Historians Remember President Jimmy Carter's Efforts to Aid Afghan Rebels
2025-01-15
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1Many historians say U.S. President Ronald Reagan helped defeat the former Soviet Union and end the Cold War.
2Reagan's efforts included giving support to rebel groups fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
3U.S. support for Afghan rebels began earlier under the administration of President Jimmy Carter.
4Carter ordered secret nonlethal aid to rebel groups six months before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
5The Soviet Union invaded in December of 1979.
6Carter worked on cooperation with the Soviet Union by seeking approval of the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreement on nuclear weapons.
7At the same time, his policies and statements pushed against Soviet goals.
8David Gibbs is a history professor at the University of Arizona.
9Gibbs said, "I think people's image of Carter as a deeply religious man, a deeply moral man, is very much influenced by the activities he's done after he left office. [But] he definitely...had a side that was very willing to use force, including nuclear weapons."
10A communist takeover in Afghanistan in April 1978 brought down the government of President Mohammad Daoud Khan.
11In the summer of 1979, Carter signed a secret order known as a "presidential finding" that permitted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to give nonlethal aid to rebels.
12The rebels were fighting Afghanistan's Soviet-supported communist government.
13Carter's order stayed secret until the 1990s.
14It became known after several Carter administration officials, including former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, communicated its existence.
15Some historians have called Carter's plan to aid rebel groups the "Afghan Trap."
16They said the trap aimed to force the Soviets into a long war similar to America's fight in Vietnam during the 1960s and early 1970s.
17In 1998, Brzezinski denied to the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur that the Carter administration had a plan to get the Soviets into a long war in Afghanistan.
18However, he also called such a program "an excellent idea."
19Conor Tobin is an historian at the University College Dublin in Ireland who has studied the Afghan Trap idea.
20He said most experts do not believe the aid was part of a plan to make the Soviets fight.
21Tobin said there is not enough evidence to support the Afghan Trap idea.
22Tobin also said the Carter administration decided to first wait to see how the situation in Afghanistan would develop after the 1978 government overthrow.
23But that policy ended with the kidnapping and killing of U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs in February of the next year.
24Brzezinski then ordered a new plan for Afghanistan.
25Tobin said Brzezinski asked an administration official to consider the question: "Should we help any insurgents?"
26Tobin said U.S. government officials thought military aid to rebels would cause a strong Soviet reaction.
27This judgment led the Carter administration to give nonlethal aid instead.
28"The decision-making process demonstrated caution, rather than an effort to induce an invasion," Tobin wrote.
29Tobin wrote in an article, "The Myth of the 'Afghan Trap,'" about the concerns of U.S. officials.
30He said, instead of trying to push the Soviets into a fight, Brzezinski worried the Soviets would slowly expand their power in Afghanistan.
31"The objectives in mid-1979 were essentially to do something, anything, to counter the Soviet advance in Afghanistan," Tobin said.
32In 1979, another development raised concerns in Washington.
33Even if Carter did not want armed conflict in Afghanistan, he took a strong position against Soviet efforts to control the Persian Gulf.
34That body of water lies between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two major oil producers.
35During a speech to the U.S. Congress in 1980, Carter warned that the U.S. was prepared to use "any means necessary" to prevent a Soviet takeover of the Persian Gulf area.
36On December 28, 1979, the day after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Carter gave permission to supply weapons and training for the rebels.
37Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan who mostly continued Carter's Afghan policy for several years before greatly increasing the secret aid program.
38The aid reached several hundred million dollars a year, and the Soviet military left Afghanistan in defeat in 1989.
39Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024.
40I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Many historians say U.S. President Ronald Reagan helped defeat the former Soviet Union and end the Cold War. Reagan's efforts included giving support to rebel groups fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. 2U.S. support for Afghan rebels began earlier under the administration of President Jimmy Carter. Carter ordered secret nonlethal aid to rebel groups six months before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union invaded in December of 1979. 3Carter worked on cooperation with the Soviet Union by seeking approval of the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreement on nuclear weapons. At the same time, his policies and statements pushed against Soviet goals. 4David Gibbs is a history professor at the University of Arizona. Gibbs said, "I think people's image of Carter as a deeply religious man, a deeply moral man, is very much influenced by the activities he's done after he left office. [But] he definitely...had a side that was very willing to use force, including nuclear weapons." 5US aid to rebels 6A communist takeover in Afghanistan in April 1978 brought down the government of President Mohammad Daoud Khan. 7In the summer of 1979, Carter signed a secret order known as a "presidential finding" that permitted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to give nonlethal aid to rebels. The rebels were fighting Afghanistan's Soviet-supported communist government. 8Carter's order stayed secret until the 1990s. It became known after several Carter administration officials, including former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, communicated its existence. 9The 'Afghan Trap' 10Some historians have called Carter's plan to aid rebel groups the "Afghan Trap." 11They said the trap aimed to force the Soviets into a long war similar to America's fight in Vietnam during the 1960s and early 1970s. 12In 1998, Brzezinski denied to the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur that the Carter administration had a plan to get the Soviets into a long war in Afghanistan. However, he also called such a program "an excellent idea." 13Other explanations of U.S. aid 14Conor Tobin is an historian at the University College Dublin in Ireland who has studied the Afghan Trap idea. He said most experts do not believe the aid was part of a plan to make the Soviets fight. Tobin said there is not enough evidence to support the Afghan Trap idea. 15Tobin also said the Carter administration decided to first wait to see how the situation in Afghanistan would develop after the 1978 government overthrow. But that policy ended with the kidnapping and killing of U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs in February of the next year. 16Brzezinski then ordered a new plan for Afghanistan. Tobin said Brzezinski asked an administration official to consider the question: "Should we help any insurgents?" 17Tobin said U.S. government officials thought military aid to rebels would cause a strong Soviet reaction. This judgment led the Carter administration to give nonlethal aid instead. 18"The decision-making process demonstrated caution, rather than an effort to induce an invasion," Tobin wrote. 19Tobin wrote in an article, "The Myth of the 'Afghan Trap,'" about the concerns of U.S. officials. He said, instead of trying to push the Soviets into a fight, Brzezinski worried the Soviets would slowly expand their power in Afghanistan. 20"The objectives in mid-1979 were essentially to do something, anything, to counter the Soviet advance in Afghanistan," Tobin said. 21The Carter Doctrine 22In 1979, another development raised concerns 23in Washington. Even if Carter did not want armed conflict in Afghanistan, he took a strong position against Soviet efforts to control the Persian Gulf. That body of water lies between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two major oil producers. 24During a speech to the U.S. Congress in 1980, Carter warned that the U.S. was prepared to use "any means necessary" to prevent a Soviet takeover of the Persian Gulf area. 25On December 28, 1979, the day after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Carter gave permission to supply weapons and training for the rebels. 26Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan who mostly continued Carter's Afghan policy for several years before greatly increasing the secret aid program. The aid reached several hundred million dollars a year, and the Soviet military left Afghanistan in defeat in 1989. 27Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024. 28I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver. 29Masood Farivar wrote this story for VOA News. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 30__________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32nonlethal -adj. related to things that are not weapons with the ability to cause death 33insurgent -n. a person in rebellion against civil power or a government 34caution -n. concern or care when faced with a risky situation 35induce -v. to influence a person or group to act or to believe something 36objective -n. a goal or an aim 37counter -v. to act against a force, movement or person