22. Telegram From the Embassy in Afghanistan to the Department of State1
4422. Subject: Is the New Afghan Regime Communist?: Evidence to Date.
1. Summary: Although the top leaders of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) have Marxist-Leninist backgrounds and their People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) possesses a typical Communist structure, members of the revolutionary leadership continue to claim that they are not Communist and that their government is democratic, nationalistic, and respectful of Islam. Thus far, their actions have not significantly belied their words, although these may be short-term tactics, while the regime consolidates its grip on the country. On the foreign policy side, the new Afghan Government has not taken any stance on non-aligned issues appreciably different from those of the Daoud regime. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s special relationship with the Soviet Union is very clear.2 Economic agreements with the USSR are announced almost daily (about 15 so far), while the only others signed so far have been one each with Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, and Yugoslavia. Like its predecessor regimes since the 1950s, the DRA is clearly dependent on the USSR for most of its economic and military support. However, Soviet presence and influence in Afghanistan has appreciably increased since the coup. On balance, while it is clearly in the Soviet sphere of influence, there still is not enough evidence available to call Afghanistan a “Communist country” or a satellite of the Soviet Union, although these could [Page 53] well become the eventual fate of this country.3 Our best strategy appears to be one of encouraging an independent and truly non-aligned Afghanistan. End of summary.
[Omitted here is the body of the telegram.]
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780227–1122. Secret; Priority; Noforn. Sent for information to Islamabad, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Ankara, Tehran, USLO Peking, CINCPAC (for POLAD), and CINCEUR (for POLAD).↩
- In telegram 11903 from Moscow, May 26, the Embassy described the desk officer for Afghanistan in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs as “defensive and reluctant to discuss nature and orientation of new Afghan Peoples’ Democratic Party. He downplays Soviets’ links with and support for the new Afghan regime and emphasizes Afghan view of India as model for Afghanistan to emulate in its development efforts.” (National Archives, RG 59, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Program Files for Soviet-Asia Relations, 1960–1978, Lot 90D320, Afghanistan, January–June 1978) Conversely, in telegram 4559 from Kabul, June 6, the Embassy reported that the Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan “sees the Taraki regime as an intermediate regime between that of the Daoud regime—which destroyed the monarchy—and a full Soviet-backed Communist takeover.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780242–0104)↩
- The Embassy reported in telegram 4946 from Kabul, June 19, that it recently obtained a copy of a document entitled “Constitution of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA),” which clarified the new government’s ideological foundation. The Embassy noted that “the document, if valid, would leave little doubt that the PDPA is a Marxist-Leninist body and is pro-Soviet. We believe that the ‘constitution’ is a genuine Party document, but we are unsure of its date. We are fairly certain the document predates the coup two months ago, and conceivably it is the PDPA’s founding document dating from 1965. Whatever the case, it constitutes one further indication that the organization now wielding political power in this country is a pro-Soviet Communist type political party.” (National Archives, RG 59, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Program Files for Soviet-Asia Relations, 1960–1978, Lot 90D320, Afghanistan, January–June 1978)↩