Search | Wilson Center Digital Archive

Switch to Visualization

Afghanistan Clear All

Related Resources

Placeholder image for when a places image is not available

South Asia

Afghanistan

Afghan resistance fighters return to a village destroyed by Soviet forces

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soviet soldier taking a photograph of another soldier in Red Square, Moscow, 1959

Eastern Europe

Soviet Union

Aerial view of National Mall

North America

United States

Portrait of Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, China, 1972.

East Asia

China

Placeholder image for when a places image is not available

South Asia

Pakistan

Mikhail Gorbachev, 1986

Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich

1931- 2022

Andrei Gromyko at the UN, 1981

Gromyko, Andrei Andreevich

1909- 1989

The Taj Mahal Shrine in Agra, India.

South Asia

India

Leonid Brezhnev, 1974.

Brezhnev, Leonid Il'ich

1906- 1982

Placeholder image for when a portrait image is not available

Andropov, Yuri Vladimirovich

1914- 1984

Placeholder image for when a portrait image is not available

Ustinov, Dimitri F.

-

Placeholder image for when a portrait image is not available

Amīn, Ḥafīẓ Allāh

1929- 1979

Sino-Soviet Relations

President Ronald Reagan, Vice-President Bush, and oviet General Secretary Gorbachev

United States-Soviet Relations

George H.W. Bush and Lech Walesa

CIA Reports on the Collapse of Communism in Europe

Soviet Foreign Policy

Pakistani Nuclear History

Results:

251 - 260 of 273

Display:

Sort By:

Documents

August 30, 1981	Conversation with Afghan Leader Babrak Karmal Regarding the Situation in the 'Center' Zone The General Consul is asked to approve an ultimatum which would allow Soviet forces to psychologically influence the rebels, and secondly, provide a way to warn the civilian population.
September 25, 1981	Diary of the events surrounding the September 1981 defection of the 913th Afghan Border Battalion This document consists of diary entries covering the events within the Afghan and Soviet militaries which ultimately led to the defection of the 913th Afghan Border Battalion.
October 11, 1981	Conversation with Babrak Karmal This document reveals the difficulty in distinguishing between rebels from the local population. The often coercive tactics of the Afghan military, which drew in individuals who would not join on their own, shows the difficulty in differentiating between rebels and local people.
July 4, 1981	Record of a conversation between Cheremnykh, Chief Military Adviser Mayorov, and N. A. Nur, Karmal’s deputy This document reveals much disagreement between Soviet policy makers. Cheremnykh, Chief Military Adviser Mayorov, and N. A. Nur, Karmal’s deputy disagree over the responsbility to the armed forces.
May 10, 1981	Report of Military Leaders to D. F. Ustinov This document reveals reluctance on the part of the Soviets to maintain military involvement in Afghanistan, and difficulty in shaping a newly forming Afghan government. The PDPA's efforts to establish a democratic government, Soviets analysts revealed, were hampered by tribalism and strong ethnic disagreements regarding the scope and shape of their government.
January 1, 1989	A January 1989 USSR Council of Ministers Instruction A decision authorizing military aid, totaling 6 million Soviet rubles.
March 18, 1979	Telephone Conversation between Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin and Afghan Premier Nur Mohammed Taraki This conversation reveals the difficulty that the Afghan political leadership faced in establishing a government--despite substantial military aid and advice from the Soviet Union.
December 27, 1979	Soviet Foreign Ministry Circular to Soviet Ambassadors on the Situation in Afghanistan, Instructions for Meeting with Heads of Government 'Outside Interference' in Afghan affairs lead Soviet officials to provide limited military aid and supplies in order to stabilize Afghanistan. Soviets, in pointing to a time-table for their involvement, stated that they would leave Afghanistan as soon as the foreign interference no longer exists.
December 27, 1979	Soviet Foreign Ministry Circular Cable to Soviet Ambassadors on the Situation in Afghanistan, Instructions for Meeting with Communist Party Leaders This document reveals the struggles facing Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Local individuals reacted negatively to outside Soviet involvement, which threatened to overturn the results of the April Revolution. Also, Soviets believed that the CIA, and Beijing’s leadership, were attempting to de-stabilize Afghanistan.
December 27, 1979	Cable to the Soviet Representative at the UN on the Development of the Situation in Afghanistan This document provides a statement to the UN Security Council, explaining the Soviet position on Afghanistan. The Soviets justify involvement in Afghan affairs--citing UN Article 51, which, in the context of this document, legalizes national defense efforts in response to the presence of outside forces.