On August 30, 1963 a hot line between the Kremlin and the White House went into operation to reduce the chances of an accidental war.
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Apart from a treaty banning all nuclear tests except those held underground, which was signed in Moscow on Aug. 5 by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain, the hot line agreement (signed on June 20) for establishing a direct communications link between Moscow and Washington for use in an emergency was seen as the one positive result that had emerged from the 17-nation disarmament conference which had been sitting at Geneva for 16 months.
As explained by the White House, this "hot line" was regarded as a step "to help reduce the risk of war occurring by accident or miscalculation" by providing a direct two-way communications channel between both Governments in the event of an international crisis. Apart from the "hot line" agreement, the Geneva conference had remained deadlocked on all other aspects of the disarmament question.
The chief Soviet negotiator at the Geneva disarmament conference, Mr. Semyon Tsarapkin, had announced on April 5, 1963, that the U.S.S.R. would agree to the immediate establishment of a direct communications link with the United States for use in an emergency, "without waiting for the implementation of general and complete disarmament." The proposal for such a communications link--in conference jargon a "hot line"--had been put forward several months previously by the U.S. delegation, its aim being to lessen the risk of war by accident, miscalculation, or failure of communications. It was proposed that such a "hot line" would be reserved exclusively for emergencies--e.g. an abrupt shift in the East-West military balance, such as occurred in the Cuban crisis.
Soviet acceptance of the U.S. proposal was warmly welcomed by Mr. Charles C. Stelle, head of the U.S. delegation at Geneva, and talks between American and Soviet technical experts accordingly began in that city on May 16. After a series of 19 meetings, the "hot line" agreement was signed at the Palais des Nations on June 20 by Mr. Stelle and Mr. Tsarapkin, consisting of a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Soviet Governments; and an annex setting out the technical details of the agreement, and providing for a two-way telegraphic link routed Washington--London-Copenhagen--Stockholm--Helsinki--Moscow, to be used for transmission of messages; and a stand-by radio link routed Washington--Tangier--Moscow. Both the telegraphic and radio links would be open 24 hours a day.
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