Read the following statements carefully:
I. Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty was signed in 1972.
II. It was basically an effort of disarmament.
The correct statement is/are:

Question

Read the following statements carefully: 
I. Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty was signed in 1972. 
II. It was basically an effort of disarmament. 
The correct statement is/are:

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
Statement I is correct because the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty was signed between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1972. This pivotal agreement took place during the Moscow Summit as part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I), marking a crucial period of détente—the easing of strained relations—during the Cold War. The treaty aimed to limit the deployment of missile defense systems, specifically those designed to intercept incoming strategic nuclear missiles. This was a monumental step because it legally restrained the arms race in defensive weaponry, forcing both superpowers to maintain a state of mutual nuclear vulnerability. The historical context confirms that 1972 is the definitive date for this landmark treaty, making statement I factually accurate.

Statement II is incorrect because the ABM Treaty was fundamentally an effort of **arms control and strategic stability**, not **disarmament**. Disarmament means reducing or eliminating offensive weapons like nuclear warheads or missiles. In contrast, the ABM Treaty restricted *defensive* weapons (ABM systems). The underlying conceptual goal of the treaty was to ensure the effectiveness of the deterrent strategy known as Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). The logic behind MAD was that if both the US and the USSR remained vulnerable to a retaliatory nuclear strike (i.e., if neither could deploy a successful defense system), neither side would dare to launch a first strike. Therefore, limiting defensive capability actually stabilized the nuclear stand-off by maximizing mutual vulnerability, which is the definition of arms control, not disarmament.

The incorrect option is 2:
Option 2 claims that Statement I is incorrect and Statement II is correct. This is inaccurate on both counts. As established, Statement I is factually correct, as the treaty was officially signed in 1972. Furthermore, Statement II is conceptually flawed; the ABM Treaty restricted defensive systems to maintain strategic stability, which falls under arms control rather than a reduction in offensive arms, which is the definition of disarmament. Since I is correct and II is incorrect, this option cannot be the right choice.

The incorrect option is 3:
Option 3 asserts that Both I and II are correct. While Statement I is correct regarding the 1972 signing date, the second statement is incorrect due to a misunderstanding of the treaty's political purpose. If the treaty's goal were disarmament, it would have required the dismantling of offensive nuclear missiles (ICBMs and SLBMs), which it did not. By mislabeling the ABM Treaty as an effort of disarmament when its core function was strategic stability through arms control, this option incorrectly validates Statement II.

The incorrect option is 4:
Option 4 suggests that Both I and II are incorrect. This is also false because Statement I is factually verifiable. The signing of the ABM Treaty in 1972 is a foundational element of Cold War history and arms limitation agreements. While Statement II is indeed incorrect, the correctness of Statement I means that the entire premise of Option 4 is flawed. The treaty served as a cornerstone of US-Soviet détente for decades until the US withdrew from it in 2002.