Word: brezhnevs
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Visibly enjoying the worldwide attention he was receiving, Schmidt described his role as that of an "interpreter" of U.S. policy. To dispel any doubts about his loyalty to the Western alliance, he was meticulous in keeping Washington informed. Both before Brezhnev's arrival and after his departure, he phoned Reagan with progress reports...
...Bonn summit revealed agreement on at least one issue: neither Brezhnev nor Reagan is anxious for a summit face-off of their own. Schmidt's efforts to promote the idea of a Brezhnev-Reagan meeting were quickly brushed aside by his Soviet guests. In Washington, officials continue to believe that such a confrontation would be counterproductive in the present climate. "Without a guaranteed outcome, it would fall flat," an official explains. Whether and when the leaders of the two superpowers will get together may depend on the progress of the arms talks that begin in Geneva this week...
Compared with Leonid Brezhnev, Ronald Reagan travels tourist class. The Soviet leader's 110-man entourage (the largest official delegation ever to accompany a visiting foreign leader to Bonn) included high Soviet government officials, interpreters, typists, 40 security men (five of them generals), 27 communications men, three doctors, a nurse, two waiters, a chambermaid, a cook and a barber...
...Brezhnev stayed at the Schloss Gymnich, a moated, 17th century mansion, 30 miles south of Bonn, used by the West German government to house visiting dignitaries. A barber's chair was rented and installed at Soviet insistence. The Soviets also asked for a scale and an electric fan. Because Brezhnev sleeps in a sitting position, dozens of pillows were brought from Moscow. To make Brezhnev feel at home, the Soviets installed call buttons stamped with the hammer and sickle...
...building's kitchen was commandeered by Brezhnev's personal chef, Ivan Biryukov, who prepared meals carefully supervised by physicians from food flown in from Moscow. The Soviet leader even ate Biryukov's concoction-a kind of puree of cooked vegetables-at the official dinner. When Biryukov was not in the kitchen, it was kept locked and guarded...