November 17, 1969 (, Jiyou October eighth day), the United States and the Soviet Union began the first phase of the strategic arms talks. In 1969 11 17 to 1972 27, 2010 is the first phase of the negotiations, representatives of both parties have been held 123 plenary meeting, after intense bargaining, finally signed some measures temporary limitation of strategic offensive weapons agreements. Interim Agreement for a period of five years, both land-based ICBMs freeze on July 1, 1972, that the Soviet Union of 1618, 1054 in the United States; (TodayinHistory.cn) to both sides of the submarine-launched missiles and missile submarines freeze level and being built in the May 26, 1972, that the Soviet Union was 950, 62, 710 in the United States, 44; restrictions not both strategic bombers. This is in the case of both the number of offensive strategic weapons has "sufficient sense of" to freeze the number of development into the direction to improve the quality of the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union, the Interim Agreement is beneficial to keep the number of offensive strategic weapons to the U.S. advantage, in order to focus on to catch up to the United States in terms of quality. For the United States, it was actually stop the increase in the number of offensive strategic weapons, Interim Agreement to limit Soviet offensive strategic weapons, especially the massive growth of the SS-9 missile is clearly in line with U.S. interests, and the United States the weapons quality advantage enough to offset the number of advantages of the Soviet Union. Interim Agreement did not touch a single hair of the nuclear arsenals of both sides, just do this to set a rule only after the nuclear arms race. In addition, in view of that time, the United States and the Soviet Union are felt expensive anti-missile defense system, the effectiveness of doubt, neither prepared a large number of development, then reached each of the two sides to keep two anti-missile defense system "to limit the anti-missile defense system treaty. (Cn, history.)

From November 21, 1972 from the United States and the Soviet Union began the second phase of the negotiations in Geneva. The negotiations lasted for seven years, about 300 plenary meeting was held last June 18, 1979, Carter and Brezhnev signed the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty in Vienna. The treaty is valid until 1985, the total amount of both strategic weapons for 2250, the limit of the sub-guided multiple warhead delivery vehicles for 1320. Treaty and the Interim Agreement, is still limited to an unlimited number of quality, and the limit is higher than both parties then existing number of sub-guided multiple warhead missiles, to leave room for further increase in the number of. Some U.S. military strategy experts pointed out that the treaty disadvantage of the United States is: to allow the Soviet Union to deploy 308 heavy missile, and its destructive power than the sum of the destructive power of the existing U.S. ICBMs; Soviet Backfire bomber is not strategic weapons, without taking into account into within the overall limit of U.S. airborne cruise missiles as a sub-guided multiple-warhead strategic weapons to be restricted; strategic weapons total and sub-guided multiple warhead missiles limit is on the high side, is conducive to the Soviet Union to play a number of its ICBMs throwing big weight advantage, and meet the needs of the Soviet Union's attempt to accelerate the deployment of the sub-guided multiple warhead missiles. According to the Constitution of the United States, the treaty is subject to two-thirds of the Senate before taking effect. Due to lack of a sufficient number of votes of support during the Carter administration, Congress postponed the debate and vote on the treaty. (L $ dj��.c��m) Reagan took office, that the clause about "fatal flaw" to oppose the approval of Congress, the same time as the tension in US-Soviet relations, strategic arms talks ground to a halt.