Caution: Handle with Care

Compared with Leonid Brezhnev, Ronald Reagan travels tourist class. The Soviet leader's 110-man entourage (the largest official delegation ever to accompany a visiting foreign leader to Bonn) included high Soviet government officials, interpreters, typists, 40 security men (five of them generals), 27 communications men, three doctors, a nurse, two waiters, a chambermaid, a cook and a barber.

Brezhnev stayed at the Schloss Gymnich, a moated, 17th century mansion, 30 miles south of Bonn, used by the West German government to house visiting dignitaries. A barber's chair was rented and installed at Soviet insistence. The Soviets also asked for a scale and an electric fan. Because Brezhnev sleeps in a sitting position, dozens of pillows were brought from Moscow. To make Brezhnev feel at home, the Soviets installed call buttons stamped with the hammer and sickle.

The building's kitchen was commandeered by Brezhnev's personal chef, Ivan Biryukov, who prepared meals carefully supervised by physicians from food flown in from Moscow. The Soviet leader even ate Biryukov's concoction--a kind of puree of cooked vegetables--at the official dinner. When Biryukov was not in the kitchen, it was kept locked and guarded.

The Soviets, obsessed with the importance of keeping in close touch with Moscow, brought along about 90 tons of communications gear. A gray van, bristling with antennas and with curtains drawn, was always at the rear of Brezhnev's motorcade. West German sources dubbed it a "hot line on wheels," and said it was in direct contact with the communications center at Schloss Gymnich. In the garden of the estate, the Soviets set up a dish-shaped microwave transmitter. Its purpose: to beam messages to Moscow via the Soviet satellite "Horizon" that overflies Western Europe.

Wherever Brezhnev went, he was accompanied by a platoon of burly security men (some of whom carried submachine guns in briefcases) wearing the obligatory fedoras and leather coats. All together the West Germans contributed 10,000 security police to protect the Soviet leader during his three-day stay.

To be on the safe side, the West Germans demanded that a number of Afghan, Turkish and East European exiles living in the country report to the police twice a day. Failure to comply would have meant a one-year prison sentence. Most of the names on the list were supplied by the Soviet embassy in Bonn.

The West Germans were also anxious that the ailing Brezhnev might be stricken during his visit to Bonn. At times, such as on his arrival, Brezhnev's jaw hung slackly, and he breathed heavily. His hosts say that the Soviet leader was suffering from a recurring affliction of the trigeminus, the nerve controlling the lower jaw. Knowledgeable West German sources believe that Brezhnev receives regular injections to correct his condition. He often spoke clearly, although he tired after discussions with Schmidt went on for about 90 minutes. Brezhnev would retire, usually with a doctor, to an adjoining room for 15 minutes. West German officials were told little about Brezhnev's health, but they assumed that he had a pacemaker. The unconfirmed report in Bonn last week was that both Schmidt and Brezhnev were equipped with pacemakers manufactured in the U.S.

While the West Germans found Brezhnev to be in remarkably better health than during his 1978 visit, they were taking no chances. Two ambulances were never far from his Mercedes limousine, one a boxlike affair that could be lifted and transported by helicopter. The vehicle was equipped with blood plasma and an oxygen tent for emergencies.

Brezhnev was a dutiful guest and patient. Once a heavy drinker, he imbibed mineral water at meals. When he arrived at his place for the official dinner, his glass was already filled with wine. An aide emptied the glass and refilled it with a reddish liquid from a thermos bottle that he carried in a black attache case. Brezhnev did not complain.

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