Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXII, SALT I, 1969–1972

336. Paper Agreed by the United States and the Soviet Union¹

Washington, July 24, 1972.

CLARIFICATION OF INTERPRETATION OF THE PROTOCOL

• TO THE INTERIM AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS ON CERTAIN MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO THE LIMITATION OF STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE ARMS

The United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,

Having agreed on certain limitations of strategic offensive arms and to the Protocol integral [to] the Interim Agreement,

Have agreed to the following clarifications of interpretation:

The aggregate levels of ballistic missile launchers on submarines (SLBMs), established by the Protocol for the United States and the USSR (950 for the USSR and 710 for the US) include ballistic missile launchers on all nuclear-powered submarines and launchers for modern ballistic missiles which may be deployed on diesel-powered submarines.

Launchers for older ballistic missiles on diesel-powered submarines are not included in the above-mentioned levels and therefore cannot be used for the purpose of replacements as defined in the Protocol.

A “modern” ballistic missile on a submarine is a missile of the type which is deployed on nuclear-powered submarines commissioned in the USSR since 1965.

For purposes of replacement as defined in the Protocol the first replacement submarine for the USSR is that modern ballistic missile submarine that carries SLBM launchers in excess of the 740 SLBMs on nuclear-powered submarines referred to in the Protocol; when such a submarine begins its sea trial and for all subsequent ones, the dismantling of an equal number of launchers of ICBMs of older types or launchers of ballistic missiles on older submarines as defined above, must have begun and will be completed in the shortest possible agreed period of time.

Done at Washington this 24th day of July, 1972.

For the United States of America:	For the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
Henry A. Kissinger	A. Dobrynin
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs	Ambassador to the United States

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 498, President’s Trip Files, Exchange of Notes Between Dobrynin and Kissinger, Vol. 4. No classification marking. A handwritten notation on the paper reads: “Gen. Haig has signed orig of this as of 7/28/72.”