1980 : U.S.-Russia detente ends
On this day in 1980, in a strong reaction to the December 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asks the Senate to
postpone action on the SALT II nuclear weapons treaty and recalls the
U.S. ambassador to Moscow. These actions sent a message that the age
of detente and the friendlier diplomatic and economic relations that
were established between the United States and Soviet Union during
President Richard Nixon's administration (1969-74) had ended.
Carter feared that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in which an
estimated 30,000 combat troops entered that nation and established a
puppet government, would threaten the stability of strategic
neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan and could lead to the
USSR gaining control over much of the world's oil supplies. The Soviet
actions were labeled "a serious threat to peace" by the White House.
Carter asked the Senate to shelve ratification talks on SALT II, the
nuclear arms treaty that he and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev had
already signed, and the president called U.S. ambassador to Moscow
Thomas J. Watson back to Washington for "consultation," in an effort
to let the Kremlin know that military intervention in Afghanistan was
unacceptable.
When the Soviets refused to withdraw from Afghanistan, America halted
certain key exports to the USSR, including grain and high technology,
and boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow. The
United States also began to covertly subsidize anti-Soviet fighters in
Afghanistan. During Ronald Reagan's presidency in the 1980s, the CIA
secretly sent billions of dollars to Afghanistan to arm and train the
mujahedeen rebel forces that were battling the Soviets. This tactic
was successful in helping to drive out the Soviets, but it also gave
rise to the oppressive Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida
terrorist organization.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter lost the presidency to Ronald Reagan, who
favored a more aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy. Reagan dubbed
the USSR the "evil empire" and believed it was America's
responsibility to save the world from Soviet repression. He
dramatically increased U.S. defense spending and ramped up the nuclear
arms race with the Soviets, whose faltering economy ultimately
prevented them from keeping pace. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1980 : U.S.-Russia detente ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52299
1492 : Reconquest of Spain
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4635
1788 : Georgia enters the Union
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4636
1811 : First censuring of a U.S. senator
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4637
1905 : Russian fleet surrenders at Port Arthur
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4638
1958 : Callas walks out of performance
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6764
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On this day in 1980, in a strong reaction to the December 1979 Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asks the Senate to
postpone action on the SALT II nuclear weapons treaty and recalls the
U.S. ambassador to Moscow. These actions sent a message that the age
of detente and the friendlier diplomatic and economic relations that
were established between the United States and Soviet Union during
President Richard Nixon's administration (1969-74) had ended.
Carter feared that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in which an
estimated 30,000 combat troops entered that nation and established a
puppet government, would threaten the stability of strategic
neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan and could lead to the
USSR gaining control over much of the world's oil supplies. The Soviet
actions were labeled "a serious threat to peace" by the White House.
Carter asked the Senate to shelve ratification talks on SALT II, the
nuclear arms treaty that he and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev had
already signed, and the president called U.S. ambassador to Moscow
Thomas J. Watson back to Washington for "consultation," in an effort
to let the Kremlin know that military intervention in Afghanistan was
unacceptable.
When the Soviets refused to withdraw from Afghanistan, America halted
certain key exports to the USSR, including grain and high technology,
and boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow. The
United States also began to covertly subsidize anti-Soviet fighters in
Afghanistan. During Ronald Reagan's presidency in the 1980s, the CIA
secretly sent billions of dollars to Afghanistan to arm and train the
mujahedeen rebel forces that were battling the Soviets. This tactic
was successful in helping to drive out the Soviets, but it also gave
rise to the oppressive Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida
terrorist organization.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter lost the presidency to Ronald Reagan, who
favored a more aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy. Reagan dubbed
the USSR the "evil empire" and believed it was America's
responsibility to save the world from Soviet repression. He
dramatically increased U.S. defense spending and ramped up the nuclear
arms race with the Soviets, whose faltering economy ultimately
prevented them from keeping pace. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1980 : U.S.-Russia detente ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52299
1492 : Reconquest of Spain
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4635
1788 : Georgia enters the Union
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4636
1811 : First censuring of a U.S. senator
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4637
1905 : Russian fleet surrenders at Port Arthur
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4638
1958 : Callas walks out of performance
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6764
#########################################
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