Soviet-American Relations: The Détente Years, 1969-1972

by U.S. Department of State (Editor), Edward C. Keefer (Editor), David C. Geyer (Editor)

A one-volume joint documentary publication presenting the formerly secret record of how the United States and Soviet Union moved from Cold War to détente during 1969–1972. Published side-by side are U.S. and Soviet accounts of meetings between Henry Kissinger and Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin, the so-called Kissinger-Dobrynin confidential channel, related documents, and the full Soviet and U.S. record of the first Moscow Summit between President Richard Nixon and Soviet Secretary General Lenoid Brezhnev. The Soviet documents are being released in the volume for the first time anywhere. Scholars, journalists, and the public have the unique opportunity to compare independent accounts, the Soviet and U.S., of a crucial foreign policy dialogue and process. An indispensable source for those who wish to understand firsthand through the original documents the dynamic relationship between the two Cold War superpowers at a critical point in their history.  

1075 pages, Library Binding

First published November 27, 2007

About the author

The United States Department of State (DOS), often referred to as the State Department , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministry of other countries. The Department was created in 1789 and was the first executive department established.

The Department is headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building located at 2201 C Street, NW, a few blocks away from the White House in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The Department operates the diplomatic missions of the United States abroad and is responsible for implementing the foreign policy of the United States and U.S. diplomacy efforts. The Department is also the depositary for more than 200 multilateral treaties.

The Department is led by the Secretary of State, who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate and is a member of the Cabinet. The current Secretary of State is John Kerry. The Secretary of State is the first Cabinet official in the order of precedence and in the presidential line of succession.

Reviews

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource that organizes the relevant foreign policy documents of the US and Soviet Union during the Nixon-Kissinger years in chronological order. It provides an interesting comparison of how both sides recorded the same events and correspondences, especially leading up to and during the May 1972 Moscow Summit. However, the US documents naturally dominate the book.