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Rockets and People
Alluding to the authority of Postyshev, Vasilyev, and Gorbunov, Petushok
announced that TB-3 production was a matter of honor for the factory Komsomol.
But holding rallies would not help matters. He proposed that I become his deputy
and at the same time hold the position of production-economic department
manager that had been instituted in the committee. “Your task,” Petushok
persuaded me, “in the development of the TB-3 is essentially to become the
Komsomol deputy to the technical director. It’s guys our age who should develop
this airplane.That means we should be production managers! You’re an inventor.
You’re a quick study and you know all the shop leaders.You’ll take those shop
secretaries in hand. Come on, you can always go back to the electrical shop!”
I had only worked at the factory for a year and a half. I earned good pay in
the self-financing team. In a year I would complete my three-year stint as a
worker and I had dreamed of entering the Moscow Power Engineering
Institute’s school of electrophysics. Surely they would admit a worker, inventor,
and Komsomol member who already had a start in a factory. I did not doubt this.
I justified my refusal pointing out that a mere class-5 electrician would be
ejected with a bang from the Komsomol for the inevitable failure of such a critical
assignment. Petushok did not back down and promised me a serious talk
with the Party committee.
Two days later the chief of the electrical shop, the terror of all social activists,
approached me. He announced that after work I should report to the director.
That evening Gorbunov received me immediately. I did not know why he
needed to see me, much less in his office one-on-one. He stared straight at me with
his intent, dark eyes.The straight, handsome lines of his face were accentuated by
the side parting in his thick, dark, carefully combed hair. The sky-blue gorget
patches of his dark blue military tunic displayed the diamond-shaped insignias of
his high military rank of brigade engineer.A brand-new Order of Lenin sparkled
on his chest. People had told me, “We have a young, strict, well-built, and handsome
director.” Now I was convinced they were right.
Petushok had set up my meeting with Gorbunov. He had calculated correctly
that the director’s authority would overcome my stubbornness. Gorbunov said
that I would receive an engineering education in three to four years. He
intended to create a higher technical institute affiliated with the factory. Capable
workers who had completed their comprehensive education would obtain a
higher education without leaving the factory. My first task was to familiarize
myself with the specific production plans and the key tasks of the main shops.
Next I needed to organize Komsomol activities so that they would reach every
young worker.
“I don’t want to deal with a faceless mass of young people and a bawling bunch
of Party cell shop secretaries,” said Gorbunov.“There are talented people in every
shop and we need to identify them. They should be role models in terms of
productivity, innovation, and quality. Let the young convince the young. After
work we need to keep as many people as possible in technical schools. Find and
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