USSR/ANDROPOV

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200940004-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: November 7, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200940004-1
- v v.vr.i I-- -II Vill
7 November 1983
USSR/ANDROPOV JENNINGS: Good evening. The Soviet president, Yuri Andropov,
did not show up today for a very important event. It is the
66th anniversary of the revolution which brought the Communist
Party to power in Russia. Mr. Andropov's absence from the
celebrations in Moscow raises the most serious questions in
months as to who's running things in the Kremlin. We begin with
ABC's Bob Zelnick, who was at the big parade in Moscow which
Andropov missed.
ZELNICK: Again, Andropov was missing--missing as Prime Minister
Nikolai Tikhonov and Constantin Chernenko led their procession
of tired old men to the politburo perch atop Lenin's Tomb.
Missing as Defense Minister Dmitri Ustinov, himself 75, reviewed
his troops. Missing as the tanks, armored personnel carriers
and missile batteries rumbled through Red Square in a
high-speed, high-precision drill--all in a celebration no Soviet
leader prior to Andropov had ever missed. How sick is Andropov?
The official word is that he has a cold and that his condition
is not serious. But he has not been seen in public since this
Kremlin session with visiting American senators. Andropov has
missed some critical moments. For 28 days, other Soviet leaders
were left to explain the shooting down of Korean Airlines'
Flight 007. And when Andropov did respond, it was in a Pravda
article, not in person. Andropov's latest plans for limiting
medium-range nuclear weapons also appeared in Pravda and were
read on Soviet television in a question-and-answer format.
Soviet leadership is, of course, collective, and there is no way
to know the degree of Andropov's personal involvement in the
preparation of statements released in his name. Among factions
now influencing public policy here, most observers see the
Soviet military as the most powerful. Western diplomats. suggest
the position of the military was decisive in organizing the
hard-line response to the Korean Airlines' incident, and in
blocking a Geneva negotiating compromise which would have
permitted partial deployment of NATO missiles in Europe. The
Communist Party here has traditionall- been weary of military
leaders gaining too much political power, but as Yuri Andropov's
absence today suggests, strong civilian leadership is nowhere in
sight. Bob Zelnick, ABC News, Moscow.
DUNSMORE: This is Barrie Dunsmore'in Washington. Much of what
the U.S. knows about Andropov's health comes from analysis of
film and tape of his public appearances. In those, he has
looked very frail. It's known he suffers from chronic heart and
kidney disease. Some believe he also has a nervous disorder.
But as there are no reliable independent sources, and as he
hasn't been seen for three months, American intelligence doesn't
know the current state of Andropov's health... However, top
coNrIlVUEn'
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200940004-1
 Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200940004-1
American analysts are coming to the conclusion that it doesn't
really matter. They think his political health may be nearly
terminal. It's noted that today's event is extremely important
in signaling who is in charge. As sick as he was, Leonid
Brezhnev forced himself to make an appearance last year. He
died three days later. In this view,, Andropov's absence
significantly reduces his influence and power and reinforces the
belief that his era is transitional. Most analysts will not
hazard a guess as to what is likely to follow Andropov. The
succession is seen as a mess. However, given the current sorry
state of U.S.-Soviet relations, it's generally agreed among
American officials that whoever comes next won't be any worse.
Barrie Dunsmore, ABC News, the State Department.
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200940004-1