COMPUTER MEMORIES, Chapter 58

ROCKETDYNE, SECOND TIME
When North American Aviation purchased several IBM 360 Systems computers, instead of the Control Data system I was trying to sell, Rocketdyne hired me (the second time) to place the detailed order, build the facility, then install $10,000,000 worth computer equipment from IBM. I can say, without fear of contradiction (because that IBM salesman was elderly, 30 years ago) that I knew more about the IBM 360 systems, than the IBM people located there. The IBM sales manual included such details as a specific part number for the color of the tape take-up reel on a tape drive. By the time I was done, the order I placed, for (I think) a model 360-65, a 360-50, 2-360-40s, and 2 or 3 model 360-30s was the most detailed sales order they had ever received.

After the installation was completed, among the things I had to do was conduct tours of the computer facility, explaining to visitors what it was all about. One time IBM brought some people from Italy, and I was to make the spiel through an interpreter, as I had done other times with other languages. Since one of the computer room supervisors was Italian, and spoke the language, I suggested he give the speech, since he knew most of what I said each time. He started out very nicely, then got strange look on his face, then went for another minute, then stopped. He informed me that since his parents never spoke about computers when he was a little kid, he didn’t know the Italian words for what he was supposed to describe, so I had to finish the spiel. Of course I have no idea if the interpreter told them all that I said.