ROCKET RESEARCH LAGS IN BRITAIN

Chronicle (Levin), 18 August 1947, Page 3

ROCKET RESEARCH LAGS IN BRITAIN

Itoceived Suiidav, 7 p.rn. LONDON, Aug. 15. Tlic oditor of tlie Daily Express, Mr. Cliapmau Pincher, who worked. during tlie war as an army teclmical speeialist on roclcet deviees, states tliat after inspecting thc new central rocket propulslon station at Westcott, he is shocked by the lack of progress made in Britain in rocket research. The only British robot flying deviees Westcott scientists posscss were graded obsolete when the iirst captured German rockets were brought to Brityln. Westcott has one navaJ rocket on its list, but so far not even drawings of it exist. The Americans, on the other hand, have at least ten difl'ereut types of guided rockets doveloped to the semi-operational stage. Mr. Pincher clainis that 12 German scientists who are attached to tke Westcott staff were not regarded as top rank technicians in Germany and tliat, although the Americans have made available full iuformation about tlieir rocket researt-h work, Britain has made so little progress that she has been unable usefull^ to reciprocate. Tliis lack of progress is not the i'ault of the British technical staff, but is due to wliat klr. Pincher describes as the "eheeseparing attitude?; of the Ministry of Supply in regard to salaries. In 1 support of this contention he quotes a salary of £12 weekly offired to a senior teclinician of outstanding qualifications who was asked, to go to Australia to test rockets there, and the fact that the director of the station, Dr. W. B. Cook, and his assistant are both resigning to go to better-paid posts. In contrast to the British offfcial attitude, Mr. Pincher elaims that the Americans are now preparing to increase the number of German specialists em^loyed on rocket research in New Mexico to n earlv 1000 and that it has been estimated that these German experts have already saved the American Government 750,000,000 dollgrs in advanciug the work 011 rocket propulsion.