Egypt Reports Successful Testing of Rocket Built with Aid of German

The Times of London reported from Cairo today that an Egyptian rocket had been successfully tested in experiments over the past six months.

The report followed news that Professor Eugen Saenger had resigned as director of the Stuttgart Jet Propulsion Research Institute because West German officials had objected to his serving the United Arab Republic as an advisor on rocket projects; It had been reported that Egyptian scientists, with the help of Prof. Saenger and his assistants, had developed a rocket similar to the Nazi V-2 which Hitler used to “buzz bomb” London near the end of World War II.

The London Times report today said that Egyptian officials refused to disclose any details of the kind of rocket which has been tested or the circumstances of its manufacture. The report said the officials also declined comment on Prof. Saenger’s reported suspension and resignation; A report last week said that the new model V-2 now built by Egypt has a range of 250 miles and is able to reach almost any point in Israel.

In reporting today on the rocket tests in Egypt, the Times said that it had been “obvious” that the Egyptians were likely to undertake some form of experiment with rockets after Israel fired its first sounding rocket last July; The paper declared that “given the continuing hatred and tension between the United Arab Republic and Israel, it is inevitable that both sides have their eyes on the potential military applications.”