The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

of the conversation.“Comrade Gulabzoi, you are talking about very serious things. Such accusationsregarding one of the leaders of the state require detailed and reliable evidence. How canyou prove that what you told me is true?”“I know for a fact that Amin is meeting daily with many officers, among whom thereare a few of my friends and former colleagues. Some officers come to me and share with methe sentiments of those conversations. As a rule, Amin is quite openly trying to convincethem that Taraki is old, that he is very ill, that he is out of his mind, and that his continuingparticipation in leading the state and the party will harm the revolution. However, I canstate responsibly that Taraki is healthy and energetic. He works a lot. He wisely resolves avariety of state and party issues. He is persistent in trying to achieve the goals of ourrevolution. There is no sign of his weakness as a Khalq leader. He meets with foreigndiplomats and journalists often, and not one of them ever doubted his competence andabilities. Amin directly appeals to the officers to help him remove Taraki from his positionas leader of the state and the party. If Taraki refuses to leave willingly, Amin will nothesitate to overthrow him. Amin offers money to some of the bureaucrats and officers whoagree to support him. He offers from fifty to one hundred thousand Afghani to thosetraitors as a payment for their allegiance to him and support at the crucial moment. He alsopromises them appointments to high-level state positions or promotions in military ranks.”“Comrade Gulabzoi, can you be more specific? My superiors will want to know facts,numbers. For example, what are the names of those whom Amin was attempting to recruit?How much did he pay them? What exactly did he say to them? Did he ask for writtencommitments? In which institutions and at what positions do the officials who are making a481