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 January and April 1917. They pertain to Edison's work on a stabilizing vane to reduce the rolling of warships in heavy weather. Although the specifics of Edison's plan are not included in his letter to Daniels of January 21, 1918, a detailed description of his idea can be found on pp. 180-181 of Lloyd N. Scott's Naval Consulting Board of the United States. A blueprint containing diagrams of the stabilizer's synchronizing commutator is enclosed with Edison's January 21 letter. A letter written by Daniels on April 23 provides results of tests of the stabilizing vane conducted at the Washington Navy Yard.

Courtesy of Charles Hummel.