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There were several clues in the final days before Andropov's death to indicate that he was failing fast. In a highly unusual move, Ustinov canceled his important visit to New Delhi without giving any reason. Andropov's son, a diplomat attending the Stockholm security conference, hurried home on Tuesday afternoon for "family reasons." But there were equally contradictory signs. At about the time the Soviet desk on the sixth floor of the State Department was monitoring the telltale music from Moscow, Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoli Dobrynin, seemingly oblivious to the events back in Moscow, was two floors up, mingling with members of Washington's foreign policy Establishment at a birthday celebration for former Secretary of State Dean Rusk.
French Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson was the first official to break the news of Andropov's death. Shortly before lunchtime on Friday, he interrupted a meeting of European Community and Third World foreign ministers in Brussels to announce solemnly that "the party leader of one of the greatest nations of the world has passed away." Cheysson was nearly two hours ahead of Moscow with his news bulletin. Embarrassed French officials later explained that Cheysson had misread a garbled cable from Paris and taken informed supposition for fact.
After considering the pros and cons of traveling to Moscow for the funeral, Reagan decided to send Vice President George Bush instead. Whatever the merits of a Moscow visit, Reagan, who had declined to attend Brezhnev's funeral, apparently did not want the Soviets or anyone else to wonder whether he was exploiting the occasion for his own political ends.
In a radio address last Saturday, the President stressed his commitment to improving relations with Moscow. Said he: "What is needed now is for both sides to sit down and find ways of solving some of the problems that divide us." Bush planned to carry a similar message to the new Soviet leader. "The U.S. wants improved relations," said the Vice President during a stopover in London. "We'll keep the rhetoric at reasonable levels and go and see whether they want to hold out the hand and meet us there."
Anxious West Europeans hoped that Andropov's funeral might offer an opportunity for their leaders to broaden contacts with the Soviet Union. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the only major Western statesman to visit Andropov while he was in office, announced that he would attend the ceremonies, as did Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In a terse statement, Pope John Paul II offered "a special thought for the illustrious deceased one."
Australian diplomats traveling in China with Prime Minister Bob Hawke were the first to convey the news to Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang. When the two leaders sat down at a state banquet, Zhao turned to Hawke and asked, "Who do you think will succeed Andropov?" The official Chinese message to Moscow was brief but surprisingly warm, noting: "It is the sincere desire of the Chinese government to see relations between the two countries normalized."