THE HOT LINE AGREEMENT

THE COLD WAR•Communism vs Capitalism•Nuclear arms race•Space Race•Koran War•Vietnam War•Policy of Containment•Germany divided•Soviet influence and nationalism•Communist Uprisings•Treaties and Conferences

THE HOT LINE AGREEMENT: BACKGROUND•JFK’s “Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World”.

•1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis.

•1963 – Direct communication established between Washington and Moscow.

The Vietnam War JFK’s administration pledged more support to

South Vietnamese forces Prior to the Hot Line Agreement, fighting in

Vietnam increased 5 months before the Hot Line Agreement, US

supplied forces lost their first battle

Soviets gaining support? Non-aligned members moving towards Soviet

Union Sino-Indian War

French withdraw Navy from NATO

Cuban Missile Crisis Hot Line Agreement product of the Cuban

missile crisis of 1962 Showed the world how close nuclear warfare

was

Compliance Both US and USSR set up a terminal point

with teletype equipment in their capitals Both sides made an effort to keep the

landline and radio link permanently open The Hotline was used extensively

during the Arab-IsraeliWar and still exists today Compliance due to utility

Issues with Reliability Landline and radio paths were vulnerable to

sabotage and interruption The landline was cut on several occasions

Danish Bulldozer Finnish Farmer Fire in Baltimore manhole

Implementation Challenges The link had to be tested every day because

it wasn’t in constant use Trivial information, such as sports scores and

poetry, was exchanged daily All information had to be translated

Translators had to be available at all times

Translation There was always the possibility that messages be

misinterpreted or translated incorrectly

Several steps taken to reduce that risk: Translation between English (Latin

Alphabet) and Russian (Cyrillic Alphabet) was always done at the opposite end to preserve nuance

The two never communicated directly, as the hotline was not a telephone link

No Telephone Hotline to be used in gravest situations

Spontaneity of telephone call might exacerbate pressure and lead to mistakes

Misunderstandings between enemies are far worst than between friends

A telephone would require instantaneous translation, which might be less accurate

The teletype gives more time for leaders to think, analyze, and respond rationally

Teletype messages coded to ensure privacy

Updates SALT-1 talks precipitated the establishment of a

satellite link between 1971 and 1978 Allowed for faster communication without direct

interaction Terminals were more mobile

and less vulnerable Facsimile transmission capability added in 1984

Allowed maps, charts and drawings to be sent as well Still exists today