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Postscript
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A letter from the General (1987)
Bill — your First Book is a “hit”—now get down to serious business of writing. I read the book reviews at least ten times and side-lined/under-lined the remarks — try to eradicate your failings in printed ink.
Your book on Afghanistan must reflect the following:
a. Afghanistan — its importance to the Free World & USA, if any, prior to the Russian invasion.
b. Why Russia invaded Afghanistan. Has Russia achieved its aim?
c. How the Afghans kept the Russians — a superpower — at bay! with outmoded weapons.
d. Will the Russians quit Afghanistan — for good.
e. Spell out the Russian and the USA interest in clear terms, in this Region — before invasion, during invasion and after the Russian pull-out.
f. The role played by Pakistan — its physical and economical contribution — Afghanistan’s impact on Pakistan’s economy.
g. Has the Free World adequately compensated Pakistan and the victims of Russian aggression by air and blasts?
h. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Has Pakistan lived up to this role?
I ask the reader: What would your list of important issues be? Have I addressed them? How can you help?
The Soviet view (San Francisco, 1987)
Because I am a believer in the Fairness Doctrine, I decided to contact the consulate of the U.S.S.R. to obtain their opinion of this book. Here is what I wrote.
3065 Pacific Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94115
6 November 1987
Consulate General of the
Soviet Union
279 Green Street
San Francisco, CA
Ladies and Gentlemen:
…Being somewhat of an empiricist, I place a high value on what I see and hear myself. It causes me some regret, therefore, to admit that when I was in Afghanistan I never spoke with Soviet or pro-Occupation personnel. This makes my book seriously flawed. I have, of course, read a few key documents which present the Soviet point of view: the 1980 interview with Brezhnev given shortly after Babrak Karmal took office, those two or three of Babrak’s speeches which are available, some Tass statements, etc. But the fact remains that almost all of my sources have a very strong anti-Soviet bias.
For this reason, I would like to give you the opportunity to read and comment on the manuscript draft of my book (which is about 250 double-spaced pages). Any suggestions or corrections to errors of fact would be gratefully appreciated. I frankly believe that the Soviet presence in Afghanistan is wrong. I do my best to make my readers believe this, too. I challenge you to convince them otherwise. If you care to comment on the book, I will give you five or ten pages in it to do so. I will not edit or alter your remarks in any way without your permission. If you sincerely feel that the views of my book are in error, well, as Lenin said (“All Out For the Fight Against Denikin! ”), “All our agitation and propaganda must serve to inform the people of the truth.” If not, your silence will speak for itself…
Yours truly,
William T. Vollmann
Their silence spoke for itself.