18.12.2022
In the post-flight biography of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin there is one rather unsightly episode.
In Soviet times, there were only vague rumors about him, because censorship was vigilant for any publication on the personal life of cosmonauts. In more recent times, when the publication of Kamanin’s diaries made known many secret pages in the history of astronautics, the episode quickly became covered in a mass of gruesome details, some of which have been frankly sucked out of thin air by journalists who are obsessed with sensationalism.
In my opinion, the old incident of October 3, 1961 is given unjustified importance – in some books about the first astronaut under it give full chapters to the detriment of more important information. Of course, we could have ignored this episode, because Gagarin is of interest to us primarily as a professional, but we must understand that Yuri Alekseyevich was experiencing a difficult emotional drama that autumn. After a solemn meeting in Moscow and celebrations abroad (one breakfast with the queen is worth something!), the cosmonaut realized that he had become the idol of the planet, that in popularity he rose above the top Secretaries General, presidents, billionaires, famous writers, poets and artists, that millions of men, women, children dream of meeting him, catch his eye, listen to every word he said. But for all that, he was still the same senior lieutenant he had been only a few weeks before. They had taught him everything except one thing – to be a “star” on top of fame. And of lasting fame! After all, the public will forget the second, third, fourth, and so on, but the first – never.
During the trips Gagarin had no opportunity to think about his personal future – the festive whirlwind drained all his energy. He successfully hid behind his modesty, which was never ostentatious. But now Yuri Alexeyevich was faced with a serious dilemma: either he becomes part of the elite with all the pros and cons of such a status, or he tries to somehow regain his usual life, in which he does not have to look after himself all the time, in which friendship and love mean something, in which you can do interesting things without looking back at circumstances. The inner disharmony was superimposed on the vacation that Yuri Gagarin was going to spend with his family and in the company of Titov. Most likely, Herman Stepanovich experienced similar feelings. And it just so happened that the cosmonauts began to “hooliganize”.
A group of vacationers from Zvezdny Gorodok led by Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin came to Crimea on September 14 and stayed at the former Maxim Gorky dacha, which is located two kilometers from the main sanatorium “Foros” base. We lived in the two-storey buildings that were built next to the dacha. Given the fact that only foreigners or high-ranking Soviet officials were allowed to stay here, the staff had to be disciplined and keep their mouths shut.
The first week of our vacation was perfect – the weather was sunny. Everything was done for the cosmonauts to adapt and rest after their exhausting foreign trips: excellent food, rest, movies, and excursions. However, Kamanin quickly noticed that his charges behaved rather unruly: they openly abused alcohol, violated the schedule. The atmosphere of the southern coast of Crimea contributed to this behavior: the wine and cognac flowed there like a river, and the locals did their best to meet the popular personalities. In order not to sound unsubstantiated, let us refer to the diaries of Lieutenant General Kamanin (quoted from the book “The Hidden Space: Book One”, 1995): “On September 21, a group of 23 people went to Sevastopol. We visited the city, visited Panorama and Diorama, Sapun Hill. Dined on the cruiser “Mikhail Kutuzov”, where we were received by Fleet Commander Admiral [Vladimir Afanasyevich] Kasatonov. The visit went well, but by the end of lunch Gagarin and Titov were noticeably tipsy.
We returned to Foros by two ZIM cars and a bus. Gagarin rode in the car together with Valentina Ivanovna, me and Maria Mikhailovna to Diorama. After seeing the Diorama, Gagarin, without saying anything to us, moved to the bus. This offended Valentina Ivanovna and was tactless, to say the least. Passing the restaurant in the Golden Valley, the bus stopped, Gagarin, Masalov and Akhmerov got off and headed for the restaurant. Wanting to prevent alcohol abuse, I also went up to the restaurant. We quickly drank a glass of wine and went down to the cars. I told Yura that Valentina Ivanovna was calling him. Gagarin came up to the car and asked: “Well, what do you want?” Valya insistently asked him to get in the car and ride with us. Gagarin refused, and Valya did not agree to cross the bus at his request. Then he angrily slammed the car door and went on the bus alone. Valya cried, and Maria Mikhailovna and I were very uncomfortable. The next day I told Gagarin: “Yesterday I was ashamed of you for the first time, you really hurt Valya. Yura admitted his guilt and assured me that he had already apologized to Valya and would not let anything like that happen again.
On September 25th we were in Artek, where the pioneers showed us a very interesting “Sniper” sports game. On the way back we had lunch at “Yalta” restaurant, before dinner we visited “Massandra” factory and tasted over 12 different wines. For Gagarin we drank wine matured since 1934, for Titov – 1935, for me – 1908. The dinner was conducted by the first secretary of the Yalta city party committee A. A. Kutsenko and his first deputy N. Dementiev. Both like to drink heavily. At this and other meetings, they got Herman and Yury drunk. Herman went to Yalta often, coming back late and pretty drunk. On September 26, I discovered that Titov’s guard, Robert Akhmerov, was drinking, getting Herman drunk, and engaged in pandering. I had a serious talk with Titov and Gagarin, warned them that they were on a slippery slope, and announced that I would send Akhmerov to Moscow immediately. Both admitted their mistakes and asked very much not to punish Akhmerov. Herman assured me that he had only himself to blame. I believed them.
