ABSTRACT
The days after the Moscow summit and the signing of the historic agreements were days of triumph and joy for Nixon, but they were also mixed with uncertainties and worries. The change in mood is manifested in the clearest way in Kissinger's account of SALT II, as compared to his SALT I account. The president and his staff's response was launching a campaign aiming to decrease the voices of criticism. Senators who supported SALT objected to the increase in the defense budget, as SALT did not lead to a reduction in the US defense budget, but to the contrary. The Soviet government's process of ratification of the SALT agreements was simpler. When the process of hearing and ratification was over, Smith told Kissinger that he intended to resign, but he was ready, if the president would like that, to stay until after the first round of SALT II, due to begin in late November.
