Yanks for Stalin
Interview Transcript

Sergei Dyakonov,  (cont)

Q.  Were there any childhood romances between the Russian and American children?

A.  I don't remember, honestly.

Q.  But Russians and Americans married each other?

A.  Yes, of course.  There were male and female American workers.  I know of one instance when an American woman, Ramona was her name, got married to one of our shop managers, Desen.

Q.  Were they happy?

A.  Yes, they were very happy.  They had a good life.  They sent for Ramona's parents in America, her mother and father.  Unfortunately, Ramona was killed in the war, when German planes bombed the Gorkovskiy plant.  She died in that bombing raid.  But Ramona's parents did not return to America, they remain here and lived in Russia with their daughter's husband.

Q.  Did your father's relationships with Americans play any role in his arrest?

A.  I can only guess.  The accusations against my father were ridiculous, unproven.  But since he was accused of spying for foreign governments, probably his, and not only his, but all of the plant's management staff's simple and open relationship with the American workers, with the German workers, with the Finnish workers, probably served to incriminate him.  I can only assume that this is the case.  But I don't know any facts.

Q.  Did he enjoy his role in building the factory?

A.  Yes, of course.  Dyakonov ended up at the Gorkovskiy plant by his own request.  He was the head of GUTAP, the General Agency for the Tractor Industry.  But that was a desk job, and he wanted real work, organizational work.  So a conversation between Dyakonov and Sergo ended with Sergo sending him to the Gorkovskiy plant.  It's true.  Before that, Dyakonov often came to the plant and, thanks to his organizational skills, was able to be of great help. 

Q.  Do you remember any other Americans?

A.  I would like to use Cadarian as an example.  He was American, of Armenian descent.  He arrived with his wife and with the boy, Victor, with whom I shared a bench in school.  Upon arrival, Cadarian was assigned by Dyakonov to work at the bus factory, which was a subsidiary of the Gorkovskiy Automotive Plant and located in Kanalina.  He was a very active, very gifted person, and as a result….

Q.  What was interesting about this?

A.  Well, I wanted to talk about Cadarian and his son, who sat next to me.  As I said, Cadarian worked at the bus factory, and later became one of the leading designers of Soviet trolleybuses.  But that happened in another city, not in Gorky.  Cadarian also remained in the Soviet Union, as well as his wife and children, except for his son.  Those who were minors upon arrival in Russia could choose to assume Soviet citizenship or retain their foreign citizenship.  Victor thought that, since he had retained his American citizenship, he would return to America.  Unfortunately, I know nothing of his life after that, because he never wrote me, not one letter.

Q.  Tell us more about your father's death.

A.  As I said, my father was arrested on the street on July 18, 1938.  He was tried by a three-judge commission, and the commission sentenced him to death by firing squad, to be carried out immediately.  He was taken to Lubyanka and shot that very same day, the fact of which is recorded in his case file.  Lieutenant Shevilyov wrote that the sentence had been carried out, that he had carried it out personally.  It's all there in the file.

Q.  Were you able to find his grave?

A.  No.

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