Children Diplomacy During the Late Cold War: Samantha Smith's Visit of the ‘Evil Empire’
Journal: History
Year: 2019

Abstract Samantha Smith came to fame by writing a letter to the Soviet leader, Yuri Andropov, in December 1982, expressing her fears about a potential nuclear war between the two superpowers. Her letter was quoted in the main Soviet newspaper Pravda in April 1983 and the Smith family was subsequently invited to visit the Soviet Union during the summer. Samantha's trip captured the attention of the world media on both sides of the ideological divide. However, her trip has usually been dismissed a