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1
t was a field day for
Krem1 in-wa tchers.
For four days last
May, Leonid llyich
Brezhnev. Soviet presi–
den! and Communist
party chief. was in West
Germany- his first visit
outside the borders of
the Soviet Union in
nearly a year. To those
experts who regularly
pore over photos of top
Soviet officials to seek
out with magnifying
glasses each new blem–
ish and wrinkle in their
search for clues to the
health of thc Kremlin
elite, it was a rarc op–
portunity for a candid.
up-close look at Russia's
number onc comrade,
the one Soviet leader
who is a little more
equal than all the
others.
his first day of meetings
with West German offi–
cials. he reportedly
downed more than a
bottle of Polish vodka,
and the same evening
consumed another half
bottle of vodka and
more than a bottle of
wine.
Even to the inexperi–
enced eye, these are not
the signs of a well man.
Analysis of the pos–
sible nature of Brezh–
nev's illnesses indicates
a combination of gout, a
m i ld, no n ma li gnant
form of leukemia. em–
physema, and a cardio–
vascular problem (he
;¡
wears an American-
~====~ l
built pacemaker). He
What they aw was
shocking, even to their
experienced eyes.
~
also has hearing, speech
~
and vision problems.
~
Press speculation over
~
the past few years has
~
yielded a half-dozen or
L ___
-r-___
___:HE:tl:::==__
...:!..._____....-___
_1"'
more add itional su p-
The state of health of the 71-year–
old Brezhnev is no longer a matter
of conjecture. He is a sick. rapidly
aging man who drinks too much
and requires frequent medication.
During his visit to Bonn, he was
able to function in public for only
about 90 minutes at a time before
requ iring an injection of a drug to
revivify him and enable him to con–
tinue his activities. His aides were
constantly at his side, apprehen–
sively waiting, it seemed, for some–
thing to happen.
After each mea!. Brezhnev's
schedule demanded 90 minutes'
rest. His personal physician slept in
a room next door to his at Bonn's
Gymnich Castle. the official guest
house where he stayed. A German
mobile health unit and an ambu–
lance followed him everywhere. and
a clinic staffed by a complete medí–
cal team was brought from Moscow
and installed in the castle.
Moreover, Brczhncv- a longtime
chain-smoker who has finally suc–
ceeded in cutting down- has appar–
ently substitutcd for cigarettes
another addiction- alcohol. During
34
AFTER
BREZHNEV
WHO
WILLRUN
THE
KREMLIN
?
by
Keith W.
Stump
If the experts are right, Soviet
Presiden! Leonid Brezhnev 's
14-year rule may be rapidly
nearing an end. Who wi/1 next
wield supreme authority over
the world's "other" super–
power? Not even Brezhnev
himselfknows for sure.
posed maladies, including cancer of
the jaw. a brain tumor. and chronic
pneumonia. Brezhnev's occasional
long absences from public view
have served to encourage such spec–
ulation.
Whatever the exact nature of his
ills. Leonid Brezhnev is without a
doubt an ai ling man.
Stormy History
Speculation over the state of Brezh–
nev's health is not the product of
mere id le curiosity. To Western po–
litica l analysts, it is an issue of con–
siderable importance.
The reason? In its 60-year history,
the Soviet Union has never quite
mastered the art of orderly lead–
ership succession. Fierce. often
tra umatic. struggles for power
among rival candidates have largely
been the rule. with the losers often
winding up dead.
The last drastic change in the
Kremlin's top leadership took place
in 1964 when Nikita Khrushchev was
ousted by Brezhnev (age 57 at the
time) and his colleagues. Andina less
spectacular shake-up just last year.
Brezhnev toppled Nikolai Podgorny
The
PLAIN TRUTH September 1978