The USSR ambassador to the DRA confirms the decision to build a radio broadcasting station.
January 7, 1980
Memorandum on the discussion with the Afghan side concerning the building of a radio broadcast station
SPECIAL FOLDER
[handwritten “62”]
Top Secret
Copy Nº 1
[Stamp on the right: CC CPSU
0090
07Jan1980
2nd Sector
Subject to return to the
CC CPSU General Department”]
[Stamp on the left: “Outgoing Nº 029
7/2 1980
First [[faded, perhaps “Department
CC CPSU”]] USSR]
CC CPSU
In accordance with a decision of 22 March 1979 a group of GKEhS, USSR Ministry of Communications, and USSR Gosplan experts held talks with the Afghan side in Kabul in August 1979 regarding the question of building a powerful medium-wave broadcasting station on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to organize national broadcasting, the conditions and timeframes for construction of this radio station and its location.
In the course of the talks the construction site of the radio broadcasting station was specified as in the area of Kandahar [underlined by hand].
In November 1979 the Afghan side requested to change the location of the radio station, having in mind that it be built in the area of Kabul [underlined].
GKEhS and the USSR Ministry of Communications, considering the capabilities of the construction organizations of the Afghan side, think it possible to give technical assistance to Afghanistan in building and operating a 1000 kWt medium-wave radio station with an antenna system in 1980-1983, deliver equipment and materials, and also send Soviet specialists.
The Afghan side should thereby provide planning and construction of secondary and offsite structures, the general construction work, and provide a labor force for the installation work for the radio station, and also its subsequent operation.
[“mb. 1045” typed at the bottom of a page]
The payment of the expenses of Soviet organizations to help create a powerful radio station in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which comes to about 10 million rubles, can be done by granting the DRA a credit under the conditions specified in USSR Council of Ministers Decree Nº 1018-291 of 14 November 1979. In this case it means that the payment of expenses associated with the travel of Soviet specialists and the deliveries of materials will also be done by extending a credit. The part of the credit used in 1980 for payment of work connecting with planning will come to 300,000 rubles.
The CC CPSU draft decree coordinated with the USSR MID (Cde. Mal’tsev), USSR Gosplan (Cde. Inozemtsev), USSR Minfin (Cde. Dementsev), Minpromsvyaz' [Ministry of the Communications Industry] (Cde. Kobin), and USSR Minmontazhspetsstroy (Cde. Mekryukov) is attached [Translator’s note: found on a separate
document with Skachkov’s and Talyzin’s signatures and the date 21.12.79].
Please review [this].
Chairman of GKEhS
[signature]
S. Skachkov
USSR Minister of Communications
[signature]
N. Talyzin
Confirming the decision to build a medium-wave broadcasting station, this CC CPSU includes information about station's construction site, its time frame for being built, and the economic credits which will be used to finance the project.
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Translated for CWIHP by Gary Goldberg.
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