26 Facts About Samantha Smith

Samantha Reed Smith was an American peace activist and child actress from Manchester, Maine, who became famous for her anti-war outreaches during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

In 1982, Smith wrote a letter to the newly appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov, and received a personal reply with an invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.

Samantha Smith attracted extensive media attention in both countries as a "Goodwill Ambassador", becoming known as America's Youngest Ambassador and subsequently participating in peacemaking activities in Japan.

Samantha Smith later became a child actress, hosting a child-oriented special on the 1984 United States presidential election for The Disney Channel and playing a co-starring role in the television series Lime Street.

Samantha Smith began his tenure as Soviet leader by strengthening the powers of the KGB, and by suppressing dissidents.

When Samantha Smith had finished second grade in spring 1980, the family settled in Manchester, Maine, where she attended Manchester Elementary School.

Samantha Smith's letter was published in the Soviet state-run newspaper Pravda.

Samantha Smith was happy to discover that her letter had been published; however, she had not received a reply.

Samantha Smith then sent a letter to Soviet ambassador to the United States Anatoly Dobrynin asking if Andropov intended to respond.

Samantha Smith wrote in her book that in Leningrad she and her parents were amazed by the friendliness of the people and by the presents many people made for them.

Samantha Smith shared a dormitory with nine other girls, and spent her time there swimming, talking and learning Russian songs and dances.

Samantha Smith spontaneously participated in the documentary film "The Capital of Childhood" dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Artek.

Samantha Smith met with Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to orbit the Earth, and visited an experimental fruit station in Malen'koe village.

Samantha Smith became widely known to Soviet citizens and was well regarded by many of them.

Some critics at the time remained skeptical, believing Samantha Smith was unwittingly serving as an instrument of Soviet propaganda.

Samantha Smith's trip inspired other exchanges of child goodwill ambassadors, including a visit by the eleven-year-old Russian child Katya Lycheva to the United States.

Later, Samantha Smith wrote a book called Journey to the Soviet Union whose cover shows her at Artek, her favorite part of the Soviet trip.

Smith pursued her role as a media celebrity when in 1984, billed as a "Special Correspondent", she hosted a children's special for The Disney Channel entitled Samantha Smith Goes To Washington.

Samantha Smith's fame resulted in Smith becoming the subject of stalker Robert John Bardo, the man who would later go on to stalk and ultimately murder My Sister Sam actress Rebecca Schaeffer.

Samantha Smith later confessed to finding new ways to stalk Smith, but her later death terminated his master plan.

Samantha Smith's contributions have been honored with a number of tributes by Russians and by the people of her home state of Maine.

The monument built to Samantha Smith was stolen by metal thieves in 2003 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Speculation as to what a surviving Samantha Smith might have done in adulthood was dismissed by her mother Jane as unanswerable in 2003, given Samantha Smith was only thirteen when she died and her ambitions had varied from a veterinarian to a ballerina.

In 2008, Samantha Smith posthumously received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for "helping to bring about better understanding between the peoples of the [USA and the USSR], and as a result, reduce the tension between the superpowers that were poised to engage in nuclear war".

The Peace Abbey has proposed The Peace Literature Project in Honor of Samantha Smith "to educate students about peace and promote peace literature for school-age children in 50 selected pilot schools across the United States".

In July 2023, a bronze monument to Samantha Smith was unveiled in Artek.