Detente was a short period of time of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union between the 1960's and the 1970's. Detente is French for "relaxation". Although Detente was designed to end Cold War tension, it eventually became a "thawing out" period. Detente reached it's zenith with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1968, the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) of 1972 and the Helsinki Accords in 1975. Both the US and the USSR various had reasons to seek Detente.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, that started October 18 1962 and lasted until the 29, made everyone uneasy. There was fear that a Third World War would break out if tensions did not improve. Nuclear weapons became a big concern; by 1969 the Soviet Union had matched the United States in their number of nuclear weapons. …
