U.S. and Soviet leaders met at the 1955 Geneva Summit , the first such summit since the 1945 Potsdam Conference . No progress was made on major issues ; the two sides had major differences on German policy , and the Soviets dismissed Eisenhower 's " Open Skies " proposal . Despite the lack of agreement on substantive issues , the conference marked the start of a minor thaw in Cold War relations . Kruschev toured the United States in 1959 , and he and Eisenhower conducted high-level talks regarding nuclear disarmament and the status of Berlin . Eisenhower wanted limits on nuclear weapons testing and on-site inspections of nuclear weapons , while Kruschev initially sought the total elimination of nuclear arsenals . Both wanted to limit total military spending and prevent nuclear proliferation , but Cold War tensions made negotiations difficult . Towards the end of his second term , Eisenhower was determined to reach a nuclear test ban treaty as part of an overall move towards détente with the Soviet Union . Khruschev had also become increasingly interested in reaching an accord , partly due to the growing Sino-Soviet split . By 1960 , the major unresolved issue was on-site inspections , as both sides sought nuclear test bans . Hopes for reaching a nuclear agreement at a May 1960 summit in Paris were derailed by the downing of an American U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
Foreign policy of the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration