192. Article in the President’s Daily Brief1
USSR: Propaganda line on Afghanistan
The Soviets are pushing a propaganda and diplomatic line designed to counter US and other foreign reactions on Afghanistan.
A Soviet journalist has acknowledged to West German officials that Moscow made a major mistake in not laying the political groundwork for its intervention. In their commentaries and remarks to foreigners, Soviet officials are now trying hard to promote their rationalization of the circumstances triggering the coup against Amin and the Soviet invasion. This includes finding more “proof” of foreign support for the Afghan resistance and a better explanation for Amin’s ouster so soon after he reportedly requested Soviet intervention.
The Soviets are also claiming they have no intention of keeping troops in Afghanistan indefinitely. They have told many foreigners that troops will be pulled out when the situation is stabilized. [5 lines not declassified] Ambassador Dobrynin claimed on Tuesday that a phased withdrawal is possible within several weeks or a few months.2
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 81B00401R: Subject Files of the Presidential Briefing Coordinator for DCI (1977–81), Box 8, Afghanistan Crisis—February 1980, PDBs. Top Secret; For the President Only. The full version of this President’s Daily Brief was not filed with this collection. The article printed here was found in this form.↩
- Tuesday was January 29. See footnote 3, Document 186.↩