Sputnik Designers Did Not Fathom It's Impact

I heard a story on Sputnik, Sputnik Designers Did Not Fathom It's Impact by Gregory Feifer, on NPR this morning.
According to this story, Sergei Korolev convinced Soviet leaders, after World War II, that rockets were worth funding.
Sergei Korolev met with Soviet rocket designer Boris Chertok in 1945.
The forth R-7 rocket design tested was the first world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, in 1957.
Sputnik One was launched on the R-7 booster after that, on October 4, 1957.
Sergei Korolev is regarded as the father of the Soviet space program.