Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were a series of bilateral conferences and international treaties signed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR). These treaties had the goal of reducing the number of long-range ballistic missiles (strategic arms) that each side could possess and manufacture. The first round of talks began in 1969 under President Nixon. After a period of negotiations, the first treaty, known as SALT I, was signed on May 26, 1972. By signing SALT I, the US and the USSR agreed to a limited number of ballistic missiles, as well as a limited number of missile deployment sites. Additionally, the two countries agreed to a principle of non-interference and respect for national sovereignty.

SALT I was scheduled to expire in October 1977. Both countries wanted to finalize a new, permanent, and more encompassing agreement before the expiration. The talks had stalled, however, in the months leading up to President Nixon’s resignation. Upon succeeding to the presidency in August 1974, President Ford was eager to advance the negotiations. A major breakthrough in the talks came in November 1974, when President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev met in Vladivostok to develop a foundation for a SALT II accord. After two days of negotiations, they created an agreement that included the following:

• A ban on the construction of new land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)
• Each country would be limited to 2,400 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles (SNDVs), including ICBMs and heavy bombers
• Each country would be limited to 1,320 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), which made it possible to attach multiple warheads to a single missile

After the Vladivostok Summit, further negotiations were still needed to address the advanced technology being developed by the two countries. The US had created new cruise missiles, which had greater accuracy and were undetectable by radar. The USSR had been developing Backfire bombers, which were long-range aircrafts capable of performing nuclear and maritime attacks. President Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev were hesitant to restrict the manufacturing of their respective weapons, which resulted in stalled negotiations. Hoping to ensure that SALT II was signed under the Ford Administration, Secretary of State Kissinger traveled to Moscow in January 1976 with two proposals that incorporated cruise missiles and Backfire bombers into the treaty, but the two sides were still unable to come to a consensus. Disagreements over these two weapons delayed the signing of a final treaty until after President Ford left office.

President Carter and General Secretary Brezhnev signed the SALT II treaty on June 18, 1979. Six months later, however, the Soviet Union went to war in Afghanistan. Due to the increased tensions stemming from this conflict, President Carter removed the treaty from consideration before it could be ratified by the US Senate. Nevertheless, both countries honored its terms until the treaty’s expiration in 1985.

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