Muskie and Gromyko dancing. Minuet., May 19, 1980

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980, President Carter imposed a virtual embargo on all U.S.-Soviet contacts. By May, 1980, when Muskie met with Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko in Vienna, Muskie characterized the talks as merely "a diplomatic minuet as we each recite our reactions to the other's actions over the past six to eight months." Oliphant's cartoon exactly catches that characterization. Anita Holst-Jensen.