The CIA’s National Intelligence Daily for Saturday, 23 June 1990 describes the latest developments in USSR, Yugoslavia, Palestine, West Germany and South Africa.

Report from the Italian permanent representative to NATO, Tornetta, from the CSCE meeting in Madrid discusses the French proposal for a Conference on Disarmament (CDE) in Europe, and the negative impact of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on the international climate, even giving rise to disagreement among NATO members.

Description of Brezhnev visit to India (1980 December), and summary of his discussions with Indira Gandhi and the Communist Party of India (ICP). With Gandhi, Brezhnev discusses a wide range of international issues, including increased US military presence in the Indian Ocean, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and Soviet involvement in Afghanistan. Gandhi both expresses sympathy for Soviet situation in Afghanistan but also calls for withdrawal of troops. Both sides criticize Pakistan for taking action to destabilize region, and both sides criticize China for policy on sub-continent; Soviets accuse china of "direct support for imperialist policy."

Soviet plan for negotiations between Gorbachev and Reagan. Topics covered include peacemaking efforts in the Near East, nuclear limitation, and the issue of Afghanistan.

Gorbachev discusses the necessity of intra-Afghan peace talks. At the same time, the Soviet Union will provide military assistance, weapons, and aircraft to Afghanistan to retaliate against opposition.

Najibullah requests for technical aid and additional supplies from the USSR to support the war in Afghanistan.

Shevardnadze, Najibullah and others discuss the possibility of Soviet forces providing security for vital cargo deliveries along the Hairaton-Kabul highway, which passes through territory controlled by Ahmad Shah Masoud's forces.

Varennikov reports on problems with the Afghan forces, including excessive demands for additional weapons and equipment and the unreliability of Afghan troops.

Materials provided by former KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin to CWIHP, following the publication of the Working Paper No. 40, "The KGB in Afghanistan." As with all Mitrokhin’s notes, his compilation on Soviet “active measures” in South and Southwest Asia is based on other smuggled-out notes and was prepared especially for CWIHP. Please read the Notes on Sources for information on the nature and limitations of these documents.

The letter concerns Afghanistan and arms sales.