Comrade Stalin speaks of the qualities that characterize a Hero of the Soviet Union, of our pilots — ordinary and middling — from among whom future heroes will emerge. Courage and daring are the inseparable qualities of a Hero of the Soviet Union. A pilot is a concentration of will, character, and the ability to take risks.

But courage and daring are only one side of heroism. The other side, no less important, is skill. Audacity, they say, takes cities. But this is only when audacity, daring, and readiness for risk are combined with excellent knowledge. The crew of the aircraft "ANT-25" — Comrades Chkalov, Baidukov, and Belyakov — happily combine great audacity and daring with knowledge and the ability to utilize the latest achievements of technology.

At the end of his speech, Comrade Stalin proposes a toast:

— To the Heroes of the Soviet Union Chkalov, Baidukov, and Belyakov; to the Heroes of the Soviet Union present here — Gromov, Vodopyanov, and Slepnev; to the pilots, small and large — it is unknown who is small and who is large; this will be demonstrated in practice; to Kokkinaki, who by chance did not make it into the ranks of Heroes of the Soviet Union, but who will — I predict this for him.

Pravda. August 14, 1936.

(From the newspaper report.)