AFGHANISTAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R000300150006-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2003
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: August 3, 1956
• Content Type: MF

I. Afghanistan's econo .:c depends ee on the US has in the last
eight months expanded to the point where,, if the present trend contin-eons,
the SoviE.t Union will probably be able r td in the next few years to in-
fluence effectively Afghan pol.i.tical as wf ll. as economic policy. The
basic cause of closer Aff an-Soy1et relations is Afghan prime minister
I 'awl's conviction that only from the USSR can he obtain the large-scale
economic assistance required for the rapid modernization of his country
and the political and military support to make his dream of Pushtooni.s-
tara a realty. Baud now appears to be stronger than ever-both inter-
nally and in regard to his bargaining position with Pakistan.
2. Recent completion of contracts for ;oviet construction of ton
devel.t naent projects in all. parts of Afgt'tanistan, extensive Afghan use
of the transit route through the reported shipment of alert half
of i fgh nisstan's total exports to the and Afghan receipt of Sov-
iet and probably Czech arms a evidence of the closeness of current
Afgisan-, soviet relations.
r;_striippheed For Release 200103105?: CIA-RDP80R0l731 R000300150006-1
Orig. & 1 - addressed: ';.2:- tCI 1 - DD/I 1 - AD/CI
:;F;P,`?' E ;~ C.'~A~ ,.
NO
t~ E_AS 'C: TS S C
t att~t, 1~s:iL `'a !?3 The Secretary of Defense
3. Kabul continues to i intair contact with the Went--as in the
ease of the = J ,5OO,OOO aviation agreement recently signed with the
United >tatess?-aind Daud will probably c tinue to be susceptible to
Western proposals which w tu'ld give him acme protection against an even
tual Soviet takeover. However, the overal2 trend of Afghan policy at
the present is clearly toward closer relations with the : oviet bloc.
OCI/~ --r1 (3 August 1956) ~-- D O C t
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