Ann Wittik
Abstract: On May 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon of the United States and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union signed the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty). This agreement was the result of years of negotiations known as SALT. Having finally brought the USSR to the negotiation table after years of Soviet nuclear aggression, the U.S. was ready and willing to reach an agreement on both offensive and defensive weapons. The USSR, however, had different goals and different negotiation tactics in mind. After two and a half years of negotiations, the ABM Treaty was enacted with the understanding that ABMs are destabilizing, which was the view of the Americans. Both countries interpreted the Treaty in line with their own interests and claimed that the other state violated the Treaty on several instances. In the end, both sides made concessions to make the ABM Treaty a reality, but overall, the Treaty has served American interests because it prevented a costly and dangerous arms race.
Keywords: ABM Treaty, ABMs, Nixon, Brezhnev, Johnson, negotiations, Soviet Union
