TOP SECRET26 June 1979

The Afghan program begins: the Special Coordination Committee, 26 June 1979

Special Coordination Committee, National Security Council (chaired by Zbigniew Brzezinski; summary drafted by Donald Gregg)

It is CIA’s judgment that monetary support for food, clothing, and medical supplies is critical if opposition to the Taraki regime is to be sustained throughout the winter.

The White House record of the 55-minute meeting at which Carter's advisers agreed to give Afghan insurgents covert cash and propaganda support, six months before the Soviet invasion: the first decision of the program later called Operation Cyclone.

Read the document and our notes

Declassified