120 THE END OF THE COLD WAR
line-up. He scheduled the next meeting, which was to decide who
would succeed to the general secretaryship, for 2 p.m. on the following
afternoon.^6 Gorbachëv stayed on at the office through the night. He
arrived home at 4 a.m. Taking a walk in the garden with his wife, he
rued the country’s mess: ‘We can’t go on living like this.’ The morn-
ing was filled with rumours, fears and expectancy. The other party
secretaries besieged Yegor Ligachëv, Gorbachëv’s cheerleader in the
Secretariat, with demands for information.^7 Gorbachëv was not yet
sure of victory. KGB Chairman Chebrikov had told him that Tikhonov
had tried to persuade him against voting for Gorbachëv in the Polit-
buro. Groups of provincial party leaders buttonholed Gorbachëv
and urged him to hold his nerve; they told him that they were deter-
mined as Central Committee members to ensure that the Politburo
took their opinions into account.^8 Gromyko was first speaker at the
Politburo and put the case for Gorbachëv. He praised his creative
energy, talent at handling people and political experience. He worded
his eulogy as if the election was a foregone conclusion, and Tikhonov
and Grishin endorsed the proposal despite their sceptical record – and
Grishin abandoned his own ambition to take the post.^9
The Central Committee had to confirm the decision before Gor-
bachëv could present himself as the USSR’s new leader. Yegor Ligachëv
canvassed for him till the very last moment.^10 Enthusiasm was high in
the Central Committee, and it would have taken a political earthquake
to overturn the Politburo’s decision. Gorbachëv had lost out to
Chernenko in the previous decision on the succession and few people
in the Central Committee hoped to see him fail again. He spoke con-
cisely about Chernenko and his achievements before calling for a
minute’s silence in his memory. He then handed over to his new ally
Gromyko. Grishin appeared ill at ease, no doubt sensing that his career
was nearing its closure. Gromyko improvised the speech of his life in
praise of Gorbachëv. The Central Committee provided a heartfelt ova-
tion and a unanimous vote of approval.^11 Gorbachëv declared his
allegiance to the strategic line worked out at the 1981 Party Congress;
he thanked the Central Committee for the confidence it had shown in
him. With that, he closed one of the brightest short plenums in living
memory.^12 He behaved with the aplomb of a man who knew that his
time had arrived at last. Tactful on this sombre occasion, he neverthe-
less gave the impression of intending to seize his opportunities.
Gorbachëv had gained full membership of the Politburo as
recently as 21 October 1980.^13 Born to a peasant household on a