The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

opposition figures was an obvious expression of the low degree of trust they had in the newAfghan leader. Kryuchkov knew from his superior that the new regime would receiveMoscow’s official recognition. Tomorrow Amin would be congratulated by Brezhnev for hisappointment to all of the major political positions. All of which meant nothing. Andropovwas indignant about Amin’s unpredictability, perfidious nature, and insincerity. The lastcables from Kabul, distributed among all members of the Politburo, must have influencedtheir mood toward the new Afghan premier in a similar way.“It is difficult to predict what decisions the leadership of the country will make,”Kryuchkov thought to himself. “But we in intelligence must be prepared for any turn ofevents. We should receive permission from Yuri Vladimirovich to intensify our work withthe émigré Parchamis, first and foremost with Babrak Karmal. They might be needed at anymoment. We need to work quickly with Sarwari and the former ministers, as they may haveto be engaged at any moment as well. Now we have a deck full of trump cards. We mustdecide which one to lead with when the time comes. I think the time will come very, verysoon.”Andropov was especially welcoming to Kryuchkov. He was dressed in a knittedsweater and his tie was loose. He shook Kryuchkov’s hand with a smile. “So, Volodya,weren’t we correct in training the foreign intelligence special services in advance? They dida good job!”“Yes, indeed, Yuri Vladimirovich. But, to be fair, Zenit wasn’t the only unit involved.KGB operatives from both the Residency and Office of the Representative did a great job aswell. I think it would be appropriate for them to be rewarded—some with government andothers with professional awards. Our comrades took real risks out there.”584