To break the deadlock over verification, Macmillan proposed a compromise in February 1959 whereby each of the original parties would be subject to a set number of on-site inspections each year. In May 1959, Khrushchev and Eisenhower agreed to explore Macmillan's quota proposal, though Eisenhower made further test-ban negotiations conditional on the Soviet Union dropping its Control Commission veto demand and participating in technical discussions on identification of high-altitude nuclear explosions. Khrushchev agreed to the latter and was noncommittal on the former. A working group in Geneva would eventually devise a costly system of 5–6 satellites orbiting at least above the earth, though it could not say with certainty that such a system would be able to determine the origin of a high-altitude test. US negotiators also questioned whether high-altitude tests could evade detection via radiation shielding. Concerning Macmillan's compromise, the Soviet Union privately suggested it would accept a quota of three inspections per year. The US argued that the quota should be set according to scientific necessity (i.e., be set according to the frequency of seismic events).
To break the deadlock over verification Macmillan proposed a compromise in February 1959 whereby each of the original parties would be subject to a set number of on-site inspections each year In May 1959 Khrushchev and Eisenhower agreed to explore Macmillan's quota proposal though Eisenhower made further test-ban negotiations conditional on the Soviet Union dropping its Control Commission veto demand and participating in technical discussions on identification of high-altitude nuclear explosions Khrushchev agreed to the latter and was noncommittal on the former A working group in Geneva would eventually devise a costly system of 5–6 satellites orbiting at least above the earth though it could not say with certainty that such a system would be able to determine the origin of a high-altitude test US negotiators also questioned whether high-altitude tests could evade detection via radiation shielding Concerning Macmillan's compromise the Soviet Union privately suggested it would accept a quota of three inspections per year The US argued that the quota should be set according to scientific necessity (ie be set according to the frequency of seismic events)