The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

Amin with his charming American-style smile, showing both rows of perfectly even teeth.“Alas,” responded Ivanov, regarding Amin with strict disinterest, “having invitedComrade Taraki to an unofficial visit, the Soviet leaders think that with such an unstablesituation in the country, you, Comrade Amin, should stay here and lead the fight against therebels.”Amin’s smile faded. Ivanov hadn’t taken the bait, and left him with little to object to.It should be mentioned that most people found little reason to object to Ivanov. Healways spoke quietly and intelligently, calmly and kindly. He articulated his thoughtsclearly and spoke perfect Russian. Sometimes one would get the impression that they werelistening to a star philologist, not a KGB operative. When speaking through an interpreter,he tended to use short, grammatically simple phrases to facilitate the process ofinterpretation. The secret of his style was in his ability to quickly capture and analyzeinformation, place it in the context of a bigger picture, and make impeccably logicalconclusions.Amin strongly disliked Ivanov. Perhaps it happened because the Afghan leadersuddenly realized that the man who had arrived in Kabul was not captivated by hisexcessive energy and charm. That was the “weapon” that Amin always expertly applied inhis communication with Soviet comrades. Amin noticed immediately how AmbassadorPuzanov’s eyes lit up when listening to Amin’s assurances that Afghanistan would soonbecome a socialist country. He could successfully ingratiate himself to party and militaryadvisers. Many high-level guests from Moscow, after their conversations with the Afghansecond-in-command, left believing that Amin was a reliable and loyal friend of the Soviets,and the man who was destined to lead Afghanistan to a bright socialist future. But for some395