Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-13
Britain Makes
New Type Of
ba|Iistic Rocket
Designed for Firing
From Underground
Launching Sites

LONDON, FeD. Is UP. -
The British government an
nounced today it is developing
a medium range ballistic rocket
more advanced than the Amer.
leans now possess and is de-
signing it for launching from
underground sites.
A white paper published BY
the Defense Ministry said this
weapon lis being developed on
the highest priority in close
cooperation" with the United
States.
The white paper said the
agreement under which Amer
lean intermediate range ballis-
tic missiles win be located In
Britain will be completed
shortly"
Military Balance Of Power
Regarding the relative
strength Of the West and the
Soviet Union, the document
said:
"RusSia's successful launch
ing of artificial satellites is
evidence Of her remarkable
progress in rocket development.
But it should not be thought
that this has upset the balance
Of military power"
The government said balanc-
ing fears in East and West Of
mutual humiliation make q
world war unlikely "for another
generation or more"
The white paper said If the
Soviet Union launched q major
attack on the West, "even with
conventional forces only" the
Western powers would have
to hit back with strategic
|nuclear weapons"
Russia More Vulnerable
The Soviet Union, for geo.
graphic reasons, is more vulner-
able to rocket attack than are
the Western powers, the gov
eminent said, explaining:
1.-THE overall superiority Of
the West is likely to increase
rather than diminish as a con-
sequence Of the advent of
medium range ballistic rockets.
These weapons, against which
there is at present no answer,
could from site in Europe and
elsewhere dominate practically
every target of Importance in
the Soviet Union.
THE possession by Russia Of
rockets of equal range will not,
for reasons of geography, af-
ford her any corresponding
strategic advantage. 1t would
be Of no use to her to attack
Western Europe unless she
could simultaneously knock out
the vital strategic air bases in
the United States.
She could at present have
no reasonable hope Of achiev-
ing this with manned bombers
and it will take her several
years to complete the develop
ment Of an accurate inter-
continental rocket and produce
1t in sufficient numbers"
Hopes for Arms Limits
The white paper expressed
the hope that agreement will
be reached by the worlds
powers on limiting arms. It
said:
To-day no country can hope
to gain anything by war, and
all would derive incalculable
benefit from the restoration of
mutual confidence and real
peace. There can. however, be
no such confidence or peace so
long as the arms race con-
tinues. Means must be found
to halt and reverse this
process"
The white paper said also
the government is cooperating
closely with the Americans on
development Of a nuclear sub
marine for Britain.
The defense statement re-
peated an Air Ministry an
nouncement two months ago
that Britain's bomber command
is being outfitted with hydro
gen bombs. Britain exploded
her first H-bomb last May.
In explaining defense aims
for the fiscal year beginning
April /. the paper said British
planes armed with H-bombs
would constitute a formidable
deterrent" to possible Soviet
aggression. This is so even
though the British striking
power would not be as large as
that welded by the United
States Strategic Air Command,
1t added.
Development is under way,
the paper said, on a propelled
bomb which can be released
from considerable distance,
making 1t unnecessary for air.
craft to fly into the more
heavily defended target area"