Salt Ii Is Finito

Reagan threatens to end compliance with the unratified treaty

The first reactions were ho-hum, noting that the glass was, depending on the perspective, either half empty or half full. What Ronald Reagan announced on Tuesday confirmed weeks of leaks: the U.S. would stay in compliance with the SALT II treaty for the moment by dismantling two Poseidon missile-firing submarines to make way for a newly launched Trident sub, but it would also continue equipping B-52 bombers with cruise missiles at a pace that will break the treaty's limits by year's end. It looked like a typical something-for- both-doves-and-hawks move, leaving in doubt which was more important: the continued compliance or...

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