Détente was a policy of international relations developed by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon. It was used heavily in the 1970s, and was a means to stop the spread of communism through brains and diplomacy, rather than violence and militarism. Nixon knew that this was not a complete solution to the Cold War, but it would firmly establish the two superpowers’ spheres of influence and sort of establish the grounds needed for preventing violent conflict.