---
title: "SALT I — AP Gov Definition & Presidential Power Guide"
description: "SALT I was the 1972 US-Soviet arms limitation agreement, a go-to AP Gov example of presidential foreign policy power and executive agreements in Topic 2.4."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-gov/key-terms/salt-i"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US Government"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# SALT I — AP Gov Definition & Presidential Power Guide

## Definition

SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) was a 1972 agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union limiting strategic ballistic missile launchers; in AP Gov it's a classic example of the president using foreign policy powers, especially executive agreements, to act without a Senate-ratified treaty.

## What It Is

SALT I refers to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union, negotiations that started in the late 1960s and produced an agreement signed by [President](/ap-gov/unit-1/principles-american-government/study-guide/BXlQvFOiaKwhntWYhgKP "fv-autolink") Nixon in 1972. The deal froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers each side could have, putting a cap on the nuclear arms race during the Cold War.

For [AP Gov](/ap-gov "fv-autolink"), the history is the backdrop, not the point. What matters is *how* it happened. The president negotiated directly with a foreign power, and a major piece of SALT I (the Interim Agreement on offensive missiles) took effect as an [executive agreement](/ap-gov/key-terms/executive-agreement "fv-autolink") rather than a formal treaty. That makes SALT I a real-world demonstration of the foreign policy powers in Topic 2.4: formal powers like commander-in-chief and treaty-making, and informal powers like executive agreements that don't require two-thirds Senate approval.

## Why It Matters

SALT I lives in **[Unit 2](/ap-gov/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Interactions Among Branches of Government**, specifically **Topic 2.4: Roles and Power of the President**. It supports learning objective **AP Gov 2.4.A**, which asks you to explain how the president implements a [policy agenda](/ap-gov/key-terms/policy-agenda "fv-autolink") using formal and informal powers. The CED draws a clean line here. Treaties are formal powers (they need a two-thirds Senate vote), while executive agreements are informal powers (no Senate vote needed). SALT I is the example that makes that distinction concrete. Nixon advanced a major foreign policy agenda, arms control with the Soviets, largely through direct presidential negotiation. When an FRQ or MCQ asks how presidents shape foreign policy without going through Congress, SALT I is the evidence you reach for.

## Connections

### [Executive Agreement (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/executive-agreement)

This is the closest concept on the exam. The SALT I Interim Agreement skipped Senate [ratification](/ap-gov/unit-1/ratification-us-constitution/study-guide/ebltfQVTiDpMtlHA9uF7 "fv-autolink") entirely, which is exactly what an executive agreement is: a deal between the president and a foreign leader that works like a treaty but doesn't need a two-thirds Senate vote. SALT I is your go-to example when you need evidence for this informal power.

### [Chief Diplomat (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/chief-diplomat)

Negotiating with the Soviet Union is the [chief diplomat](/ap-gov/key-terms/chief-diplomat "fv-autolink") role in action. SALT I shows the president, not Congress, sitting at the table and setting the terms of America's relationship with a rival superpower.

### [Article II (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/article-ii)

[Article II](/ap-gov/key-terms/article-ii "fv-autolink") grants the treaty power and the commander-in-chief role, but it says nothing about executive agreements. SALT I shows how presidential power has grown beyond the literal text, which is a recurring Unit 2 theme about the expanding presidency.

### Détente (Unit 2)

SALT I was the centerpiece of détente, the easing of Cold War tensions in the 1970s. For AP Gov purposes, détente shows that a president's informal powers can redirect the entire foreign policy of the United States without a single act of Congress.

## On the AP Exam

You won't be asked to recite SALT I's missile numbers. Instead, it shows up as an example or answer choice illustrating presidential foreign policy power. A typical MCQ stem describes a president negotiating an arms deal with a foreign nation without Senate ratification and asks which power that demonstrates (answer: executive agreement, an informal power). On the Concept Application FRQ, a scenario about a president acting unilaterally in foreign affairs is your cue to bring up the treaty-versus-executive-agreement distinction, and SALT I works as supporting evidence. No released FRQ has used SALT I verbatim, but the underlying skill, explaining formal versus informal presidential powers under AP Gov 2.4.A, is tested constantly.

## SALT I vs SALT II

SALT I (1972, Nixon) was signed and took effect, with its offensive-arms portion working as an executive agreement. SALT II (1979, Carter) was submitted as a treaty but the Senate never ratified it. Together they're a perfect AP Gov contrast. SALT I shows the president succeeding through informal power, while SALT II shows the Senate's formal check on the treaty power actually blocking a president's agenda.

## Key Takeaways

- SALT I was a 1972 agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that limited strategic ballistic missile launchers and slowed the nuclear arms race.
- In AP Gov, SALT I matters as evidence for Topic 2.4, showing how presidents use foreign policy powers to implement a policy agenda (AP Gov 2.4.A).
- The Interim Agreement portion of SALT I functioned as an executive agreement, meaning it did not require a two-thirds Senate ratification vote like a formal treaty.
- Executive agreements like SALT I are informal powers, while treaties and the commander-in-chief role are formal powers listed in Article II.
- SALT I versus SALT II is a useful contrast: SALT I took effect through presidential action, while SALT II stalled when the Senate never ratified it, showing the legislative check on treaties.

## FAQs

### What was SALT I in AP Gov?

SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) was a 1972 U.S.-Soviet agreement limiting strategic ballistic missile launchers. In AP Gov it's used in Topic 2.4 as an example of the president's foreign policy powers, especially executive agreements.

### Was SALT I a treaty or an executive agreement?

Mostly an executive agreement. The Interim Agreement limiting offensive missiles took effect without a two-thirds Senate ratification vote, which is why AP Gov uses SALT I to illustrate informal presidential power rather than the formal treaty power.

### Did the Senate have to ratify SALT I?

No, not the offensive-arms portion. That part worked as an executive agreement, so it bypassed the two-thirds Senate vote that formal treaties require. That's the whole reason SALT I shows up in Topic 2.4.

### How is SALT I different from SALT II?

SALT I (1972) was signed by Nixon and took effect; SALT II (1979) was signed by Carter but the Senate never ratified it. SALT I demonstrates presidential power working around Congress, while SALT II demonstrates the Senate's check on the treaty power.

### Why is SALT I important for the AP Gov exam?

It's concrete evidence for learning objective AP Gov 2.4.A, which asks you to explain how presidents implement a policy agenda using formal and informal powers. If an FRQ scenario involves a president making a foreign agreement without Senate approval, SALT I is the example to know.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.4 Roles and Power of the President](/ap-gov/unit-2/roles-power-president/study-guide/KcDjpoM3Ni4qA4Y3Um4K)

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