The girl who melted the ice between the USA and the USSR. how samantha smith lived and died

Boys and girls whose childhood was in the 80s remember the names of two girls: Samantha Smith And Katya Lycheva. In 1983, during one of the darkest periods of Soviet-American relations, an eleven-year-old girl from Maine, Samantha Smith, became world famous thanks to a letter she wrote to Andropov, who had just become Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee at the height of the Cold War. . Samantha once saw US President Reagan on the cover of Time Magazine and the new Soviet leader Andropov as Person of the Year. One of the articles in that magazine said that the new leader of the USSR is a very dangerous person, and that under his leadership the Soviet Union is more threatening to the security of the United States than ever before. Then Samantha asked her mother that “if everyone is so afraid of Andropov, why don’t they write him a letter and ask if he is going to start a war?” The mother jokingly replied: “Well, write it yourself,” and Samantha wrote. translation: "Dear Mr. Andropov, My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new appointment. I am very worried that a nuclear war will break out between the Soviet Union and the United States. Are you for war or not? If you are against, please tell me , how are you going to prevent war? You, of course, do not have to answer this question, but I would like to know why you want to conquer the whole world or at least our country. God created the earth so that we could all live together in peace and not to fight. Sincerely, Samantha Smith."
The new Secretary General did not miss the opportunity to use the opportunity of “public diplomacy.” His response to Samantha was: “Dear Samantha! I received your letter, like many others coming to me these days from your country, from other countries of the world. It seems to me - I judge from the letter - that you are a brave and honest girl, similar to Becky - Tom’s girlfriend Sawyer from the famous book by your compatriot Mark Twain. This book is known and loved very much by all the boys and girls in our country. You write that you are very concerned about whether a nuclear war will happen between our two countries. And you ask if we are doing anything, in order to prevent war from breaking out. Your question is the most important of those that concern every person. I will answer it seriously and honestly. Yes, Samantha, we in the Soviet Union are trying to do and are doing everything to ensure that there is no war between our countries "So that there is no war on earth at all. This is what every Soviet person wants. This is what the great founder of our state, Vladimir Lenin, taught us. Soviet people know well how terrible and destructive war is. 42 years ago, Nazi Germany, which sought domination over the whole world , attacked our country, burned and ravaged many thousands of our cities and villages, killed millions of Soviet men, women and children. With Valentina Tereshkova In that war, which ended in our victory, we were in alliance with the United States, and together we fought for the liberation of many peoples from the Nazi invaders. I hope you know this from history lessons at school. And today we really want to live in peace, trade and cooperate with all our neighbors around the globe - both distant and close. And, of course, with such a great country as the United States of America. Both America and we have nuclear weapons - terrible weapons that can kill millions of people in an instant. But we don't want it to ever be used. That is why the Soviet Union solemnly announced to the whole world that never - never! will not be the first to use nuclear weapons against any country, and in general we propose to stop their further production and begin to destroy all their stockpiles on earth. It seems to me that this is a sufficient answer to your second question: “Why do you want to conquer the whole world, or at least the United States?” We don’t want anything like that. No one in our huge and beautiful country, neither workers and peasants, nor writers and doctors, nor adults and children, nor members of the government, wants either a big or a “small” war. We want peace - we have something to do: grow bread, build and invent, write books and fly into space. We want peace for ourselves and for all the peoples of the planet. For your children and for you, Samantha. I invite you, if your parents allow, to come to our country, it would be best in the summer. You will get to know our country, meet your peers, and visit the international children's camp - Artek - on the seashore. And you will see for yourself: in the Soviet Union everyone is for peace and friendship between peoples. Thank you for your letter. I wish you all the best. Yu. Andropov." With parents: Jane and Arthur Smith Samantha and her parents went to the USSR on July 7, 1983. During the two weeks that the Smith family spent in the USSR, Samantha visited Moscow, Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and the Artek pioneer camp in Crimea. Although the seriously ill Andropov never met Samantha, they were able to talk on the phone.
Journalists from the USSR, the USA and all over the world followed Samantha’s every step, every phrase. Before flying home on July 22, Samantha smiled at the television cameras and shouted in Russian with a smile: “We will live!” And in her book “My Journey to the USSR” Samantha wrote that “they are the same as us.”
In December 1983, she was invited to Japan as "America's youngest ambassador," where she met Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and participated in the Children's International Symposium in Kobe. In her speech at the symposium, she proposed that Soviet and American leaders exchange granddaughters for two weeks each year, explaining that the president "would not want to bomb a country that his granddaughter is visiting."

