Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, Volume XXXIII, Salt II, 1972-1980

The SALT II negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union extended across three Presidential administrations, as Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter worked to resolve the complex, evolving, and interrelated issues necessary to reach an agreement. All three presidents sought to go beyond the Interim Agreement signed at the Moscow Summit in May 1972 through the achievement of a formal treaty on strategic arms. The negotiations were a central component of foreign policy for all three administrations, demanding sustained attention at the highest level of government. This volume offers a rare direct comparison of bureaucratic processes and leadership styles as well as the personal and institutional interplay across these administrations.