Some believe that the SIS and FBI were really working with him and they planted the wild eye scientist stories in the media at the time as a cover story. After all WW2 was raging and they were looking for inventions or designs that could help the war effort.
I think he was shopping his idea around during the early 30s.
The book I read about him.
One of the cable networks has a series Genius they did Einstein the first year and then Picasso last year. Liked both very much. Hoping Tesla is on the list. I would think edison would be.
However, I read in the FBI files that he was over 75 when he died and I do recall he had been known to be eccentric, not to say erratic.