Journalist Yaroslav Golovanov has approximately the same memories (I quote from the edition of his notebooks “Notes of your contemporary. Volume 1. 1953-1970”, 2001):
“I went there to do an article signed by Titov for the anniversary of the launch of the first satellite. I saw Gagarin for the first time on the tennis court. He was very excited and immediately offered me to play with him. Yura came to the Crimea with his wife, daughters and nanny, Herman – alone. They swam, sunbathed, and in the evening went with Herman to a beer house that was located in the church by the Baidar Gate. Herman was in a state of continuous delight. He wore a light, zippered jacket and beret to the pub, and as we sat there, he kept asking, “Do you think they’ll recognize me?” He wanted to be recognized, but he also wanted to experience the secret longing of Harun-al-Rashid.
Then two delegations showed up: from the Black Sea sailors and from the pioneers of Artek, both inviting him to visit. Kamanin refused, realizing that all this was an unnecessary headache for him. The cosmonauts insisted, because they were bored at the dacha. First it was decided to go to Sevastopol. Gagarin and Titov were immediately taken to the flagship, and Zhora Mosolov [test pilot Georgy Konstantinovich Mosolov] and I went for a walk around the city, then sat in a restaurant. The cosmonauts came back very tipsy. On the bus, they sang songs. A stop on Sapun hill. Here both sobered up straight away, listened attentively to our guide, Gagarin was writing something in honorary visitors book and I was taking photos of them.
It is clear that antics of Titov, who was on vacation without his wife and got involved in a holiday romance, had effect on Gagarin. Obviously, Yuri Alekseyevich wanted to make sure that he still belonged to himself and could allow light craziness. Who can blame him for this… From the first days Gagarin noticed a twenty-seven-year-old nurse Anna Afanasova, who worked in a sanatorium, and began to give her signs of attention. However, the girl was well aware that there were no prospects for such a relationship and that her superiors could fire her at a moment’s notice, if they suspected her of violating the peace of the Gagarin family. Yuri Alexeyevich insisted, because it looked strange: the whole world desires him, the English Queen was photographed with him, the sexy Gina Lollobrigida was making eyes at him, and some provincial nurse refuses him. But he behaved correctly, though he hinted that he expected reciprocity. Let us return to Kamanin’s diaries:
“Nine hours before the scheduled departure from Foros, an accident happened that spoiled a lot of blood for me and many other people responsible for Gagarin. This incident could have ended very sadly for Gagarin, for me and for our country. Yuri Gagarin was on the verge of an absurd and stupid death.
On that day (October 3) Yuri did not leave the dacha territory, except for the boat trip. As I found out later, this trip was dangerous. Gagarin was putting 6-7 people on the four-seater motorboat, and there were no rescue equipment on the boat. Yuri would go far out to sea and make very sharp and dangerous turns.
During the day, Gagarin excessively “said goodbye”. After dinner, Yuri immediately went to bed. The women played cards. At 22:00 my wife and I went to rest, and at 23:50 she woke me up with a cry: “Kolya, get up! Something happened downstairs!” A minute later I saw Gagarin lying on a garden bench. Yuri’s face and shirt were covered in blood, with lacerations on his face. Valya cried out in tears: “What are you all standing around, help him! He’s dying!” The doctor and the head of the sanatorium were summoned immediately. Four hours later naval doctors arrived, performed an operation on the spot. The conclusion: the brow was punctured, but the wound was not fatal, it would leave a scar above the left eyebrow. They recommended bed rest for three weeks.
From interviews with Rudny, Masalov, Azbievich, Titov, nurse Anya, Valentina Ivanovna, and others, I ascertained the following. Gagarin woke up around 10 p.m., helped to bathe Galka, and then went down to the living room on the first floor, where Valentina Ivanovna and other women continued to play cards, and the men played chess. Yura “cheered” on the chess players, “helped” his wife, changed the records on the record player, danced, and was in a normal state. At 11:47-23:48 p.m., Yura said to Vala, “Quit playing, let’s go to bed!” – and left the living room. After 2-3 minutes, Valya, having finished playing cards, asked: “Where’s Yura?” Seryapin’s wife told her sneeringly that he had gone down the corridor to the right and entered one of the rooms. There were three rooms in the corridor from which the vacationers had already left. Valya found no one in two rooms, the third room was locked from the inside. Valya sharply knocked on the closed door. After a few seconds it opened, there was a light on in the room, and nurse Anya (27) was standing in the doorway. In response to Valya’s question, “Where is Yura?” – Anya replied, “Your husband jumped off the balcony.” The balcony was two meters above the ground, underneath there was an asphalt pathway bordered on the outside by a cement curb. While jumping, Gagarin got his feet caught in the vines, lost his balance and fell face first onto the cement berm. As the nurse Anya recounted, she went into the room to rest after her shift from duty, lying on the bed dressed and reading a book. Gagarin came into the room, locked the door and with the words, “Well, are you going to scream?” – tried to kiss her… At that time there was a knock on the door, and Gagarin jumped off the balcony. The wound looked terrible: half of the left brow was dented into the skull, a deep dark maroon scar. But the saddest thing for the first cosmonaut and others was the fact that soon began XXII Congress of the CPSU, at which a delegate from the Moscow party organization Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was to sit on the presidium next to Khrushchev. Understandably, the head of state was furious at the disruption of his plans.
