Page 170 - Encyclopedia Of World History

520 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Détente: Nixon and Kissinger Broker
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I)

President Richard Nixon’s great successes came in the tation of Strategic Offensive Arms will contribute to
arena of international politics, where he and his Sec- the creation of more favorable conditions for active
retary of State, Henry Kissinger, achieved working negotiations on limiting strategic arms as well as to
relationships with both the USSR and China (and even the relaxation of international tension and the
contributed to the Sino-Soviet split that resulted in a strengthening of trust between States,
cooling of the relationship between those two great Taking into account the relationship between strate-
communist powers). The Nixon-Kissinger initiatives gic offensive and defensive arms,
resulted in the signing of a host of agreements during ...
Nixon’s time in office.The most important agreements Have agreed as follows:
were signed in May 1972 during a summit meeting in
Article I
Moscow between Nixon and Soviet president Leonid
The Parties undertake not to start construction of
Brezhnev. The two leaders signed the Interim Agree-
additional fixed land-based intercontinental ballistic
ment on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,
missile (ICBM) launchers after July 1, 1972.
known popularly as SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation
...
Talks), which limited the number of intercontinental
ballistic missiles that each side could possess.An addi- Article III
tional agreement placed restrictions on antiballistic The Parties undertake to limit submarine-launched
missiles. Excerpts from the SALT I treaty are below. ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers and modern bal-
listic missile submarines to the numbers operational
The United States of America and the Union of
and under construction on the date of signature of
Soviet Socialist Republics, hereinafter referred to as
this Interim Agreement, and in addition to launchers
the Parties,
and submarines constructed under procedures estab-
Convinced that the Treaty on the Limitation of
lished by the Parties as replacements for an equal
Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and this Interim Agree-
number of ICBM launchers of older types deployed
ment on Certain Measures with Respect to the Limi-
prior to 1964 or for launchers on older submarines.

be reduced. In the late 1950s Soviet premier Nikita leaders signed the Interim Agreement on the Limitation
Khrushchev had promoted a form of détente that he of Strategic Offensive Arms, known popularly as SALT I
referred to as “peaceful coexistence.” Today, however, (SALT is an acronym for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks),
détente is most often associated with Nixon and which limited the number of intercontinental ballistic
Kissinger. missiles that each side could possess. An additional
Nixon and Kissinger wanted to reduce Cold War ten- agreement placed restrictions on antiballistic missiles.
sions by engaging the USSR in a series of agreements on Nixon and Brezhnev also agreed to begin talks aimed at
a wide range of issues. They hoped that the Soviets scaling back nuclear weapons in Europe and endorsed a
would find a greater incentive in maintaining good rela- document outlining general principles of their new rela-
tions with the United States and the West than con- tionship. Later in 1972 a major trade deal led to the sale
fronting and challenging American interests around the of American wheat to the USSR. Nixon resigned office in
world. The Nixon-Kissinger initiatives resulted in the 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal but Kissinger
signing of a host of agreements during Nixon’s time in continued as secretary of state under the new president,
office.The most important agreements were signed dur- Gerald Ford. In July 1975 the Helsinki Final Act, the key-
ing a summit meeting between Nixon and Soviet presi- stone of détente, was signed by thirty-five countries.
dent Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow in May 1972.The two Under the terms of the Final Act the Soviets promised to