History of Science and Engineering Annotation << Back Inside "Walls" of the Ministry of Instrumentation of the USSR A.M. Ishchenko The main topic of this article is directions and stages of development of national instrumentation making in second half of last century. During this period in our country instrumentation was formed as an independent branch of mechanical engineering, played a key role in the development of new scientific-technical achievements of those in all sectors of the economy. Article can be useful for the experts working in the field of automation and for students of higher educational institutions. Key words: mechanical engineering; instrumentation making; computer facilities; automation; manufacture; management; system designs; process optimisation; The Ministry of Instrumentaton of the USSR. E-mail: ischenkoalla@pochta.ru. Pp. 41-49