Gorbachev Championed by Gromyko, Papers Show

Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko’s nominating speech for Mikhail S. Gorbachev brought him a ringing endorsement by the full Politburo and confirmed that he ran the ruling body at times before Konstantin U. Chernenko died, official documents showed today.

Gromyko’s speech marked a show of public backing from a primary representative of the older generation for the first Kremlin leader of the postwar generation.

It urged the Communist Party to close ranks behind Gorbachev because “political enemies” are seeking cracks in party solidarity.

The speech was published for the first time in an official brochure on the Central Committee meeting that made Gorbachev general secretary of the Communist Party a week ago.

The brochure showed that Gorbachev opened the meeting with a memorial to Chernenko and then turned it over to Gromyko for the nomination speech.

Gromyko’s address seemed intended to dampen any opposition to Gorbachev among the party “old guard” and to quash any public speculation that the older members of the Politburo were not behind him.

“The Politburo has unanimously decided to recommend that you elect Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev as general secretary,” said Gromyko, who stressed several times that the Politburo decision was unanimous.

Gromyko’s speech also revealed for the first time that Gorbachev was “in charge” of the Central Committee Secretariat and confirmed that Gorbachev “chaired meetings of the Politburo in the absence of Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko.”

“He performed, without any exaggeration, brilliantly,” Gromyko said.

That was the only reference to Chernenko in Gromyko’s 1,100-word speech.

This contrasted sharply with the speech delivered by Premier Nikolai A. Tikhonov in February, 1984, to nominate Chernenko as party leader succeeding the late Yuri V. Andropov. Tikhonov devoted half of his talk to eulogizing the late party chief.