The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

message. That is why Starostin, despite his tormented conscience, continued to detail theSoviet position in an official voice, as instructed by the general. His last words were theworst: “I have one strict order from my leadership that I must relate to you verbatim:whatever happens, under no circumstances can you come to the Soviet embassy again.”“So you are leaving us for Amin to tear apart,” stated Sarwari. “Then we will all bedead in less than two hours. They will kill us all. They will enter this apartment in broaddaylight, in front of our Soviet neighbors, and execute us. That will mean that ComradeTaraki will be left without protection.”“My God, I must seem like a traitor in their eyes,” thought Starostin. “Betrayal iseverywhere. Everybody gives each other away, here and there, and they are all drivensolely by political considerations.”“He knows where I live,” Starostin said, pointing his finger at Gulabzoi, who wascarrying a tray with a tea kettle.Valery stood up, bid the Afghans farewell, and, with his sweaty palm gripping thehandle of his pistol, exited the apartment.A.M. Puzanov:After Gromyko learned about Amin’s defiant behavior from our dispatches, he orderedus to return to the negotiating table with the Afghan leaders in the spirit of yesterday’sinstructions from the Politburo. The same group accompanied me. Taraki received us in one ofthe rooms of his apartment, on the second floor. We asked if he knew about the executionsthat had begun. He replied that he knew. Then we suggested that we seriously discuss thedeveloping situation again. We also asked him to invite Comrade Amin, if it was possible.537