SALT I and SALT II treaties

Identification Nuclear arms control agreements

Date SALT I signed May 26, 1972; SALT II on June 18, 1979

SALT I was the first agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union limiting offensive nuclear weapon systems, and SALT II was an attempt to expand that agreement.

Following the end of World War II, most of the world was affected by the Cold War, with the United States and the Soviets as the leaders of the rival blocs. A race for superiority in the types and numbers of nuclear weapon systems formed part of this rivalry. By the end of the 1960’s, leaders of the two countries believed it was in their mutual interest to control this growth. Representatives of the two countries met in November, 1969, to begin what became called the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT).

SALT I

The SALT I treaty is formally called the “Interim Agreement Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Certain Measures with Respect to the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.” The initial round of discussion in Helsinki was to allow the two sides to clarify the objectives that each had for the negotiations. The main bargaining sessions began in April, 1970, in Vienna. The Soviets initially wanted to include any type of weapon system capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, while the United States wanted a more limited treaty dealing only with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The United States got its way on this point. Before and during the negotiations, research on antiballistic missile systems (ABMs) was ongoing, and simple systems were being deployed. The United States wanted to include discussion of these systems, while the Soviets wanted to deal only with offensive weapons. While the outcome of SALT I dealt only with offensive weapons, a separate agreement, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, was signed the same day as the SALT I agreement. The agreement was adopted by both nations, with President Richard M. Nixon presenting it to the U.S. Senate, where it received only two negative votes. The agreement entered into force on October 3, 1972.

Although it took two and a half years to negotiate, the SALT I agreement was a fairly simple document, about two pages in length. However, by the time it was signed, there were five additional pages of agreed statements, common understandings, and a protocol. This was to be a five-year agreement with a more comprehensive agreement to be negotiated during that period of time. It prohibited the construction of new fixed, land-based ICBM launchers; the conversion of light systems into heavy systems; and an increase in the number of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. However, replacements for old systems could be constructed. No specific numbers were included in the agreement, as it was assumed that each side knew what the other had. Compliance with the treaty was to be by “national technical means”; that is, spy satellites and any other technology allowing observations from outside the country.

SALT II

The SALT II treaty is formally called the “Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, Together with Agreed Statements and Common Understandings Regarding the Treaty.” Article VII of the SALT I agreement stated “The parties undertake to continue active negotiations for limitations on strategic offensive arms.” In November, 1972, the United States and the Soviets began the SALT II talks. SALT I had not mandated any cuts in the number of nuclear weapon systems. Therefore, the goal of the SALT II negotiations was to reduce the number of weapon systems. Once again, the early discussions focused on which systems would be included in the treaty. Discussion also occurred regarding qualitative differences between the systems of the two countries. Two years later, at a summit meeting, President Gerald R. Ford outlined the basic points of the treaty. However, it would be almost another five years before the treaty would be complete and signed by President Jimmy Carter.

In its final form, the treaty is about four times longer than SALT I and its related documents. Within the treaty, specific names and descriptions of the weapons systems are listed, as are specific numbers for each type of weapon. It allowed 2,400 delivery systems, to be decreased to 2,250 in 1981. Missiles with multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads were not to number more than 1,320, and only 820 of these could be on ICBMs. It allowed the development of only one new light ICBM system by each country and banned the conversion of old light ICBM systems to heavy systems. It limited the number of warheads on each type of system and the number of missiles to be carried by bombers. The two sides agreed that once a system was tested with an MIRV, then it would be assumed that all systems of that type had MIRV warheads. All these limits were to be verified by national technical means, and the treaty was to have been in effect through 1985.

Impact

The impact of the SALT I agreement was tremendous. Until that agreement was signed, each year had seen growth in the number of weapon systems owned by the two superpowers. In the late 1960’s, this growth amounted to more than two hundred new delivery systems a year. That the two countries recognized their mutual interest in controlling this growth was an important turning point in the Cold War. During this period, the level of trust between the United States and the Soviets was the highest it had been since the Cold War began. Moreover, the negotiation of the much more complex SALT II treaty was also a monument to the rivals’ relative openness in strategic military matters. However, Cold War politics—for example, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan—forced President Carter to delay the Senate’s consideration of the treaty. Even though it was not a formal treaty, during most of the years after it was signed, both the United States and the Soviet Union voluntarily agreed to abide by its provisions.

Bibliography

Clift, Arthur Denis. With Presidents to the Summit. Fairfax, Va.: George Mason University Press, 1993. Written by a former member of the National Security Council during this era, the book details the summits held by and related foreign policy decisions of presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter.

Garthoff, Raymond. Détente and Confrontation. Rev. ed. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1994. Offers a discussion that explains diplomatic negotiations and various crises of the 1970’s through the lens of U.S.-Soviet relations.

Goldblat, Jeff. Arms Control: The New Guide to Negotiations and Agreements. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. This text places the SALT agreements within the context of all Cold War arms agreements.