Major developments in arms control talks between the United States and the Soviet Union:
1925 The Geneva Protocol bans the use of chemical weapons such aS poison gas, an agreement widely violated. .
1963 — A Limited Nuclear Test Ban signed by the United States, Soviet Union and Britain and prohibiting all but underground nuclear tests.
1967 — an international treaty bans weapons of mass destruction from outer space.
1970 — The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty prohibits the nuclear powers from helping others acquire nuclear weapons and non-nuclear countries from developing such arms, an agreement signed by most nations but not by several actual or ‘‘near-nuclear’’ states such as Israel, Pakistan, India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Spain.
1972 — The first U.S.Soviet Strategic Arms Limitation accord, or SALT I, puts a ceiling on each side’s long-range nuclear weapons, accompanied by a separate accord limiting the superpowers to 100 anti-missile missiles (ABM’s) each at two sites on each side.
1974 — A modified ABM agreement limits the United States and Soviet Union to one ABM site each.
1974 — An international treaty banning biological weapons.
1979 — The SALT II treaty to extend the SALT I accord, signed but never ratified.
Nov. 30, 1981 — Washington and Moscow begin Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) talks on limiting medium-range missiles but the Soviets break off the talks on Nov. 23, 1983.
June 29, 1982 — The two major powers begin Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) but these also are indefinitely interrupted by Moscow on Dec. 8, 1983.
Sept. 28-29, 1984 —President Reagan and Soviet Prime Minister Gromyko meet in Washington and agree on process of follow-up exchanges between the nations.
Jan. 7, 1985 — Secretary of State George Shultz and Gromyko meet in Geneva to explore prospects for new arms talks encompassing strategic and medium-range nuclear missiles and space weapons.
There were also U.S. Soviet-British talks from 1977 to 1980 on a comprehensive nuclear test ban but they were interrupted when President Reagan was first elected and never have been resumed.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 18, 1985
