For days it had been rumored that Soviet Leader Konstantin Chernenko, 73, would appear last Friday to deliver an address to his Moscow constituents. The occasion was the eve of national elections for members of the Supreme Soviets, the nominal legislative bodies of the 15 Soviet republics. Instead, the assembled delegates and a national television audience were told by Moscow Party Boss Viktor Grishin, 70, that Chernenko would not attend the meeting "on the recommendation of his doctors." It was the first formal acknowledgment to the Soviet people that Chernenko has health problems.
On Sunday, in a heavily-edited one-minute film, Soviet...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
