The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

It was a brilliant ploy. Everybody present, besides the marshal, received thissuggestion favorably. The participants of the meeting realized that the one to travel toKabul would eventually become the point person, responsible for all further developments.The minister of defense was less than excited by his proposed candidacy. Kosygin hadcaught him off guard with his dangerous suggestion.Ustinov awkwardly attempted to change the subject: “It seems to me that we shouldtalk about the political steps that we have not yet exhausted. We should use the capacity ofthe Afghan army to a greater degree. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go toAfghanistan. Perhaps it would be better for some member of the government to travelthere,” he suggested. He fumbled with his glasses, nervously wiping them with ahandkerchief.Kosygin saw his chance to further inconvenience his old adversary. “No, DmitryFedorovich, you should be the one to go to Afghanistan,” he insisted. “The issue is that weare sending the Afghans enormous quantities of weapons, and we need to follow up toensure that they are being used appropriately. God forbid our arms fall into the hands ofthe rebels. Besides, we have over five hundred military advisers in Afghanistan. It isnecessary to meet with them and find out what is happening in the armed forces.”“Even if one of us does go to Afghanistan, it will be impossible to survey thesituation in just a few days,” mumbled the anxious minister of defense.“We should inform Leonid Ilyich in detail about the essence of the decisions that wehave come to,” masterfully intervened Andropov, an old and faithful friend of the ministerof defense. “What do you think, Andrei?”Gromyko immediately sensed the purpose behind Andropov’s intervention.366