Détente and the SALT I Treaty

What happened

In Moscow, Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT I agreements, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. For the first time in the Cold War, the superpowers agreed to limit their strategic nuclear arsenals — the centerpiece of the policy of détente.

Why it matters

SALT I marked a thaw in superpower relations and the beginning of nuclear arms control, though détente would fray by the end of the 1970s.

Sources

• Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks/Treaty (SALT) I and II · Reputable source