ABSTRACT
After taking the oath as a president, Gerald Ford announced the ushering in of a new era in the history of the United States, after the gloomy days of reign by a disgraced president. What the new president did not mean to say, and would not seek to, was to pursue a new path for US foreign policy in general, and towards détente and SALT in particular. President Gerald Ford and General Brezhnev had their first meeting on board the train riding from Vozdizhenka Airport to Okeansaya Sanatorium, near Vladivostok – the summit's site. Brezhnev preferred to start the meeting discussing a theme he raised more than once: his wish to avoid nuclear war at all costs. Ford preferred to concentrate on SALT, and promised to get back to broader issues at a later time. While celebrating the success of the Vladivostok meeting, Ford had to deal with the reaction of the détente opponents, Senator Jackson prime among them.
