The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

“I am working, Leonid Ilyich!” exclaimed Kozin. “I can’t drink.”Brezhnev was obviously nonplussed by his response. He looked at the interpreterdisapprovingly. “And I suppose you think we are vacationing here?” The general secretaryhimself was drinking Zubrovka, which was poured for him from a special decanter.“May I ask to sample what you’re drinking Leonid Ilyich?” Kozin asked the generalsecretary.Brezhnev gestured to the waiter, who filled Kozin’s glass with Zubrovka from thespecial decanter. Then the general secretary tapped the microphone with his finger, eitherchecking the microphone’s connection or motioning for those present to be silent. Then hestood up with difficulty.“I’d like to propose a toast—to our interpreter!”Everybody at the table rose, clearly confused as to the nature of the toast. Thisyoung man had hardly spent two days in the Kremlin. Why this special treatment?Nevertheless, they all complied and drank to Kozin. Later, Kozin’s colleagues in the ForeignMinistry inquired as to why the general secretary acted with such respect towards him.Kozin’s diplomatic rank was immediately raised by two positions, just in case.The results of the visit were characterized as positive in a classified memorandumthat had been prepared by the Central Committee. It emphasized that relations betweenthe USSR and the DRA had been raised to a new level, and were now based on class valuesand filled with the spirit of camaraderie and revolutionary solidarity. The DRA leadershipwas told that it could firmly rely on Soviet assistance and support in matters of therevolutionary reorganization of Afghan society.266