1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class as a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: a show for those interested in the big and small 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: moments of history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode, 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: we're looking at the story of two unlikely pen pals, 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: the newly elected leader of the U s s R. 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: And a little girl from Maine who called him out 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: for trying to conquer the world. The day was April. 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: The Kremlin released a letter from Soviet leader Uri Andropov 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: to Samantha Smith, an eleven year old American girl who 11 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: was anxious about the thread of nuclear war. The Russian 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: premier sought to put her mind at ease, assuring Samantha 13 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: that the Soviet Union wanted peace just as badly as 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: she did. The young girl's dress head was shared by 15 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: hundreds of millions of people, both in the United States 16 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: and in the Soviet Union. The two nations had waged 17 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: a cold war with one another for the last three decades, 18 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: each using the perceived threat of the other as justification 19 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: for building more and more nuclear weapons. By the fall 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: of two many people worried that the rhetoric between the 21 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: country's leaders had become too heated, and that at any moment, 22 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: those ever growing stockpiles of nuclear missiles might finally be 23 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: put to use. In November of that year, a sudden 24 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: change in Soviet leadership ratcheted up that uncertainty. After the 25 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: passing of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, former head of the 26 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: KGB URI, and Tropov was elected General Secretary of the 27 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: Communist Party. In his new role, Andropov fixated on the 28 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: idea that the United States was preparing to launch a 29 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: nuclear strike on his govern ment. Meanwhile, in the US, 30 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: people worried what Andropov might do with all that suspicion 31 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: and newfound power. Children like Samantha Smith could sense the 32 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: fear in the air. After all, there were constant TV 33 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: news reports about the devastation nuclear weapons would bring if 34 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: they were used, either intentionally or by accident. Smith later 35 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: explained that all this tension was the catalyst for her 36 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: letter to Andrepov. She said, quote, I woke up one 37 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: morning and wondered if this was going to be the 38 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: last day of the earth. I asked my mother, who 39 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: would start a war and why? She showed me a 40 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: news magazine with a story about America and Russia. One 41 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: that had a picture of the new Russian leader Uri 42 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: Andropov on the cover. After reading through the article together, 43 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: Samantha asked her mother if she would write a letter 44 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: to Andropov to ask whether he intended to start a war. 45 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: Samantha's mom encouraged her to write the letter in dead 46 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: and so later that day that's just what Samantha did. 47 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: Here's what she wrote. Dear Mr Andrew Pov, my name 48 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on 49 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 1: your new job. I have been worrying about Russia and 50 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: the United States getting into a nuclear war. Are you 51 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: going to vote to have a war or not? If 52 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: you aren't, please tell me how you are going to 53 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: help to not have a war. This question you do 54 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: not have to answer, but I would like to know 55 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,639 Speaker 1: why you want to conquer the world, or at least 56 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: our country. God made the world for us to live 57 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: together in peace and not to fight. The letter received 58 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: a good deal of publicity in both the United States 59 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: and in the Soviet Union, but Smith didn't hear back 60 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: from Russia for several months. Eventually, she learned that her 61 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: letter had been printed in a Soviet newspaper called Pravda 62 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: and that Andrewpov had even provided some commentary. Smith was 63 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: upset that she hadn't received a direct response, so she 64 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: wrote a second letter, this time to the Soviet ambassador 65 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: to the United States. Not long after, the girl received 66 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: a call from the U. S. Embassy telling her to 67 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: keep an eye on her mailbox. Then, in late April 68 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: of Samantha finally got a reply from Andrew Pov. The 69 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: letter read as follows. It seems to me I can 70 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: tell by your letter that you are a courageous and 71 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: honest girl, resembling Becky, the friend of Tom Sawyer in 72 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: the famous book of your compatriot Mark Twain. This book 73 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: is well known and loved in our country by all 74 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: boys and girls. You write that you are anxious about 75 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 1: whether there will be a nuclear war between our two countries, 76 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: and you ask are we doing anything so that war 77 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: will not break out? Your question is the most important 78 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: of those that everythinking man can pose. I will reply 79 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: to you seriously and honestly, Yes, Samantha, we and the 80 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: Soviet Union are trying to do everything so that there 81 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: will not be war on earth. In America and in 82 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: our country. There are nuclear weapons, terrible weapons that can 83 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: kill millions of people in an instant, but we do 84 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: not want them to be ever used. That's precisely why 85 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union solemnly declared throughout the entire world that never, never, 86 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: will it use nuclear weapons first against any country. In general, 87 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: we propose to discontinue further production of them, and to 88 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,239 Speaker 1: proceed to the abolition of all the stockpiles on earth. 89 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: It seems to me that this is a sufficient answer 90 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: to your second question, Why do you want to wage 91 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 1: war against the world, or at least the United States. 