The contribution of international exchanges (e.g., cultural activities, tourism, student exchange) to detente enhancement is assessed. International exchanges have a capacity for engendering trust and for providing cultural, political, and economic benefit, two characteristics of policy acts which tend to enhance detente. A comparison of four very cooperative years in the U.S.-Soviet relationship (1969, 1972, 1973, and 1974) shows high levels of cultural exchange accompanying a favorable bilateral political climate. An examination of the two-year periods of time preceding periods of incipient detente (1963, 1967, 1970, and 1974) shows that many times, but not always, mounting levels of exchange activity do precede times of earnest Soviet-American political accommodation. This analysis does not imply that exchanges cause detente, but that they do most likely facilitate it. However, detente-relevant interactions, including exchanges, are not functional to the end of promoting detente when launched singularly, but must be part of a purposive package. This is not to say that there would be no benefits from exchange activity in the midst of a tense bilateral climate, only that they would be on a personal or academic level. (RM)