Double Zero
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The July 1987 INF negotiating proposal by Gorbachev that expanded the scope of elimination from intermediate-range nuclear forces (LRINF, 1,000–5,500 km range) to include shorter-range nuclear forces (SRINF, 500–1,000 km). Reagan's original 1981 Zero Option had targeted only LRINF ('single zero'); Double Zero added the Soviet SS-12, SS-23 (Oka), and the US Pershing 1A. The concession unlocked the treaty framework but triggered a political fight: Kohl's coalition split over Germany's Pershing 1A, and the Soviet military resented sacrificing the Oka, whose range fell below 500 km and which they considered outside the treaty's proper scope.
In depth
Background
Reagan's Zero Option of November 1981 proposed that the US forgo deployment of Pershing II and GLCM missiles in return for Soviet elimination of SS-20, SS-4, and SS-5 intermediate-range missiles. The USSR rejected it, but Gorbachev accepted it in principle at the Reykjavík Summit in October 1986. That was 'single zero,' covering only LRINF (1,000–5,500 km).
Emergence of Double Zero
During Secretary of State Shultz's visit to Moscow in April 1987, Gorbachev first signalled willingness to include shorter-range missiles (500–1,000 km) in a 'double global zero.' The Politburo formally adopted the platform on 22 July 1987, and it was announced publicly the following day. This brought the Soviet SS-12 Scaleboard, SS-23 Oka, and the US Pershing 1A into the elimination framework.
Political Fractures
Chancellor Kohl faced a revolt from the conservative wing of his own CDU and the Bavarian CSU over the 72 Pershing 1A missiles stationed in West Germany. Although the warheads were under US control, the launchers were German-owned and seen as a component of German nuclear deterrence. Kohl broke the deadlock on 26 August 1987 by declaring that West Germany would dismantle its Pershing 1A missiles once the superpowers eliminated all INF weapons under the treaty.
Inside the Soviet Union, the military leadership fought fiercely against including the Oka (SS-23), a modern operational-tactical missile with a range of 450 km (technically below the treaty's 500 km threshold). Marshal Akhromeyev protested that Gorbachev was sacrificing a cutting-edge weapon unnecessary for the treaty's logic. Gorbachev overrode the military, and the Oka's inclusion left a lasting resentment that fuelled later Russian criticism of the treaty.
Outcome
The Shevardnadze-Shultz talks in Washington in September 1987 produced the final agreement, and the INF Treaty was signed on 8 December 1987. Double Zero made possible the first elimination of an entire class of nuclear weapons by treaty, marking a decisive turning point toward the end of the Cold War.
Related historical events
Sources
- britannica.com Britannica: after five years of acrimonious negotiation, the Soviet Union accepted elimination of all land-based IRBMs and, in July 1987, expanded it to include a 'double-zero' option covering shorter-range missiles (US Pershing 1A, Soviet SS-12 and SS-23).
- Wikipedia (EN) Wikipedia: treaty background on Zero Option, Reykjavík Summit double-zero agreement, Kohl's August 1987 Pershing 1A decision.
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian Wikipedia: в феврале 1987 года СССР предложил проект «двойного нуля»; detailed account of the Soviet decision to include OTR-23 Oka (SS-23), the Soviet military's resistance, and the final September 1987 Shevardnadze-Shultz compromise.
- hoover.org Hoover Institution (Stephan Kieninger): Shultz's April 1987 Moscow meeting with Gorbachev where 'global double zero' was first discussed; Kohl's coalition divide over Pershing 1A; NATO internal debate on double zero.
- Wikipedia (EN) Wikipedia: the INF Treaty fulfilment under the 'Double-Zero' deal was widely seen as a key step towards ending the Cold War.