USSR-Afghanistan

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00080R001400160001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 26, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 19, 1979
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Rele
The Director of Central Intelligence
Washington. D. C.20505
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b16000~'Je: Alert Memo --
Afghan
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ALERT MEMORANDUM
MEMORANDUM FOR: National Security Council
SUBJECT : USSR-Afghanistan
The Soviet leaders have crossed a significant threshold in
their growing military involvement in Afghanistan. The airborne
units they have already introduced into the country at Bagram
airfield north of Kabul in the last two weeks are capable of
conducting multibatallion combat operations, and the Soviets are
building up other more substantial forces near the Soviet-Afghan
border. While the Soviets may now be less concerned about the
adverse consequences for their relations with the US of a major
intervention in Afghanistan, they probably also wish to avoid
deflecting onto themselves any of the militant Islamic hostility
now directed against the United States. In seeking to balance
their evident strong commitment to preserve a Marxist regime in
Afghanistan against their probable concern to avoid a politically
costly and militarily open-ended massive intervention, the Soviets
are now ratcheting up the level of their direct involvement and
may be positioning themselves i n a d er to escalate M7
further should circumstances require.
STANSFIELD TURNER
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Approved For Release 2005/08/02 : CIA-RDP81B00080R001400160001-9