Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories

Tombrello–245
TOMBRELLO: Somebody very clever twenty years ago got India moving in that direction. Both
countries are going to find obstacles, partly bureaucratic. In the case of China, there will be
particularly a certain degree of, oh, I won’t say criminal activity, but probably close to it, in the
sense of entrepreneurship that crosses the line. It’s a little hard to imagine starting a business in
China without having a very powerful Chinese partner. I don’t know about India, but probably
it’s easier there, provided you can get through the impenetrable bureaucracy. There’s an
enormous amount of poverty in India, though. China has been much more successful at cutting
down on infant death and all of that. The infrastructure may be primitive in many places out in
the boondocks in China, but there is infrastructure out there. There are roads. There are power
lines. India is a very poor country when you get out of the cities. Very, very poor. And it will
take a long time to do anything about that. I’m no expert on India. I’m certainly no expert on
China, either.
ASPATURIAN: No, but it’s interesting to hear your perspective. You’ve been to China a number
of times, at different periods in its recent history.
TOMBRELLO: Well, I think when you interviewed me about the trip in ’85, I may have told you
the story: I got this call on the phone from somebody at the World Bank, asking me if I would
go—such a great thing, to go see China. I said, “I’ve been. It’s like living in a Midwestern
YMCA.” He said, “But you haven’t hung up.” I said, “No. I am totally, totally entranced by the
idea of seeing something that big move that fast.” Every time we went there, it was different.
Our last visit, in ’97, was to Shanghai. You know, what they say in China is, “Shanghai—that’s
where they do things first.” That is not a compliment. I said, “Oh, it’s just like L.A.!”
[Laughter] But you know if there’s a trend, like it or not, it probably started in L.A. and
eventually spread to the rest of the country. Shanghai is actually very much like New York City.
The Chinese say it’s a foreign city in China. You know, it’s a Western city, and I think that’s
certainly an attitude thing. It’s full of Chinese people, but there is a New York attitude about the
way they know they’re special. They’re not a big village like Beijing—which they often say
there—they’re different. It’s fun going to Shanghai.
ASPATURIAN: 1997 was your most recent visit?
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