Smith became a media celebrity, and in 1984 she became the host of a show on the Disney Channel called "Samantha Smith Goes to Washington... 1984 Campaign." The show focused on politics, with Smith interviewing several presidential candidates, including George McGovern and Jesse Jackson. Due to her popularity, Samantha was briefly stalked by Robert John Bardo, a man who would later stalk and eventually kill actress Rebecca Schaeffer. In 1985, she was invited to appear in the TV series Lime Street. Actors of the series Lime Street, Samantha Smith on the left Samantha Smith died in a plane crash on August 25, 1985. She and her father were returning home from filming the next episode of the series. The twin-engine plane missed the runway and crashed 200 meters from it. None of the eight passengers survived.
Many in the USA associated the death of the famous girl with the activities of the KGB, in the USSR - on the contrary - with the CIA. Be that as it may, a thorough investigation of the accident showed that all responsibility for the incident lies with the pilot. After the death in 1985 of Samantha Smith, who visited the USSR in 1983, the organization Children as the Peacemakers proposed organizing a return visit to the United States for the Soviet schoolgirl. The choice was given to the Soviet side, setting only two conditions: the girl must actively participate in the struggle for peace and not be older than Samantha. Katya Lycheva was selected from several thousand candidates. Contrary to many gossips, she was not related to members of the Soviet elite. But Katya starred in several children's films (“Living Rainbow” 1982, “Bambi’s Childhood” 1985, “How are you at home, how are you?” 1987, etc.). From March 21 to April 4, 1986, she and an American schoolgirl from the city of San Francisco, Star Rowe, toured the United States to promote peace, during which she visited several US cities and met with President Ronald Reagan. The Soviet press cultivated the image of Katya, clearly comparing her with the deceased Samantha. Almost all children's periodicals in the USSR were full of photographs and articles. Katya Lycheva at a press conference, Katya Lycheva making paper doves, Katya Lycheva at a meeting with schoolchildren. Katya Lycheva’s star set quietly and imperceptibly even before the cessation of the existence of the pioneer organization. Katya was no longer needed by the system in the new political conditions created. There was no tragic accident that would have firmly written it into history. They simply stopped writing and talking about her. It remained one of the symbols of the decline of the Soviet era, when much was done for show and on orders from above. In 1988, Katya Lycheva moved with her family to Paris (her mother, an employee of IMEMO, received a Mitterrand scholarship). Since 1995, she worked at the Paris Foreign Investment Promotion Center. In 2000, she returned to her homeland and worked at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Russian Federation. Since 2004 - employee of the Federal Agency for Science-Intensive Industry (according to other sources - NP "United Aircraft Consortium"). As a matter of principle, he does not participate in television shows and does not give interviews to central newspapers, sometimes making an exception for regional publications. Currently works as Vice President of JSC AVTOVAZ (information for 2008).

Biography

Samantha was happy when she found out about this, but by that time she had not yet received a response to her letter. Then she wrote a letter to the Soviet ambassador to the United States, asking whether Andropov was going to answer her. On April 26, 1983, she received a letter from Andropov.

Andropov's answer

The letter, in Russian, typed on tinted paper and signed in blue ink, was dated April 19, 1983, and was accompanied by an English translation. Below is the Russian version of the letter.

Dear Samantha!

I received your letter, like many others coming to me these days from your country, from other countries of the world.

It seems to me - I judge from the letter - that you are a brave and honest girl, similar to Becky, Tom Sawyer's girlfriend from the famous book of your compatriot Mark Twain. All boys and girls in our country know and love this book.

You write that you are very concerned about whether a nuclear war will happen between our two countries. And you ask if we are doing anything to prevent war from breaking out.

Your question is the most important one that any thinking person could ask. I will answer you seriously and honestly.

Yes, Samantha, we in the Soviet Union are trying to do everything to ensure that there is no war between our countries, so that there is no war on earth at all. This is what every Soviet person wants. This is how the great founder of our state, Vladimir Lenin, taught us.

Soviet people know well what a terrible and destructive thing war is. 42 years ago, Nazi Germany, which sought to dominate the whole world, attacked our country, burned and ravaged many thousands of our cities and villages, and killed millions of Soviet men, women and children.

