Word: brezhnevs
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...Brezhnev's condition may have been aggravated by several developments in recent months. One was the shock of the death in January of Party Ideologue Mikhail Suslov, a longtime associate. Shortly thereafter, Brezhnev's daughter Galina was indirectly linked to a scandal involving a singer whom she had befriended...
...Brezhnev's failing health may be having a paralyzing effect on the workings of the Soviet government. "The decision-making mechanism is blocked," observes a Western diplomat in Moscow. "Under these circumstances, who in the Kremlin today could make a decision to cut back on the deployment of nuclear missiles or make a serious offer at the Geneva arms talks with...
...Brezhnev may well survive his latest illness just as he prevailed over the ailments that periodically weakened him during the past decade. Still, tension within the Kremlin may mount as contenders for power vie for position. Apparently out of the running is Andrei Kirilenko, 75, a onetime favorite who has not been seen in public since mid-February. The most visible contender for the succession is Konstantin Chernenko, 70, a longtime Brezhnev aide who has consistently appeared standing next to the President in recent months. Other Politburo members vying for the succession include Moscow Party Chief Viktor Grishin, Leningrad Party...
Some Soviets have begun to speculate that Brezhnev may retire rather than die in office, as Joseph Stalin did in 1953, or be ousted, as Nikita Khrushchev was in 1964. One possible setting for a resignation: the plenary meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee at the end of April or the beginning of May. Says one Western European diplomat in Moscow: "If they do it like this, I would expect them to pull out all the stops and make it a grand, very respectable, occasion...
...other experienced Kremlin watchers consider the possibility of a resignation remote. Says Cornell University Sovietologist Myron Rush: "Unless Brezhnev is really enfeebled, he will not step down in favor of someone else. Brezhnev's will to power should never be underestimated." Indeed, many Kremlinologists are waiting to see if Brezhnev makes an appearance at the annual celebration to mark Lenin's birthday on April...