103. Letter From the Officer in Charge of Pakistan-Afghanistan Affairs (Soulen) to the Chargé in Afghanistan (Elwood)1
Dear Bob: Ambassador Mills has suggested that we pass on to you our present thinking regarding the Embassy’s telegram 5842 which [Page 221] raised certain questions regarding the feasibility of establishing some sort of military mission in Afghanistan.
In light of our policy to do everything practical to counter Soviet influence in Afghanistan, this telegram was studied carefully in Defense and State.
In regard to the final paragraph, our tentative and informal position is that in view of present Afghan-Soviet relations and especially the military equipment situation, it is inadvisable to endeavor to establish “pure” instructional or MAAG type mission unless American personnel were to operate only at the highest level, i.e., counseling King, Prime Minister and general staff to the exclusion of Soviet or satellite personnel.
Even with such pre-emptive rights, the Department would hesitate to recommend the engagement of US military staff and counseling personnel in any competitive overlapping project with the Soviet operating personnel using Soviet matériel in Afghanistan. Based upon the present situation, the Department of Defense believes that the establishment of a US military mission in Afghanistan would entail difficulties and risks far outweighing potential benefits to the US military. It is also the feeling in Defense that putting any kind of military mission in Afghanistan would inevitably lead to the generation of demands for matériel which we are not prepared to meet at this time.
If this or a similar subject is broached officially, the Embassy should point out the obvious anomalies and endeavor to elicit details of RGA thinking without giving any encouragement beyond offering to report the subject to Washington.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, SOA Files: Lot 60 D 544, Afghanistan—Internal Security of Country. Secret; Official–Informal. Drafted by David B. Bolen.↩
- The last paragraph of telegram 584, November 26, 1957, reads as follows: “Thought should be given now to whether if requested it would be worthwhile for some sort of military mission from US to share with Russians field of advising Afghan military since believed not likely that Afghans would feel able discard Russians at this late date. If decision affirmative then question arises how this could be brought about in absence of Afghan adherence to any regional defense plan. Understood same situation applies in Saudi Arabia. Quid pro quo would be chance to influence Afghan military and partially counter Russian influence [2½ lines of source text not declassified]. Would also firm up Afghan neutral stance which is RGA avowed policy.” (Ibid., Central Files, 789.5–MSP/11–2657)↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