Leonid Lives!

A 27-day vanishing act ends

Since March 25, when Leonid Brezhnev first vanished from public view, wave upon wave of rumors has swept through the Soviet Union that the 75-year-old President had suffered a stroke. Ignoring the official explanation--that Brezhnev had merely gone away on vacation--Muscovites swapped reports that he was dying or indeed already dead. Some Western press accounts fueled the speculation. So it was with great anticipation that Soviet citizens waited by their television sets last week to learn whether the Soviet leader would turn up as scheduled at the festivities marking the 112th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin. TIME Moscow Bureau Chief Erik Amfitheatrof was present at the Kremlin ceremonies. His report:

The huge, modernistic Palace of Congresses was packed with 5,000 people. In the audience, high-ranking Communist Party officials, military officers, diplomats and journalists all had their eyes fixed on the empty stage. They knew that at 5 o'clock sharp, a door would open and the members of the Politburo would file in. Would Brezhnev be among them?

The tension in the hall was palpable. The door opened. A murmur raced through the vast theater: "He's there!" And he was, emerging behind Moscow Party Boss Viktor Grishin, 67, who as chairman of the ceremonies was first out the door. Brezhnev walked stiffly across the stage, only a bit more slowly than before his disappearance. Many in the audience were smiling now that the mystery that had gripped the country was happily resolved. As applause mounted, Brezhnev applauded back in a display of mutual appreciation of his powers of survival.

Grishin announced that the keynote speech at the Lenin celebrations would be made by KGB Chief Yuri Andropov. There was another murmur of surprise. The selection of Andropov, 67, to deliver the speech was a sign that he had risen in the Politburo hierarchy and might now be in line for Brezhnev's job when the party chief dies or retires.

As the officials took their places onstage, spectators scrutinized the lineup for possible changes in the pecking order. Konstantin Chernenko, 70, took his usual place at Brezhnev's right side, indicating that he was still the heir apparent. On Brezhnev's left was another strong candidate, Grishin. Then came Prime Minister Nikolai Tikhonov, 76, Andropov and Defense Minister Dmitri Ustinov, 73, who are all contenders. Conspicuously absent was Andrei Kirilenko, 75, the former No. 2 man in the Politburo, who is believed to be ill or in disfavor, and has not been seen for the past three months.

Dressed in a natty business suit festooned with medals, Brezhnev looked slimmer than when he was last seen in public, on a visit to Tashkent in Central Asia. He appeared animated, chatting with Chernenko, who smiled and nodded back. As observers searched for signs of recent illness, Brezhnev displayed exemplary endurance. He remained alert throughout Andropov's 55-minute speech, in which the KGB chief reiterated Brezhnev's invitation to President Reagan to meet in Europe next October. Following the speech, the Soviet leader even had the stamina to attend a two-hour concert of Russian songs and dances. Though the true state of his health could not be ascertained, Brezhnev looked fit enough to make his next scheduled public appearance, a review of the annual May Day parade in Red Square.

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