Khorosho,' Said Brezhnev

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>The extensive talks between the two leaders showed that Soviet-American détente is very much alive, despite recent Soviet maneuvering and the new American relationship with Peking. To the Soviets, standing on an equal footing with the U.S. is of tremendous importance, even in its purely symbolic forms. Thus the Kremlin, to the Americans' surprise, requested that Carter and Brezhnev spend as much time together as possible.

>The opportunity for each leader to take the measure of the other may head off future misunderstandings. This was especially important for Carter, who has had no face-to-face dealings with Soviet officials except for brief meetings in Washington with Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and Ambassador Anatoli Dobrynin. Still, the Administration carefully played down the benefits of personal diplomacy. Said a Carter adviser: "Personal relations do little but smooth rough edges. What is important are binding agreements." Beyond the signing of SALT II, agreements between the two nations were not on the agenda at Vienna. Even so, the fact that Carter and Brezhnev exchanged views on the issues that divide East and West constituted progress.

It was the first Soviet-American summit since Brezhnev and Gerald Ford met at Vladivostok in 1974. Clearly another one was overdue. Détente, launched in 1972 by Richard Nixon and Brezhnev to the clink of champagne glasses under the crystal chandeliers at the Kremlin, had eroded badly. There were strains over the huge buildup of Soviet nuclear and conventional arms, Soviet intervention in Africa, the fall of the pro-Western regime in Iran. Brezhnev, on the other hand, had been enraged by Carter's human rights campaign, which the Soviets viewed as interference with their internal affairs, the Americans' surprise proposal in 1977 that both sides make deep cuts in their nuclear arsenals, and the U.S. normalization of relations with China. The Kremlin had come to view Carter as anti-Soviet; worse, Brezhnev seemed to regard him as weak and confused. Conversely, Washington could not be sure of Brezhnev: how his physical condition was affecting his abilities, how long he would rule, or who might succeed him.

The summit was designed to help clear away misconceptions on both sides. The participants knew, however, that they were going to Vienna somewhat impaired, Brezhnev by his age (72) and ailments; Carter by his loss of political support (the latest polls show him with only 30% approval). Neither leader had any illusions about making major breakthroughs. At a Kremlin dinner before his departure, Brezhnev expressed only the hope that the summit would "become an important stage of further development of Soviet-American relations." As Carter left Washington, he warned that progress toward peace is "often measured in inches and not in miles."