Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems -
the USSR and the USA attempt to limit the nuclear hazard
and reduce hostility.
The treaty limited each side to only one ABM deployment
area, and 100 interceptor missiles.
The interim agreement froze each sides number of ICBMs and
submarine-launched ballistic missiles at current levels for five
years.
SALT II negotiations opened late in 1972 and set limits
on the number of strategic launchers. Limits were put
on a number of MIRVed ICBMs, MIRVed SLBMs and
the total number of strategic launchers. The treaty set
an over-all limit of 24,000 weapon systems for each
side.
The SALT II treaty was signed by
Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev
in Vienna in 1979.
The US chose not to ratify the treaty due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.