The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

that Orlov-Morozov wrote to the Center as per your request. I had to come here at night tosign it. Read, is this all correct?”Victor scanned the text attentively. “It’s all correct, Vilior Gavrilovich, but somethingmust be added to it. About an hour ago I saw Agent Mahmoud. He was wearing his militaryuniform. The uprising will begin today.”The color drained from the resident’s face and a deep crease of concern appeared onhis brow. “Your source, you’re sure he isn’t lying? Not playing out fantasies? Would hemake something like this up?”Osadchiy got up from his desk and began pacing across the small office as hereflected aloud. “Yes, damn, this feels like truth. This is what we’ve felt building up the lastfew days.” With these words the resident’s tone changed abruptly from light concern toauthoritative action. “Here—the blank cable. Write it down here, right now, shortly andcategorically, no ‘possibly’ or ‘one should suppose’ or ‘one should expect.’ Write: ‘ToKryuchkov. Extraordinarily urgent.’ What time is it in Moscow?” Osadchiy smiled tohimself; it was six in the morning in Moscow, just the right time for such a cable. Withinminutes the information confirming the forthcoming coup d’etat was sent to the Center.Intelligence officers gathered in the embassy at nine in the morning. Osadchiy calleda meeting to alert his staff of the volatile situation so that they could plan their day’s workaccordingly. There were no follow-up questions for the resident. It was understandablethat most of the officers didn’t take the news about the possible coup seriously. During theyears of Mohammad Daoud’s rule, not a month had passed in which the KGB chief wouldn’treceive news of an urgent threat or a developing plot against the regime. There was aprogressive democratic plot, a pro-Chinese extreme leftist group, “The Eternal Flame” plot,12