"The Russians are simply letting as few people as possible see him up close."
So said a diplomat in Bonn, where Leonid Brezhnev arrived last week on his first trip to the West in nearly a year. It is no secret that the Soviet boss, now 71, has a long history of medical problems, which Western intelligence agencies believe may include gout, leukemia, emphysema and a heart condition that requires him to have a pacemaker. Still, the health precautions that were taken for his four-day stay were startling.
In his 150-member entourage, Brezhnev had a complete medical team (including a dentist) and a...