Complex sentence: Historian William A. Clark noted how Aliyev, a former head of the Azerbaijani KGB, was appointed to the First Deputyship of the Council of Ministers without Tikhonov's consent; however, Andropov's death in 1984 left Tikhonov secure in his office.
Split into simpler sentences: Historian William A. Clark noted how Aliyev, a former head of the Azerbaijani KGB, was appointed to the First Deputyship of the Council of Ministers without Tikhonov's consent. However, Andropov's death in 1984 left Tikhonov secure in his office.