Word: brezhnevs
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...Brezhnev waves to the crowd
Once again Leonid Brezhnev confounded the doomsayers who had placed him at death's door since he reportedly suffered a stroke five weeks ago. Making his second public appearance in nine days, the Soviet President stood for 1 ½ hours on the reviewing stand atop the Lenin mausoleum on Red Square to watch the annual May Day parade. Wearing a gray overcoat and fedora as protection against a drizzling rain, the 75-year-old leader looked wan and weary as he waved weakly at the tens of thousands of Soviet citizens who marched by carrying banners, artificial flowers...
Meanwhile the Kremlin's top physician shed some light on Brezhnev's condition. In an exclusive interview with TIME'S Moscow bureau chief, Erik Amfitheatrof, Cardiologist Yevgeni Chazov, 53, scoffed at news stories in the West that Brezhnev had been felled by a stroke. Said the doctor: "He has been buried so many times by the foreign press that I have lost count." Chazov, who heads the medical team that treats all the Kremlin leaders, pointed out that he is bound by an oath of confidentiality as regards his patients-including the President. "American doctors would understand...
...officials took their places onstage, spectators scrutinized the lineup for possible changes in the pecking order. Konstantin Chernenko, 70, took his usual place at Brezhnev's right side, indicating that he was still the heir apparent. On Brezhnev's left was another strong candidate, Grishin. Then came Prime Minister Nikolai Tikhonov, 76, Andropov and Defense Minister Dmitri Ustinov, 73, who are all contenders. Conspicuously absent was Andrei Kirilenko, 75, the former No. 2 man in the Politburo, who is believed to be ill or in disfavor, and has not been seen for the past three months...
Dressed in a natty business suit festooned with medals, Brezhnev looked slimmer than when he was last seen in public, on a visit to Tashkent in Central Asia. He appeared animated, chatting with Chernenko, who smiled and nodded back. As observers searched for signs of recent illness, Brezhnev displayed exemplary endurance. He remained alert throughout Andropov's 55-minute speech, in which the KGB chief reiterated Brezhnev's invitation to President Reagan to meet in Europe next October. Following the speech, the Soviet leader even had the stamina to attend a two-hour concert of Russian songs...