The author of this book, being the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for Space from 1960 to 1971, recorded in his diaries many of the most important events of the “morning of the space age”, in which he was directly involved. Taken together, “The Space Diaries of General Kamanin”—that’s how the author himself titled his notes—reads like a fascinating story about the people who prepared and carried out the first manned flights into space. The book reflects the intense struggle of ideas, opinions and interests of those who determined the development of domestic cosmonautics at the initial stage of space exploration.