Documents from the Bulletins of the

Cold War International History Project (CWIHP)

Compiled, translated into English and republished November 2001 (79 pp); some have been included, in part or in full, in the archive.

Compare Section 9.2, USSR and Afghanistan, 1974-1992, which usually includes Russian original.

[ See Short Biographies for Afghan, Soviet and other rulers & officials ]

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BULLETIN 3 (Fall 1993)

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Soviet Policy in Afghanistan

1979, A GRIM ASSESSMENT (pp. 8-10)

12 April 1979 — POLITBURO, Excerpt 149 from minutes; 1 April 1979 Joint Report by Andrei Gromyko, Yury Andropov, Dmitry Ustinov and Boris Ponomaryov [pp. 8-10].

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BULLETIN 4 (Fall 1994)

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From Hesitation to Intervention

SOVIET DECISIONS ON AFGHANISTAN, 1979 (pp. 12-17)

20 March 1979 – MEETING: Politburo members Alexei Kosygin, Andrei Gromyko, Dmitry Ustinov & Boris Ponomaryov (candidate member) with Afghan Prime Minister Nur Mohammed Taraki [pp. 13-15]

20 March 1979 – Brezhnev-Taraki conversation [pp. 15-16]

21 April 1979 – Soviet Helicopters to Afghanistan [pp. 16-17]

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BULLETIN 8/9 (Winter 1996/1997)

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AFGHANISTAN

THE BUILD-UP TO INVASION AND ITS AFTERMATH, 1979-1980 (pp. 18-71)

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1 February 1980 – POLITBURO Decision, Telegrams to USSR Ambassador, to West Germany (Willy Brandt) and Finnish Social Democratic leader Kalevi Sorsa (not printed) [pp. 20-23]

Odd Arne Westad, ‘Concerning the situation in “A”.’ New Russian Evidence about the Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan [pp. 24-27]

31 May 1978 – Political LETTER, to Soviet Foreign Ministry from A.M. Puzanov, USSR Ambassador to Afghanistan: “About the Domestic Political Situation in the DRA” (notes) [p. 28]

18 June 1978 – CONVERSATION: Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [p. 29]

18 July 1978 – CONVERSATION: Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [p. 29]

13 October 1978 – INFORMATION. CPSU Central Committee to E. German leader Honecker [pp. 29-31]

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1979

January to March

7 January 1979 – POLITBURO Decision on Afghanistan [p. 31]

17-19 March 1979 – Transcript of POLITBURO Discussions on Afghanistan [pp. 31-40]

18 March 1979 – POLITBURO Decisions on Afghanistan [p. 40]

17 or 18 March 1979 – PHONE CONVERSATION, Prime Ministers Alexei Kosygin and Nur Mohammed Taraki [pp. 40-41]

20 March 1979 – MEETING (Moscow): Kosygin, Gromyko, Ustinov & Ponomaryov with Taraki [pp. 41-45]

22 March 1979 – POLITBURO Session on Afghanistan [pp. 45-46]

22 March 1979 – CONVERSATION: Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [p. 46]

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April to June

14 April 1979 – REPORT by Lt. Gen. L.N. Gorelov, chief of USSR military advisory group, of his contact with Hafizullah Amin (excerpt) [p. 46]

24 May 1979 – POLITBURO Decision; Instruction to Soviet Ambassador in Afghanistan [p. 47]

9 June 1979 – CONVERSATION: Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [p. 47]

28 June 1979 – Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomaryov REPORT to Central Committee: The Situation in Afghanistan [pp. 47-48]

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July to September

10 July 1979 – CONVERSATION, USSR Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [p. 48]

19-20 July 1979 – Boris Ponomaryov, Reports from Kabul (excerpts)

21 July 1979 –CONVERSATION, USSR Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Afghan leader Amin [p. 48]

11 August 1979 – CONVERSATION of Lt. Gen. Gorelov, chief of Soviet military advisory group in Afghanistan, with Hafizullah Amin [pp. 48-49]

25 August 1979 – REPORT from Army Gen. Ivan Pavlovsky, Soviet Deputy Defence Minister, during visit to Afghanistan [p. 49]

