Word: soviet
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...took a drive through downtown Vienna, traversing the Ring, passing the Hofburg, and winding up in the courtyard of the Schönbrunn Palace, formerly the Habsburgs' summer residence, which he had asked especially to see. Brezhnev stepped out of his Zil only once, to lay a wreath at the Soviet war memorial (known to Viennese as the tomb of the "unknown plunderer...
Bright and early Saturday, Carter jogged five laps around a garden path at the American ambassador's residence, then left for the embassy. Soon afterward, Brezhnev emerged from the Soviet embassy. He stumbled momentarily and was steadied by aides, then helped into his Zil limousine. At the U.S. Embassy he was welcomed by Carter with a grin and a handshake...
That afternoon Carter and Brezhnev talked 2¼ hrs. about SALT II and related arms issues. The Soviet leader objected to U.S. plans to build the MX missile, which will be movable to make it less vulnerable to attack. Said Brezhnev: "I don't understand why you're building this missile." He warned that if the missile cannot be verified by the Soviets "this will plant a mine under further negotiations." Carter replied that the missile would indeed be verifiable and therefore within the SALT II limits. The two leaders also exchanged views on the Soviet Backfire bomber, U.S. cruise missiles...
Carter and Brezhnev seemed to get along well. The U.S. President was polite and restrained, but not as relaxed as the Soviet leader. Brezhnev hammed it up by pretending to leave the room from time to time. At one point he declared: "We think everybody is for détente and good relations except for some people." He then jokingly pointed at Vance. Everyone at the table laughed. Brzezinski, who is usually the Administration's hard-liner on Soviet policy, pointed to himself, and everyone laughed again...
According to a Soviet participant, Brezhnev told Carter that the Kremlin, much like the hawks in the U.S. Senate, is not entirely happy with all of SALT li's provisions, but that the treaty reflects "everything that is realistically obtainable at the present moment." On the whole, he said, it is "a mutually acceptable balance of interests." He reaffirmed the Soviet commitment to détente, saying, "It is impossible for one of us to push the other off the surface of the earth or for one of us to remodel the other...