In that war, which ended in our victory, we were in alliance with the United States, and together we fought for the liberation of many peoples from the Nazi invaders. I hope you know this from history lessons at school. And today we really want to live in peace, trade and cooperate with all our neighbors around the globe - both distant and close. And, of course, with such a great country as the United States of America.

Samantha's death

Perpetuation of memory

Day of Remembrance

In Moscow (Bibirevo district), at the intersection of Pleshcheeva and Leskova streets, a small monument to Samantha Smith was erected in the 1990s. Despite the relatively recent date of its installation, the history of the monument is very vague and confusing. It is only known that it was a full-length bronze statue of a girl with a palm branch in her hands. It has not yet been possible to find reliable information about the exact date of installation of the monument, its initiators and the name of the sculptor. According to another version, the monument was erected after 1991 by the parents of a girl who died under the wheels of a car in the area. It is possible that the unnamed monument became associated with the name of Samantha Smith. Unfortunately, due to its open location, the monument was repeatedly subjected to acts of vandalism, and in 2003 it was stolen by unknown persons as non-ferrous metal (according to another version, it was dismantled without fanfare by order of local authorities, since it was not on the balance sheet of any organization , was damaged and was not guarded by anyone). Subsequently, the remains of this sculpture were found sawn and could not be restored. Currently, a flower lawn has been laid out on the site of this monument. The only photo of this monument (with an already broken branch) can be found here.

There is information about several small sculptural forms dedicated to the memory of Samantha Smith:

Four Girls Medal

Samantha Smith

In the former republics of the USSR, the name Samantha Smith was given to several streets in various localities, some of which have retained this name to this day. In particular, in Russia there are streets named after her in the following localities:

The ship "Samantha Smith" in the port of Yalta

A street in the city of Taraz, Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan, was named after Samantha Smith. In 2008, a message appeared about the upcoming renaming of this street to Zhakan Sabalakova Street. However, the street still continues to appear in official documents under its former name.

A variety of dahlias, tulips and tomatoes bred by Soviet breeders, as well as one of the varieties of Echinopsis - plants from the cactus family - are named after Samantha Smith.

Music

Literature, cinema, theater, painting

Other

December 5, 1985 with a circulation of 2.6 million copies. A postage stamp measuring 28x40 mm with a portrait of Samantha and a postal envelope with a special cancellation were issued.

Notes

1. Chazanov, Mathis. PRAVDA says it has letters from America, The Philadelphia Inquirer(April 12, 1983), page E16.
2. Yuri Andropov's Response. www.SamanthaSmith.Info. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
3. Russian Version. www.SamanthaSmith.Info. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
4. Samantha Smith is an American schoolgirl who broke the ice of the Cold War. RIA Novosti (August 25, 2010). Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
5. Samantha Smith Foundation
6. Regional public organization "S. Smith Center for Children's Diplomacy"
7. School of Foreign Languages ​​"Samantha"
8. “Pravda” No. 358, December 24, 1986, p. 4

On June 29, American Samantha Smith would have turned 44 years old, but her life was cut short in 1985. Then the whole world was talking about this girl: she wrote a letter to Andropov and came at his invitation to the USSR as a goodwill ambassador. She was called the smallest peacemaker, and this event was the beginning of the “warming” of relations between the USA and the USSR. And two years later, the girl died in a plane crash, which made many doubt the accident of this sudden death.

In the fall of 1982, Samantha Smith read an article in Time Magazine about Yuri Andropov, who came to power in the USSR. The journalist suggested that the new Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee is dangerous for the United States, and a new war is possible during his reign. Samantha asked her mother why everyone was so afraid of him and no one would ask if he was really going to attack the United States. The mother advised her daughter to ask him herself. The girl took the joke seriously and wrote a letter.

Samantha Smith with a letter from the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Yuri Andropov, in which he invites her to visit the USSR. USA, Manchester, 1983. On the right - Samantha in *Artek*

Samantha Smith in the USSR

In 1983, a letter from a young American woman was published in the Pravda newspaper: “Dear Mr. Andropov! My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new appointment. I am very worried that a nuclear war will break out between the Soviet Union and the United States. Are you for war or not? If you are against it, please tell me how you are going to prevent war? You, of course, are not obligated to answer this question, but I wanted to know why you want to conquer the whole world, or at least our country. The Lord created the earth so that we could all live together in peace and not fight. Sincerely, Samantha Smith."