Actually, this is all there is to know about what happened on October 3, 1961. The story does not paint Gagarin, but it is also not something supernatural or illegal. Nowadays they tried to sugarcoat it somehow, writing off the incident to the absent-mindedness of the cosmonaut, who mixed up his hotel room with someone else’s, but there is no need for such twists of thought, because the main thing is that Yuri Alekseyevich was convinced by his own experience: publicity dictates a certain way of life. From now on he can not afford even the small pranks: indecent pranks will get away with German Titov and any other cosmonaut who will gain fame by a flight to orbit – any, but not the very first! Becoming a part of the “parade” history of mankind, you willingly or unwillingly become a role model, and you should behave appropriately, without giving anyone a reason to gloat behind your back. On October 13, convinced that Gagarin’s condition was stable, he was airlifted to Moscow and admitted to the Central Aviation Hospital. The consilium of doctors decided that the patient should remain in bed for another ten days in order to consolidate the success of his treatment. Kamanin admitted his defeat and reported to the leadership that the first cosmonaut would not be at the opening of the congress, after which he wrote in his diary: “Today together with Valya we were at Yuri’s. I did not lecture him, but only said: “Thank God, you are once again lucky, and it could have been very bad. I hope you understand as well as I do what trouble you have caused yourself, the command, the party and the people. You have learned a very expensive lesson, and from it you must draw conclusions for life.” Jura said: “During these days I have changed my mind a lot, the stupid things I have done I will not forgive myself, it is necessary to change the course of behavior.”
Despite all the efforts of surgeons and beauticians, the scar could not be hidden. For the rest of his life Gagarin approaching the mirror or looking at his photos in the press, saw the mark that disfigured his eyebrow, and it was the best reminder of how once because of a stupid whim he almost lost everything, to which he went with great effort and persistence.
Yuri Gagarin did take part in the XXII Congress of the CPSU, which began its work on October 17, 1961. Since the first cosmonaut was on the list of delegates and Nikita Khrushchev mentioned him in his speech, Gagarin’s absence was noticed immediately. Rumors began to circulate. The Western press listed possible versions of the first cosmonaut’s disappearance: “radiation” illness after the flight, a car accident, an assassination attempt, a fight, a scandalous story. To refute the hostile insinuations, the Moscow journalist Pavel Romanovich Barashev published an essay in which he told the story, which later became official. Allegedly the cosmonaut, walking in the Crimea with his little daughter in his arms, stumbled on the slippery asphalt and, saving the child, broke his head. Yuri Alekseevich himself to direct questions about the origin of the scar, which he began to be inevitably asked during his trips abroad, answered evasively and in different ways: too strong braking while driving a car, got injured during sports exercises, and the like. In any case he had to be shown to the public, and the makeup artists glued an artificial eyebrow to Gagarin. The look of the cosmonaut was not made better and they gave an order to photograph him in profile on the right side only, and if anybody tries to take a picture without permission, they take away his device and light up the film. On October 24 Titov appeared at the congress for the first time, but did not give a speech from the rostrum.
So, despite the injury, the first cosmonaut took part in the political life of the country. The 22nd congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union went down in history, because it adopted the Third Program of the CPSU, which expressly promised to build a communist society by 1980 at the latest. To achieve this goal, it was necessary already in ten years to overtake the richest country in the world – the U.S. in absolute volume of production and per capita production. Although even at that time the plans of the party leadership looked utopian, the Third Program was adopted unanimously and in full, including the Moral Code of the Builder of Communism, which consisted of twelve “commandments”.
One more important detail: Khrushchev tried to complete de-Stalinization of the country as soon as possible, and on the morning of October 30, delegates of the Leningrad party organization proposed taking the sarcophagus containing the body of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin out of the Lenin Mausoleum and burying it. Representatives of other organizations supported the Leningraders, and the entire congress voted to take it out and bury it. Accordingly, the cosmonauts voted the same way. Today it is difficult to say how Yuri Gagarin felt about Stalin and his deeds. There seems to be evidence that in his mature years the cosmonaut spoke of the “father of nations” with restrained respect (his teenage years are not counted). But times have changed, and the fight against the “cult of personality” made sense within the framework of the idea of a speedy – within twenty years! – According to the materials of this congress, this state should be based on liberal-democratic foundations. How such a state would look like was beautifully described by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in Midday, The Twenty-Second Century (The Return) (1960-1967).
Today we know that it was not possible to build communism in twenty years. Instead, the 22nd Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow, where the Soviet Union tried very hard to portray itself as a Western-style power. But these efforts could no longer fool anyone: the Kremlin leaders had lost their vision of the future and their strategic initiative, which eventually led to a growing political and economic crisis and the collapse of statehood.
