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Rockets and People
aviation industry it would have “gone begging” during the years of the devastating
market reforms, as did our entire aviation industry, which was once the second
most powerful in the world.
The full list of enterprises that were retooled for rocket-space production is very
long. I have cited only the most significant examples.
In 1957, at Khrushchev’s initiative, the defense ministries were converted into
State Committees. The primary scientific-research institutes and experimentaldesign
bureaus remained under their management, but production—primarily
series production—was transferred to regional economic councils.The problem of
coordinating the work of all the fields of defense technology turned out to be very
acute. In this regard, in December 1957, the CPSU Central Committee and the
USSR Council of Ministers decided to create the Commission of the Presidium
of the USSR Council of Ministers for Military-Industrial Issues. Subsequently, this
body was named the State Military-Industrial Commission of the Presidium of the
USSR Council of Ministers, and later the State Military-Industrial Commission of
the USSR Cabinet of Ministers. 18
The Military-Industrial Commission was tasked with coordinating the work of
the State Committees (i.e., the former ministries) and monitoring operations for
the creation and very rapid production cycle of military technology, including
rocket and space technology, without regard to the departmental affiliation of the
executives.The Commission had the right to make rapid decisions on behalf of the
State, but did not have its own money.The Ministry of Finance provided resources
to the agencies only per the decisions of the Central Committee and the Council
of Ministers. Dmitriy Fedorovich Ustinov was appointed the first Chairman of the
Military-Industrial Commission, and simultaneously, deputy Chairman of the
USSR Council of Ministers.Thus, Ustinov, until then Minister of Armaments in
charge of artillery and rocket-space technology, became the actual boss of the
entire military-industrial complex of the USSR. One must say that his experience,
his strong-willed and decisive nature, and his (at times) very strict and exacting
temperament were in the right place at the right time.
In March 1963, Ustinov was appointed chairman of the All-Russian Council of
the National Economy. At a later plenary session of the Central Committee, he
was selected to be Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee for Defense Issues
and a candidate member of the Politburo. Finally, in 1976, the rocketeers’ dream
came true—Ustinov was named USSR Minister of Defense, and thereby became
one of the most influential members of the Politburo.
After Ustinov, Leonid Vasilyevich Smirnov was appointed chairman of the
Military-Industrial Commission. He held that post for 22 years! Smirnov was
replaced in 1985 by Yuriy Dmitrievich Maslyukov, formerly of Gosplan. Subsequently
the Military-Industrial Commission was headed by Igor Sergeyevich
22
18. This Commission was more commonly known as the Military-Industrial Commission (VPK).