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In 1978 I was invited to Moscow, to the Soviet Union Ministry of Chemical Industry. I had a pass enabling me to go to the office of the minister of the USSR and to the central party committee without any prearrangement. The ministry called a collegium and said they had no claims against me as director of the plant, but since I was corresponding with my brother in Australia, a capitalist country, I could not hold this position.
Since our plant was an important enterprise for the whole Soviet Union we had a production plant for a ‘special period,’ i.e., in case of World War III we were to produce the substances mitigating the impact of radiation and anti-noise mastic to apply on the tank bottoms. They explained that since the plant had a plan of military significance its director had to be a reliable and tested person to be told secret information. But I didn’t know any particular secrets. Probably all countries in the world with armies also have production of similar substances, and regarding the production of detergents theirs are probably even better.
They told me to terminate correspondence with my brother and my cousin, but I said I was not going to stop being in touch with my brother. He survived in Buchenwald and there were just the two of us left. They told me to return my pass and that they were going to recommend me for another position of senior dispatcher at the plant.
Since our plant was an important enterprise for the whole Soviet Union we had a production plant for a ‘special period,’ i.e., in case of World War III we were to produce the substances mitigating the impact of radiation and anti-noise mastic to apply on the tank bottoms. They explained that since the plant had a plan of military significance its director had to be a reliable and tested person to be told secret information. But I didn’t know any particular secrets. Probably all countries in the world with armies also have production of similar substances, and regarding the production of detergents theirs are probably even better.
They told me to terminate correspondence with my brother and my cousin, but I said I was not going to stop being in touch with my brother. He survived in Buchenwald and there were just the two of us left. They told me to return my pass and that they were going to recommend me for another position of senior dispatcher at the plant.
Period
Location
Moscow
Russia
Interview
Stepan Neuman