The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

Tabeyev was given no time to prepare for his trip, and was told to departimmediately. He was not even allowed a general briefing on the situation in the countryand was told that he would “learn everything upon arrival.” Brezhnev gave him thefollowing advice at his farewell meeting: “Don’t rush to conclusions. First, figure out what isgoing on and familiarize yourself with life in Afghanistan. Then give us your analysis.”Following this advice, Tabeyev did not sign one cable until the end of 1979.The new ambassador arrived with his wife in the Afghan capital on November 26,and submitted his credentials to Amin within a few days. Puzanov had left five days prior toTabeyev’s arrival. He felt disgraced upon his return to Moscow. He received no gratitudefrom Gromyko or his deputies for his distinguished career in diplomacy. Nobody everasked for his opinion about the situation in Afghanistan. Puzanov was led to believe thatthe bosses were dissatisfied with the results of his tenure in Kabul. He retired and lived outthe rest of his days quietly in Moscow.The day after Tabeyev submitted his credentials to Amin, Tabeyev visited him againto inform him that Moscow had agreed to receive him in the Soviet Union as the head ofstate of Afghanistan. The reality was that Moscow had already signed Amin’s deathsentence, but this remained unknown to the ambassador. Tabeyev and Amin discussed theprogram for Amin’s trip, including the agenda, schedule of meetings, and the culturalprogram.It didn’t take long for Tabeyev to realize the complexities of his situation. He hadknown nothing about the schism within the PDPA. He had not heard the words Khalq orParcham, had no idea of the intrigues or nuances of the personal relationships between theAfghan leaders, and was clueless as to the circumstances surrounding Taraki’s murder.649