(3 of 3)
In Moscow, meanwhile, rumors of a continuing power struggle resurfaced last week when Andropov's presumed chief rival, Politburo Member Konstantin Chernenko, 71, failed to show up at Lenin's Mausoleum for the May Day festivities. His office explained that Chernenko, who has not been seen in public since March 30, was suffering from pneumonia. Andropov, wearing tinted glasses, seemed tired and frail; two days later, when he presented Honecker with the Order of Lenin, his hands trembled, further fueling rumors that he is not well.
Andropov, however, was eager to encourage speculation that the Soviets are not prepared to let the Geneva talks stagnate. Says U.S. Arms Control Expert William Hyland: "Andropov has given the negotiators some room to move about." The latest Soviet offer, indeed, was an effective ploy in a game in which each superpower wants to be the last to make an offer, not the last to issue a rejection. —ByRussHoyle. Reported by Erik Amfitheatrof/Moscow and Strobe Talbott/Washington