The primary purpose of president richard nixon's policy of detente was to?

The purpose of détente, under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter, was to ease Cold War tensions. The Cold War was the indirect battle between the US and USSR that originated in the aftermath of World War II and continued until the early 1990s.

The USSR and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were adversaries to the US in the late 1960s. Both nations were Communist, which was considered an incredibly un-American economic philosophy. However, when the USSR and PRC began to not get along, the US saw an opportunity to step in and initiate channels of communication aimed at easing tensions with their Communist foes.

During this period of détente (a French word meaning “relaxation”) the US eased its political isolation of China, agreed to arms limitations with the Soviet Union and ended the Vietnam War. In perhaps the greatest signs of eased tension with the US, China invited American players for a table-tennis competition and the Soviet Union purchased 400 million bushels of American wheat.

Presidents Ford and Carter continued to support policies of détente and improve relations with China and the Soviet Union. This temporary period of improvement ended when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and Ronald Reagan was elected to the White House.