The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

channels of reporting.”When the meeting was over, and both Ulyanovsky and Zaplatin walked out ofPonomaryov’s office, Rostislav Alexandrovich asked whether the general had any questions.Zaplatin had many questions, but he sensed that he had already taken too much of thesehigh officials’ time. He also realized that from now on, he would have to seek the answers to hisquestions on his own.“Thank you, Rostislav Alexandrovich.” Zaplatin was about to say good-bye when he heardhimself ask, “Don’t we have our own correspondents in Kabul?”“Why do you think this would be the case?”“Before visiting the Central Committee, I looked through the last issues of Pravda. All of thenews about the Afghan revolution came either from London or Islamabad.”Ulyanovsky burst into laughter. “That’s our Department of International Information beingoverly cautious. Zamyatin and his boys are concerned that the Soviet Union will be accused oftaking part in the coup. That’s their way of distancing us from what happened. We do havecorrespondents in Afghanistan, and you will meet them very soon.”Having returned home, the general apologized to his wife. “Alas, you’ll have to celebrateyour birthday without me,” he admitted. In three days, he left for Afghanistan as the head of alarge contingent of military advisers.This is how General Zaplatin found himself in Kabul on a bright May morning in 1978. Hewas greeted at the airport by a young Afghan dressed in civilian clothes who introduced himself ingood Russian as Head of Political Directorate of the Armed Forces Iqbal Waziri.“Welcome, Comrade General. If you’re not tired, I suggest we start working right away.Comrade Hafizullah Amin is waiting for us.”145