Nation: U.S. vs. U.S.S.R.: Two on a Seesaw

Soft words and a smooth swap: then a chilling summons

It was another of those seesaw weeks in U.S.-Soviet relations. First, Jimmy Carter spoke soothingly at a press conference of his "deep belief that the underlying relationship between ourselves and the Soviets is stable" and that he and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev want "to have better friendship." Next, both governments calmly carried out a trade: the U.S. released two accused Soviet spies from jail in New Jersey, while the Soviets set free an American charged with currency violations in Moscow. But then Soviet authorities...

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