Richard Nixon and his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, were fully aware of the reality and vigorously “led” détente to gain an advantage in the global competition with Soviet Union. They failed to recognize this, however, and were unable to control the conflicting public reactions when Soviet leaders wished to do the same, both by intervening in the Third World and by continuing the arms race. The fault was not only attributed to the Soviet leaders, but also to the policy of détente, notably within the framework of the Ford and Carter agreements..