On April 26, 1983, Samantha received a response letter from Andropov with an invitation to come and personally verify that the USSR was not preparing for war. “We in the Soviet Union are trying to do everything to ensure that there is no war between our countries, so that there is no war on Earth at all. This is what every Soviet person wants,” wrote Andropov.

On the left is Samantha Smith in a national costume, sewn for her by the children of the applied arts circle of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. On the right - Samantha in *Artek*

In July 1983, Samantha Smith and her parents arrived in the USSR and stayed there for 2 weeks. She was shown the mausoleum, museums, sights of Moscow and Leningrad, and the Artek pioneer camp in Crimea. Thousands of people met her, but the meeting with Andropov did not take place - at that time he was already seriously ill, and a visit to the hospital ward was excluded. On July 22, before leaving, Samantha said goodbye: “We will live!” After her visit, a new expression appeared - “children's diplomacy.”

Samantha Smith in *Artek*

After the trip, Samantha Smith wrote the book “My Journey to the USSR,” in which she stated: “They are the same as us!” In December 1983, Samantha traveled to Japan for the International Children's Symposium. Then she began to be invited to all sorts of shows and series. On August 25, Samantha and her father were returning from England from filming a popular show. In America, they switched to a local airline flight. The weather conditions were unfavorable, and in poor visibility the plane overshot the landing strip and crashed. 2 pilots and 6 passengers were killed.

The smallest goodwill ambassador Samantha Smith in *Artek*

Left: Samantha Smith during a meeting with cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. On the right - Samantha says goodbye to the USSR

Since then, controversy has not subsided about what was the real cause of Samantha Smith’s death. Versions have been put forward that this plane crash was staged either by Soviet or American intelligence services. They said that Samantha died because of pro-Soviet statements, which was contrary to US policy. R. Koshurnikova states: “She has become too independent in her judgments. The image of the enemy that was created in America about the USSR was shaken. The girl grew up, became wiser, and it was impossible to shut her down.”

Samantha Smith in the USSR

Samantha Smith in front of the State Central Puppet Theater

However, a thorough investigation of the accident showed that all responsibility for the incident lies with the pilot: in difficult weather conditions, he made a mistake by missing the runway.

Samantha Smith and her parents in the museum *V. I. Lenin’s office and apartment in the Kremlin*

Samantha Smith at a press conference

In 1983 about an American girl Samantha Smith known all over the world. She was called the youngest peacemaker. She wrote a letter to Yuri Andropov and came with her family to the USSR. Many consider this event to be the beginning of a “warming” of relations between the two great states.

In the fall of 1982, a girl read in a magazine that he had come to power in the USSR Yuri Andropov. The author of the article said that this event could become the beginning of a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. Then the girl asked her mother a question about why everyone is so afraid of Andropov, because you can simply ask if he is going to start a war...

In response, Samantha’s mother jokingly advised her daughter ask Andropov this question yourself. But the girl took it seriously and wrote a letter to the Secretary General. In it, she congratulated him on his new position, and also asked if he was going to start a war and conquer the whole world.

The girl’s letter was published in the Pravda newspaper in 1983. But Samantha did not receive an answer to it. Then the girl wrote another letter to the USSR Embassy in the USA, where she asked whether Andropov was going to answer her. April 26, 1983 the girl received an answer.

Andropov wrote that the Soviet Union was not going to fight at all, that all Soviet citizens wanted peace in the world, and also reminded the girl that during World War II their countries were allies. Also Yuri Vladimirovich invited the girl to stay in the USSR in the summer.

After this, the girl became extremely popular. Here, for example, is her interview for one of the American channels.

In July 1983, Samantha and her parents arrived in the USSR, where they spent 2 weeks. During this time, the family visited Moscow, Leningrad and Artek. The meeting with Andropov did not take place because he was ill by that time, but they talked on the phone. Before leaving, the girl said: "Will live!"

It’s interesting that for Samantha’s arrival, the dining room was completed at Artek, and the girl was given the best room. Her peers also gave her pioneer uniform, which Samantha liked and took it with her. The girl lived according to the same schedule as all the other pioneers.

Later in her book “Journey to the USSR” Samantha wrote: "They are just like us..." By the way, in 1986, Soviet schoolgirl Katya Lycheva flew to the United States on a return visit. But this happened after Samantha’s death.

Samantha was often invited to participate in various shows and series. One of these trips became fatal. No one could survive the crash: 2 pilots and 6 passengers were killed, among whom were Samantha Smith and her father Arthur.

