The Carter-Brezhnev Project

About the Project

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Thank You

Jim Blight & janet Lang.

The editors would like to express thanks to all the participants, funders, and others who made the Carter-Brezhnev Project possible. The principal sponsoring institutions at various stages were the Center for Foreign Policy Development of the Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies at Brown University; the National Security Archive; and the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Among those who provided generous financial support were the Arca Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Winston Foundation for World Peace, and Peggy Dulany. Most of all, we thank Jim Blight and janet Lang, the architects of "critical oral history" and the godparents of so many important historical discoveries.

Editors

The editors of the Carter-Brezhnev Project pages are Svetlana Savranskaya, who directs the Archive's Russia and Eurasia Project, and Malcolm Byrne, Archive Deputy Director. The Web page designer is Jamie Noguchi.

Project Documentation

Correspondence between James G. Blight and President Jimmy Carter, May-June 1994.

"When Empathy Failed: Using Critical Oral History to Reassess the Collapse of U.S.-Soviet Détente in the Carter-Brezhnev Years," by James G. Blight and janet M. Lang, Journal of Cold War Studies, Spring 2010.

Conference Documentation

U.S.-Soviet Relations during the Carter administration: A Chronology of Events

	"The Collapse of Détente: From the March 1977 Moscow Meetings to the December 1979 Invasion of Afghanistan," Pocantico Hills, NY, 22-24 October 1992. Introduction. Transcript of discussion.
	"SALT II and the Growth of Mistrust," Musgrove, St. Simons Island, GA, 7-9 May 1994. Introduction. Conference materials. Conference briefing book. Transcript of discussion.
	"Global Competition and the Deterioration of U.S.-Soviet Relations, 1977-1980," Fort Lauderdale, FL, 23-26 March 1995. Introduction. Conference materials. Conference briefing book. Transcript of discussion.
	"The Intervention in Afghanistan and the fall of Détente," Lysebu, Norway, 17-20 September 1995. Introduction. Conference briefing book. Transcript of discussion.

Conference Photos

The documents in this compilation cover the late 1970s when high hopes for a "reset" of U.S.-Soviet relations under President Jimmy Carter and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev were shattered by ingrained suspicions and negative international trends to which both sides contributed. The materials include declassified documents from both countries' archives, as well as unique "critical oral history" transcripts of discussions among senior civilian and military ex-officials from the United States and the former Soviet Union who played key roles during the period. Also to be included are collections of materials featuring Carter's policies toward the Soviet dissident movement (human rights being a central factor in the decline of the official relationship), and two series of declassified private communications between the president and his most influential foreign policy advisers – Cyrus Vance and Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Additional Documents

Jimmy Carter and the Soviet dissident movement (Russian and U.S. documents) (forthcoming)
Zbigniew Brzezinski memoranda to President Jimmy Carter (forthcoming)
Cyrus Vance memoranda to President Jimmy Carter (forthcoming)

Press Releases

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan Was Not a Grand Design But a Grand Entanglement Resulting from Faulty Intelligence, Excessive Secrecy, and a Paralyzed Leadership, According to Conference of Former Decision-Makers - December 21, 2012
Global Competition and the Deterioration of U.S.-Soviet Relations, 1977-1980 - November 12, 2012
Initial Carter-Brezhnev posting - August 15, 2012

Contact Information

National Security Archive
Suite 701, Gelman Library
The George Washington University
2130 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C., 20037
Phone: 202/994-7000
Fax: 202/994-7005
nsarchiv@gwu.edu

THE CARTER-BREZHNEV PROJECT