92 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: We want nothing of the kind. No one in our country, 93 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: neither workers, peasants, writers, nor doctors, neither grown ups nor children, 94 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:54,280 Speaker 1: nor members of the government, want either a big or 95 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 1: little war. We want peace. There is something that we 96 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: have occupied our I'm with growing wheat, building and inventing, 97 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: writing books and flying into space. We want peace for 98 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: ourselves and for all people's of the planet, for our children, 99 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: and for you, Samantha. I invite you, if your parents 100 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: will let you, to come to our country, the best 101 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 1: time being this summer. You will find out about our country, 102 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: meet with your contemporaries, visit an international children's camp on 103 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: the sea, and see for yourself that in the Soviet 104 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: Union everyone is for peace and friendship among people's thank 105 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: you for your letter. I wish you all the best 106 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 1: in your young life. Samantha Smith accepted Andrewpam's invitation, and 107 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,119 Speaker 1: it was announced that she and her parents would travel 108 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: to the Soviet Union in July of that year. The 109 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:51,799 Speaker 1: press dubbed Smith America's youngest ambassador, but many Americans worried 110 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: she was more of a political pawn than a diplomat. 111 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: President Ronald Reagan had recently referred to the Soviet Union 112 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: as a quote evil empire. Now just a few months later, 113 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: a little girl from Maine was going to tour that 114 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,280 Speaker 1: country with her parents and probably be filmed having a 115 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: great time while doing it. Not only would that undercut 116 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: the president's message, it would make great propaganda for the Soviets. 117 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: Andropov was surely aware of the benefits when he invited Samantha, 118 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: but he was also sincere in wanting to improve Soviet 119 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: relations with the West. Inviting a frightened young girl to 120 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: see that the enemy wasn't as scary as she thought 121 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: was a small but meaningful gesture of peace. Samantha Smith 122 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: and her family spent two weeks in the Soviet Union. 123 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: They didn't get to meet with Andropov due to his 124 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: declining health, but they were given a v I P 125 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: tour of some of the country's top landmarks, including Lennon's 126 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: Grave and the Bolshoy Ballet. Smith also met with Valentina Tereshkova, 127 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: the first woman to go to space, and at a 128 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: summer camp in Crimea. Smith got to interact with Soviet 129 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: children her own age at every stop of her journey. 130 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: The young girl's reactions were filmed and reported by members 131 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: of both the Soviet and the Western press. Overall, Samantha 132 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: was won over by our Soviet hosts. She told reporters quote, 133 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: some people have the wrong impression about them. They want 134 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: peace like I do. They want no harm to the world, 135 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: just like us. Smith returned to the US, having become 136 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: something of a celebrity in both countries. Over the next 137 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: two years, she acted as an unofficial Goodwill ambassador for 138 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: the US. She took part in a children's symposium in 139 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: Japan and gave speeches throughout the US about how to 140 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: foster better communication between nations. She appeared on The Tonight 141 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: Show with Johnny Carson and even interviewed presidential candidates for 142 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 1: a show on the newly launched Disney Channel. Unfortunately, even 143 00:08:56,679 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: though nuclear war never broke out between the US and 144 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union, this story still doesn't have a happy ending. 145 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: In February of night four, Yuri Andropov died from kidney failure, 146 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: and a little over a year later, Samantha Smith died too. 147 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: On August five, she and her father were flying back 148 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: to Maine after filming a TV appearance. Their small commuter 149 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: plane crashed while attempting to land, and everyone on board 150 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: was killed. In the years that followed, Samantha's mother, Jane, 151 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: ran a foundation as a tribute to her daughter. It 152 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: promoted cultural exchanges between students of the Soviet Union and 153 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: the United States, a cause that Samantha had championed right 154 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: up until her death. Her tragic passing was deeply felt 155 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: at home and abroad. Both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev 156 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: offered their personal condolences. The Russian government also responded by 157 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: issuing a postage stamp with Samantha's picture, as well as 158 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: by naming a diamond, a flower, and a mountain in 159 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: her honor. In the end, Samantha's trip to the Soviet 160 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: Union didn't have much effect on foreign policy. It wasn't 161 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: a turning point in the Cold War, and it didn't 162 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: eliminate the possibility of mutually assured destruction. However, the visit 163 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: did ease the burdens of a young child who never 164 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: should have had to shoulder them in the first place, 165 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 1: and she wasn't the only one to take comfort in 166 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: what she saw that year. Kids all across America saw 167 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union through Samantha's eyes that summer, and by 168 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: the same token, kids in the Soviet Union saw an 169 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: American girl visiting their country who looked and acted just 170 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: like them. Imagine what a comfort that must have been 171 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: for children who had been taught to think of their 172 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: foreign counterparts is nothing but enemies to be feared and distrusted. 173 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: Samantha didn't get to live with that realization for long, 174 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: but many in her generation did. They got to see 175 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: themselves in the other and hopefully that humanizing experience stuck 176 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: with them. Hopefully they passed it on to their own kids, 177 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: who in turn will pass it on to theirs. Because 178 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: the world continues to be a scary place, and it's 179 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: a comfort to know that most people don't want to 180 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: blow it up, even in countries with governments that seem 181 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: like they do. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully you now 182 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 183 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,559 Speaker 1: If you enjoy today's show, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, 184 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i HC show. You can 185 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: also share any comments or questions you might have by 186 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: dropping us a line at this day at I heart 187 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks to Chandler May's for producing the show, 188 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 189 00:11:52,800 --> 00:12:00,319 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another Day in History class. St.