There have been various controversies regarding this disaster. Versions have been put forward that the accident was faked either Soviet or American intelligence services. Allegedly, the girl grew up and became wiser. At the same time, she violated the belief that the USSR was an enemy for the whole world. And she couldn’t close her mouth...

A thorough investigation into the accident revealed that the cause of the accident was pilot error, which missed the landing strip in difficult weather conditions.

In conclusion, we suggest you watch a story about Samantha on Soviet television. It is very interesting, if only because the journalists did not miss the opportunity to make an attack on their American colleagues.

On June 29, American Samantha Smith would have turned 44 years old, but her life was cut short in 1985. Then the whole world was talking about this girl: she wrote a letter to Andropov and came at his invitation to the USSR as a goodwill ambassador. She was called the smallest peacemaker, and this event was the beginning of the “warming” of relations between the USA and the USSR. And two years later, the girl died in a plane crash, which made many doubt the accident of this sudden death.
Samantha Smith at a press conference In the fall of 1982, Samantha Smith read an article in Time Magazine about Yuri Andropov, who came to power in the USSR. The journalist suggested that the new Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee is dangerous for the United States, and a new war is possible during his reign. Samantha asked her mother why everyone was so afraid of him and no one would ask if he was really going to attack the United States. The mother advised her daughter to ask him herself. The girl took the joke seriously and wrote a letter.
Samantha Smith with a letter from the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Yuri Andropov, in which he invites her to visit the USSR. USA, Manchester, 1983. On the right – Samantha in *Artek*
Samantha Smith in the USSR In 1983, a letter from a young American woman was published in the Pravda newspaper: “Dear Mr. Andropov! My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new appointment. I am very worried that a nuclear war will break out between the Soviet Union and the United States. Are you for war or not? If you are against it, please tell me how you are going to prevent war? You, of course, are not obligated to answer this question, but I wanted to know why you want to conquer the whole world, or at least our country. The Lord created the earth so that we could all live together in peace and not fight. Sincerely, Samantha Smith."
Samantha Smith with her parents on Red Square, July 11, 1983 On April 26, 1983, Samantha received a response letter from Andropov with an invitation to come and personally see that the USSR was not preparing for war. “We in the Soviet Union are trying to do everything to ensure that there is no war between our countries, so that there is no war on Earth at all. This is what every Soviet person wants,” wrote Andropov.
On the left is Samantha Smith in a national costume, sewn for her by the children of the applied arts circle of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. On the right - Samantha in *Artek* In July 1983, Samantha Smith and her parents arrived in the USSR and stayed there for 2 weeks. She was shown the mausoleum, museums, sights of Moscow and Leningrad, and the Artek pioneer camp in Crimea. Thousands of people met her, but the meeting with Andropov did not take place - at that time he was already seriously ill, and a visit to the hospital ward was excluded. On July 22, before leaving, Samantha said goodbye: “We will live!” After her visit, a new expression appeared - “children’s diplomacy.”

Samantha Smith in *Artek* After the trip, Samantha Smith wrote the book “My Journey to the USSR,” in which she stated: “They are the same as us!” In December 1983, Samantha traveled to Japan for the International Children's Symposium. Then she began to be invited to all sorts of shows and series. On August 25, Samantha and her father were returning from England from filming a popular show. In America, they switched to a local airline flight. The weather conditions were unfavorable, and in poor visibility the plane overshot the landing strip and crashed. 2 pilots and 6 passengers were killed.
The smallest goodwill ambassador Samantha Smith in *Artek*
Left: Samantha Smith during a meeting with cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. On the right - Samantha says goodbye to the USSR Since then, debate has not subsided about what was the real reason for the death of Samantha Smith. Versions have been put forward that this plane crash was staged either by Soviet or American intelligence services. They said that Samantha died because of pro-Soviet statements, which was contrary to US policy. R. Koshurnikova states: “She has become too independent in her judgments. The image of the enemy that was created in America about the USSR was shaken. The girl grew up, became wiser, and it was impossible to shut her down.”
Samantha Smith in the USSR
Samantha Smith in front of the State Central Puppet Theater However, a thorough investigation of the disaster showed that all responsibility for the incident lies with the pilot: in difficult weather conditions, he made a mistake by missing the runway.
Samantha Smith and her parents in the museum *V. I. Lenin’s office and apartment in the Kremlin*
Samantha Smith at a press conference