page_title: Washington Summit (1973)
section_title: Participants
hierarchical_section_title: Washington Summit (1973) / Participants
caption_attribution_description: English: US President Richard M. Nixon and the USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev aboard the USS Sequoia , June 19, 1973. Français&#160;: Le Président Richard Nixon et le leader soviétique Leondi Brejnev à bord de l'USS Sequoia, le 19 juin 1973.
context_page_description: The Washington Summit of 1973 was a Cold War-era meeting between United States president Richard Nixon, United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonid Brezhnev, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union Alexei Kosygin that took place June 18–25. The Cold War superpowers met at the White House to discuss issues regarding oceanography, transportation, agricultural research, cultural exchange, and most significantly, nuclear disarmament. The Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War was signed during the summit. The summit has been called a high-water mark in détente between the USSR and the US. The summit was originally intended to run until June 26, but ended a day early.
context_section_description: The Summit only directly involved the United States of America and the Soviet Union, with President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, along with Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev meeting exclusively in the White House. The mission of the discussions, as well as the international concern of relations included neighbouring and wider nations. The nations involved in discussion included South Vietnam, Viet Cong, North Vietnam, wider Europe and the Middle East. These countries were involved through Cold War related conflicts, such as the Indo-Pakistani War and Israeli-Palestinian dispute as well as trade agreements, and Peace Treaties, such as the Paris Peace Accord.
  As founded in the principles of Détente, the two leaders strived to improve diplomatic relations, which then extended in to their own personal relationship and personalities throughout the Summit. All meetings between the two superpower leaders were recorded through a taping system within the White House. The release of these tapes revealed casual and friendly exchanges between Nixon and Brezhnev, with the men establishing a strong personal relationship to “facilitate successful resolutions of various issues.” When Brezhnev arrived to the White House in Washington, Nixon had gifted him a Lincoln Continental, a luxury car produced by the car-brand Lincoln. During Brezhnev’s visit to the USA, he stayed in Nixon’s estate “La Casa Pacifica”, also known as the “Western White House”. Throughout the meetings, many personal affairs were also discussed, including both the leader’s children, wives and jokes made regarding cigarettes and the weather being a “good omen”, according to Brezhnev. The superpowers participated in casual meetings, such as their working dinner aboard the presidential yacht, USS Sequoia.
caption: Nixon and Brezhnev aboard the USS Sequoia, June 19th 1973.
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