The final act of Helsinki was an agreement signed by 35 nations that closed the conference on security and cooperation in Europe in Helsinki (Finland). The multifaceted law addressed a number of important global issues and had a significant impact on the Cold War and US-Soviet relations. Each side considered itself “responsible,” but the more countries with nuclear capabilities, the less the superpowers could control events. There was also the fear of nuclear accidents. During the period of détente, a number of political agreements were reached. The European Security Conference, which was sought by the Soviet Union from the 1950s, was proposed by the Warsaw Pact in 1966 and accepted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In 1972, preparatory discussions on the level of ambassadors began in Helsinki. Over the next few months, an agenda consisting of four general themes or “baskets” has been prepared: (1) European security issues, (2) economic, scientific and technological cooperation and the environment, (3) humanitarian and cultural cooperation and (4) monitoring the conference. The United States had sought a provision banning radiojamming, but it did not find consensus because of Soviet opposition. Despite this, the West considered that the blockade was illegal in the agreed language to “expand the dissemination of information broadcast on Dasradio”. The Soviet Union considered jamming to be a legally justified response to the broadcasts it described as a violation of the general intention of the Helsinki Agreements to “respond to the interest of mutual understanding between people and the objectives set by the conference”. [5] In July 1975, Ford told the delegation of Eastern European Americans that his assurances had little effect.

The volume of negative mail continued to increase. [9] American public opinion was still not convinced that the US policy of inclusion of the Baltic States would not be altered by the final act of Helsinki. Despite protests from across the region, Ford decided to sign the agreement. [11] When domestic policy criticisms were made, Ford ensured support for the Helsinki Accords, which had consequences of a general weakening of its external stature. His mistake in the debate with Carter, when he denied the Kremlin`s control over Poland, proved catastrophic. [12] After a meeting of foreign ministers in Helsinki in July 1973, the committees met in Geneva to draft an agreement that lasted from September 1973 to July 1975. The main interest of the Soviet Union was to implicitly recognize its post-war hegemony in Eastern Europe through guarantees of inviolability of borders and non-interference in the internal affairs of States. In return, the United States and its Western European allies pushed the Soviet Union to engage on issues such as respect for human rights, expanded contacts between Eastern and Western Europe, freedom of movement and the free cross-border flow of information. The final act, signed at a summit in Helsinki, reflected both points of view. The agreement marked the formal end of the Second World War, as it recognized all European national borders (including the division of Germany into two countries) arising from the consequences of that war. The proliferation of nuclear weapons is the increase in the number of nuclear weapons of a country or the proliferation of nuclear capabilities in non-nuclear countries. Shortly before leaving for Helsinki, President Ford held a meeting with a group of Eastern European Americans and finally declared that U.S.

policy toward the Baltic States would not change, but that it would be strengthened, as the agreement denies annexation of territory in violation of international law and allows for peaceful border change. [9] The Helsinki process, including the review meetings, has strengthened cooperation between Eastern and Western Europe.