Question

What occurred at the first meeting between President Nixon & Premier Brezhnev?

Answer 1

Brezhnev wrote the President and invited him to the Soviet Union for a week of summits – the first time a sitting U.S. President would visit the USSR. But problems began to mount – only days before the summit, RN stepped up the bombings of North Vietnam, angering the Soviets.

Answer 2

he had criticized U.S. policy, he warmed substantially and told the President that he wanted to establish a personal relationship. And the President agreed: “If we leave all the decisions to the bureaucrats, we will never achieve any progress.” With a hearty laugh, Brezhnev cracked, “They would simply bury us in paper!”

Answer 3

The negotiations were hailed as breakthroughs for U.S.-Soviet relations – and personal relations between the two leaders. Brezhnev enjoyed entertaining foreign visitors at his dacha, where he and RN shared toast after toast. The culmination of the week of successes was the signing of both the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the SALT agreements (the Russians had indicated that no wives were allowed at the signing ceremony