Documents from the Bulletins of the
Cold War International History Project (CWIHP)
Compiled and republished November 2001 (79 pp.)
Compare section 9.2 in this archive — USSR and Afghanistan, 1974-1992
*
BULLETIN 3 (Fall 1993)
Soviet Policy in Afghanistan, 1979: A Grim Assessment
12 April 1979 — Politburo, excerpt 149 from minutes, including 1 April 1979 report
by A. Gromyko, Yu. Andropov, D. Ustinov and B. Ponomarev [8-10]
*
BULLETIN 4 (Fall 1994)
From Hesitation to Intervention
Soviet Decisions on Afghanistan, 1979 [12-13]
20 March 1979 – Record of Meeting of A.N. Kosygin, A.A. Gromyko,
D.F. Ustinov and B.N. Ponomarev with N.M. Taraki [13-15]
20 March 1979 – Record of Brezhnev-Taraki conversation [15-16]
21 April 1979 – Soviet Helicopters to Afghanistan [16-17]
*
BULLETIN 8/9 (Winter 1996/1997)
[Build-up to Invasion, and its immediate aftermath, 1979-1980;
attempts at withdrawal, 1983-1989]
1 February 1980 – Politburo Decision, with telegrams to Soviet Ambassador,
To West Germany (Willy Brandt) and Finnish Social Democratic leader Kalevi Sorsa (not printed) [20-23]
Concerning the situation in “A”:
New Russian Evidence on the Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan
Odd Arne Westad [24-27]
31 May 1978 – Political Letter to USSR Foreign Ministry from A. Puzanov,
Soviet Ambassador to Afghanistan “About the Domestic Political Situation in the DRA” (notes) [28]
18 June 1978 – Record of Conversation,
Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [29]
18 July 1978 – Record of Conversation between
Soviet Ambassador to Afghanistan A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [29]
13 October 1978 – Information from CPSU Central Committee
to East German leader Erich Honecker [29-31]
1979
January to March
7 January 1979 – Politburo Decision on Afghanistan [31]
17-19 March 1979 – Transcript of Politburo Discussions on Afghanistan [31-40]
18 March 1979 – Politburo Decisions on Afghanistan [40]
17 or 18 March 1979 – Transcript of telephone conversation between Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin and Afghan Prime Minister Nur Mohammed Taraki [40-41]
20 March 1979 – Meeting of Kosygin, Gromyko, Ustinov and Ponomarev
with Taraki in Moscow [41-45]
22 March 1979 – Transcript of Politburo Session on Afghanistan [45-46]
22 March 1979 – Record of conversation
between Soviet Ambassador to Afghanistan A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [46]
April to June
14 April 1979 – Report of the chief of the Soviet military advisory group in Afghanistan Lt. Gen. L.N. Gorelov with H. Amin (excerpt) [46]
24 May 1979 – Politburo Decision
and Instruction to Soviet Ambassador in Afghanistan [47]
9 June 1979 – Record of Conversation
between Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [47]
28 June 1979 – Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomarev Report
to Central Committee on the Situation in Afghanistan [47-48]
July to September
10 July 1979 – Record of Conversation
between Soviet Ambassador A.M. Puzanov and Taraki [48]
19-20 July 1979 – Boris Ponomarev, Reports from Kabul (excerpts)
21 July 1979 – Record of Conversation between
Soviet Ambassador to Afghanistan A.M. Puzanov and H. Amin [48]
11 August 1979 – Conversation of the chief of the Soviet military advisory group in Afghanistan Lt. Gen. Gorelov with H. Amin [48-49]
25 August 1979 – Report from Soviet Deputy Defence Minister
Army Gen. Ivan Pavlovsky during visit to Afghanistan [49]
13 September 1979 – Politburo Decisions on Afghanistan (excerpts) [49]
15 September 1979 – Politburo Decision
with report by Gromyko, Ustinov and Tsvigun [49-50]
15 September 1979 – Cable from Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko
to Soviet Representatives in Kabul [50]
16 September 1979 – Information from CPSU Central Committee
to East German leader E. Honecker [50]
20 September 1979 – Excerpt from transcript, Politburo meeting [51]
27 September 1979 – Excerpt from transcript, Meeting of Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko and Afghan Foreign Minister Shah-Valih, New York (excerpt) [51]
October to December
1 October 1979 – Information from the CPSU Central Committee
to East German leader Honecker [51]
4 October 1979 – Transcript of Brezhnev-Honecker summit in East Berlin
(excerpt about Iran and Afghanistan) [51-52]
10 October 1979 – Information of KGB USSR to
Central Committee International Department [52]
29 October 1979 – Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomarev Report
to Central Committee [52-53]
3 November 1979 – Record of Conversation
Between Soviet Ambassador Puzanov and Amin [53]
5 November 1979 – Soviet Defence Minister Ustinov, Report to Central Committee on Mission to Afghanistan of Deputy Defence Minister, Army-Gen. I. G. Pavlovsky [53]
[December 1979, Invasion]
6 December 1979 – Record of Conversation between
Soviet Ambassador to Afghanistan F.A. Tabeyev and H. Amin [54]
6 December 1979 – Extract from Politburo Decision
[early December 1979] – Personal memorandum, Andropov to Brezhnev, n.d. [54]
31 December 1979 – Andropov-Gromyko-Ustinov-Ponomarev Report
on Events in Afghanistan on 27-28 December 1979 [55-56]
1980
January to March
4 January 1980 – Meeting of Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko
and Afghan Foreign Minister Shad Mohammad Dost [56-57]
17 January 1980 – Politburo transcript (excerpt) [57-58]
17 January 1980 – Politburo decision [58]
28 January 1980 – Politburo Decision, with 27 January 1980 report
by Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Ponomarev [58-60]
5 February 1980 – Andropov Report to CPSU CC on Talks with Afghan Leaders [60]
7 February 1980 – Politburo transcript (excerpt) [60-61]
7 February 1980 – Politburo Decisions on Afghanistan [61-62]
10 March 1980 – Politburo Decision on Soviet Policy on Afghanistan,
with report on proposal by Fidel Castro to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan and approved letter from L.I. Brezhnev to Fidel Castro [62-65]
April to June
10 April 1980 – Politburo Decision on Afghanistan,
with report by Gromyko-Andropov-Ustinov-Zagladin, 7 April 1980 [65-67]
8 May 1980 – Politburo Decision, with Politburo Commission Report 6 May 1980,
and Approved Cable to Soviet Ambassador in Kabul [67-69]
19 June 1980 – Politburo decisions [69]
21 June 1980 – Information from the CPSU Central Committee
to Erich Honecker [69-70]
23 June 1980 – CPSU Central Committee Plenum (excerpt) [70-71]
July & October
18 July 1980 – Information from the CPSU Central Committee
to Erich Honecker [71]
2 October 1980 – Report by Soviet Defence Minister Ustinov
to CPSU Central Committee on “Foreign Interference” in Afghanistan [71-72]
*
1983-1989
Attempts to Withdraw
10 March 1983 – Politburo transcript (excerpt) [72-73]
20 March 1986 – Politburo Transcript (excerpt) [73]
13 November 1986 – Politburo transcript (excerpt) [73-74]
24 January 1989 – Politburo Decision,
with attached report of 23 January 1989 [75-79]
13 May 1989 – Politburo Decision,
with report by Zaikov-Shevardnadze-Yazov-Kryuchkov [79]
