In Washington, Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty decreeing the dismantling of tactical nuclear missiles in Europe. In his memoirs, Gorbachev attributed the beginning of the nightmare (the “gun to our heads,” referring to the Pershing 2) to the deployment of the SS-20s, a decision inherited from the previous Soviet leadership. The double-zero INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty) (0 Cruise, 0 SS-20) stipulated reciprocal visits to the SS-20 production facility in Voktinsk in the Urals and the Pershing 2 (Hercules Corp.) facility in Magna, Utah. In four years, 654 Soviet medium-range missiles were destroyed, mostly SS-20s, and 957 short-range missiles, including 239 SS-23s. On the US side, 234 Pershing 2s, 443 Cruises, and 169 Pershing 1s were disposed of. This marked the end of missile operations in Europe. It is the first international treaty to effectively eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons.