13 September 1979 – POLITBURO Decisions on Afghanistan (excerpts) [p. 49]

15 September 1979 – POLITBURO Decision with report by Gromyko, Ustinov and Tsvigun [pp. 49-50]

15 September 1979 – Cable from USSR Foreign Minister Gromyko to Soviet Representatives in Kabul [p. 50]

16 September 1979 – INFORMATION: CPSU Central Committee to East German leader Honecker [p. 50]

20 September 1979 – Excerpt from transcript, POLITBURO meeting [p. 51]

27 September 1979 – Excerpt from transcript, MEETING of Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko and Afghan Foreign Minister Shah-Valih, New York (excerpt) [p. 51]

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October to December

1 October 1979 – INFORMATION: CPSU Central Committee to East German leader Honecker [p. 51]

4 October 1979 – Transcript of Brezhnev-Honecker summit in East Berlin (excerpt: Iran and Afghanistan) [pp. 51-52]

10 October 1979 – INFORMATION: USSR KGB to Central Committee International Department [p. 52]

29 October 1979 – Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomaryov REPORT to Central Committee [pp. 52-53]

3 November 1979 – Record of CONVERSATION, Soviet Ambassador Puzanov and Amin [p. 53]

5 November 1979 – USSR Defence Minister Ustinov, REPORT to Central Committee on Mission to Afghanistan of Army-Gen. I. G. Pavlovsky, Deputy Defence Minister [p. 53]

INVASION

6 December 1979 – Record of CONVERSATION, USSR Ambassador F.A. Tabeyev and H. Amin [p. 54]

6 December 1979 – Extract from POLITBURO Decision.

[early December 1979] – Personal MEMORANDUM, Andropov to Brezhnev, n.d. [p. 54]

31 December 1979 – Andropov-Gromyko-Ustinov-Ponomaryov, REPORT on 27-28 December 1979 Events in Afghanistan [pp. 55-56]

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1980

January to March

4 January 1980 – MEETING of Foreign Ministers: Gromyko & Shad Mohammad Dost (Afghanistan) [pp. 56-57]

17 January 1980 – POLITBURO transcript (excerpt) [pp. 57-58]

17 January 1980 – POLITBURO decision [p. 58]

28 January 1980 – POLITBURO Decision; 27 January 1980 REPORT by Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomaryov [pp. 58-60]

5 February 1980 – Andropov REPORT to CPSU Central Committee: Talks with Afghan Leaders [p. 60]

7 February 1980 – POLITBURO transcript (excerpt) [pp. 60-61]

7 February 1980 – POLITBURO Decisions on Afghanistan [pp. 61-62]

10 March 1980 – POLITBURO Decision on Soviet Policy towards Afghanistan: Report on Castro proposal to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan, approved letter from L.I. Brezhnev to Fidel Castro [pp. 62-65]

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April to June

10 April 1980 – POLITBURO Decision; Report by Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Zagladin, 7 April 1980 [pp. 65-67]

8 May 1980 – POLITBURO Decision: Politburo Commission REPORT (6 May 1980), Approved Cable to Soviet Ambassador in Kabul [pp. 67-69]

19 June 1980 – POLITBURO decisions [p. 69]

21 June 1980 – INFORMATION: CPSU Central Committee to Erich Honecker [pp. 69-70]

23 June 1980 – CPSU Central Committee PLENUM (excerpt) [pp. 70-71]

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July & October

18 July 1980 – INFORMATION: CPSU Central Committee to Erich Honecker [p. 71]

2 October 1980 – REPORT by Soviet Defence Minister Ustinov to Central Committee: “Foreign Interference” in Afghanistan [pp. 71-72]

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1983-1989

ATTEMPTS AT WITHDRAWAL, 1983-1989 (pp. 72-79)

10 March 1983 – POLITBURO transcript (excerpt) [pp. 72-73]

20 March 1986 – POLITBURO transcript (excerpt) [p. 73]

13 November 1986 – POLITBURO transcript (excerpt) [pp. 73-74]

24 January 1989 – POLITBURO Decision, with attached report of 23 January 1989 [pp. 75-79]

13 May 1989 – POLITBURO Decision; Report by Zaikov-Shevardnadze-Yazov-Kryuchkov [p. 79]

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