SALT 2, 1979

What was SALT 2?

The Strategic Arms Limitations Talks 2 was the second round of talks to limit the use of multi-warhead missiles and the creation of new launch stations.

When was SALT 2 signed?

SALT 2 was signed in June 1979, but it was not ratified by the US Senate so did not become official US policy.

Who signed SALT 2?

SALT 2 was signed in Vienna, Austria, by President Jimmy Carter and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev.

What was agreed in SALT 2?

There were 3 main terms:

• ❖ There would be further reductions in nuclear weapons until 1985, which would limit the number of long-range missiles.
• ❖ The USA and USSR would have an equal limit of 2,400 in the number of missile launchers and also in strategic bombs (ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers).
• ❖ New types of ICBMs were banned from being tested or deployed.

What were the reactions to SALT 2?

Reactions to Salt 2 were negative overall, with most western politicians uncertain about the treaty in 2 key ways:

• ❖ Some US politicians thought SALT 2 gave too much to the Soviet Union, and it was never ratified in the USA.
• ❖ West German politicians believed it made the USA less likely to use nuclear weapons to protect West Germany.

What were the limitations of SALT 2?

The limits imposed on the number of missiles did not reduce the overall numbers each country had.

What happened to SALT 2?

There were 3 main events which affected SALT 2:

• ❖ Diplomatic relations between the USA and the Soviet Union were broken off in 1980 because of the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
• ❖ The Senate refused to sign SALT 2, despite Carter and Brezhnev having signed it in 1979.
• ❖ The arms race escalated when the USA restarted building nuclear and conventional weapons. The USSR reacted by developing a new medium-range missile, the SS20.