Even before Mikhail Gorbachev, 53, the fast-rising heir apparent in the Kremlin, touched down last Saturday at London's Heathrow Airport, British officials were busy trying to downplay the importance of his eight-day official visit. The British feared that the trip would focus too much Western attention on his status as the most likely successor to Soviet Leader Konstantin Chernenko. That in turn might weaken Gorbachev's chances and strengthen those of his chief rival for the job, Grigori Romanov, 61, a fellow Politburo member widely considered to be a dogmatic hardliner. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will be looking for...
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