@article{866881,
      recid = {866881},
      title = {Afghanistan and the U.S., 1945-1963 records of the U.S.  State Department Central Classified Files. [electronic  resource] :},
      pages = {1 online resource.},
      year = {1945},
      note = {Reproduction of the originals from the U.S. National  Archives.},
      abstract = {Afghanistan's history, internal political development,  foreign relations, and very existence as an independent  state have largely been determined by its geographic  location at the crossroads of Central, West, and South  Asia. In modern times, as well as in antiquity, vast armies  of the world passed through Afghanistan, temporarily  establishing local control and often dominating Iran and  northern India. Islam has played a key role in the  formation of Afghanistan as well. Although it was the scene  of great empires and flourishing trade for over two  millennia, Afghanistan did not become a truly independent  nation until the twentieth century. In much of the  twentieth century, Afghanistan remained neutral. It was not  a participant in World War II, nor aligned with either  power bloc in the Cold War. However, it was a beneficiary  of the latter rivalry as both the Soviet Union and the U.S.  vied for influence by building such infrastructure works as  roads, airports, water and sewer systems, and hospitals.  The U.S. State Department Central Classified Files are the  definitive source of American diplomatic reporting on  political, military, social, and economic developments  throughout the world in the twentieth century.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/866881},
}