested to advise whether their files contain any information which will substantiate or disprove the recent allegations received concerning Dr. Von Karman.
You will be furnished any additional pertinent information received or developed concerning this matter.
Enclosures
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