Moscow Rain Soaks Parade on May Day

It rained Wednesday on Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s first May Day parade as Soviet leader, but he presided with a smile as tens of thousands of Muscovites marched through Red Square.

Wearing a topcoat and a gray fedora, Gorbachev watched the 90-minute parade from the top of Lenin’s Tomb, along with other members of the Politburo. He was the fourth Soviet leader in four years to preside over the traditional demonstration honoring workers and extolling world peace.

In recent years the occasion has provided a chance for foreign observers to check on the health of ailing Soviet leaders, but there is no concern about the condition of the 54-year-old Gorbachev, a symbol of vitality.

Watching the parade from a section reserved for diplomats was Ronald Prescott Reagan, son of President Reagan, who is in Moscow on a private visit.

Family of Leader

Not far away was Gorbachev’s family. His wife, Raisa, wore a fashionable black coat, gray suede boots and large pearl earrings. Their daughter, Irina, was present with her husband and Gorbachev’s granddaughter, Oksana.

Floats and posters with Gorbachev’s picture were relatively scarce compared to the hundreds of portraits of President Konstantin U. Chernenko that were carried in last year’s parade.

Chernenko’s predecessor, Yuri V. Andropov, discouraged the carrying of his portrait, in contrast to the practice of Leonid I. Brezhnev during his 18-year rule.

Large photographs of Gorbachev with factory workers were displayed, however, apparently to underscore his call for increased productivity. A typical slogan bore the words, “We will strengthen labor discipline.”

Several floats carried messages with an anti-American flavor. One said, “No! to the plans of the Pentagon for the militarization of space.”

‘Threat to the Peace’

Another large placard showed a U.S. cruise missile flying over a map of Europe. It was inscribed, “Arms race unleashed by U.S.A. and its NATO allies is a threat to the peace of Europe.”

Several posters saluted the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The anniversary will be observed formally May 9, with a military parade in Red Square. No troops took part in the May Day procession.

The rain, which soaked participants and officials who had gathered at assembly points hours in advance, let up shortly after the parade began. It came down hard toward the end of the long procession.

As patriotic songs and slogans blared from loudspeakers on the red brick Kremlin walls, the marchers cheered in response to signals from a parade director standing below the Politburo members.

They waved paper flowers and colorful balloons as they moved quickly along a route flanked by security police standing shoulder to shoulder.

Some balloons, carrying banners with one-word slogans such as “Peace” and “Work,” were released and floated over the procession.