Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XII, Afghanistan

311. Letter From Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko to Secretary of State Muskie¹

Moscow, August 25, 1980

Distinguished Mr. Secretary,

I accquainted myself with your letter of August 5, in which You again return to the questions concerning Afghanistan.²

Let me be frank, the way You are posing these questions can not but elicit puzzlement. For instance, what is the reason for the persistant attempt of the American side to cast doubt on the fact of withdrawal from Afghanistan of certain Soviet units? It is clear after all, that such ignoring of facts not only serves no constructive purpose but voids the dialogue of any sense altogether.

Nor can in any way the progress in the political settlement of the situation around Afghanistan be facilitated by the persistently repeated assertion that “central factor” of the settlement is the question of complete withdrawal of Soviet forces.

What, indeed, is and continues to be the central question is the question of cessation and guaranteed non-resumption of military incursions from outside into the territory of Afghanistan and, generally, of all forms of interference in its internal affairs. It is in this context, as has been stated by us on more than one occasion, the solution of the question of withdrawal of the Soviet military contingent from Afghanistan can be achieved. In other words, this question is of a derivative and not of a principal nature at all. For the Soviet troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan the reason which induced the DRA Government to ask the Soviet Union for military assistance must be eliminated. There have been and can be no changes in our position in this respect.

A specific program of political settlement which, if realized, would lead to normalization of relations between Afghanistan and its neighbors as well as to solution of other pertinent questions, was, with utmost clarity, spelled out in the known statement of the DRA Government dated May 14, 1980.³ The Soviet Union, on its part, gives support to that program.

This is, Mr. Secretary, what I would like to tell You in regard to Afghanistan.

[Omitted here is a portion of the letter unrelated to Afghanistan.]

Sincerely,

A. Gromyko⁴

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Office Files of Marshall D. Shulman, Special Advisor to the Secretary on Soviet Affairs, 1977–1981, Lot 81D109, untitled folder. No classification marking. Text of the letter was transmitted in telegram 228778 to Moscow, August 27. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P910096–1978, N800009–0271)
2. See Document 307.
3. See Document 270.
4. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.