Arthur Rudolph

Who was Arthur Rudolph?

Arthur Louis Hugo Rudolph was a rocket engineer who played a key role in the development of the V-2 rocket and a former high-level Nazi given sanctuary by the US government following World War II. He was brought to the United States by the Office of Strategic Services, subsequently becoming a pioneer of the United States space program. He worked for the US Army and NASA where he managed the development of several important systems including the Pershing missile and the Saturn V Moon rocket. In 1984 he was investigated for possible war crimes, and he agreed to leave the United States and renounce his US citizenship in return for not being prosecuted in the United States.