Question

Choose the correct full form of the ‘SALT’ treaty from the options given below :

• A. Special Arms Limited Treaty
• B. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
• C. Secret Arms Limitation Treaty
• D. South Asia Local Treaty

Hint:

Major Cold War Arms Control Treaties to remember: - SALT: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks/Treaty (1972, 1979) - START: Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (1991, 1993) - NPT: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) - LTBT: Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963)

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: During the Cold War era, the two superpowers—the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)—engaged in a series of bilateral arms control negotiations to freeze or reduce their lethal strategic nuclear arsenals, thereby managing nuclear deterrence and preventing catastrophic war.

Step 1: Details of the SALT Treaties.
The acronym SALT stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Treaty . There were two major rounds of talks and agreements under this banner:
• SALT-I: Negotiations began in November 1969. US President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and the Interim Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms in Moscow on $26^{\text{th}}$ May 1972 .
• SALT-II: Negotiations started in November 1972. US President Jimmy Carter and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the treaty on strategic offensive arms in Vienna on $18^{\text{th}}$ June 1979 .

Step 2: Verification of the options.

• Option (A) Special Arms Limited Treaty: Incorrect.
• Option (B) Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty: Correct expansion.
• Option (C) Secret Arms Limitation Treaty: Incorrect.
• Option (D) South Asia Local Treaty: Incorrect.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The full form of 'SALT' is Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty .