That's precisely why the Soviet Union solemnly declared throughout the entire world that never-never-will it use nuclear weapons first against any country. In general we propose to discontinue further production of them and to proceed to the abolition of all the stockpiles on earth.[letter from Yuri Andropov to Samantha Smith, April 1983]
It seems to me that this is a sufficient answer to your second question: "Why do you want to wage war against the whole world or at least the United States?" We want nothing of the kind. No one in our country-neither workers, peasants, writers nor doctors, neither grown-ups nor children, nor members of the government-want either a big or "little" war.
We want peace-there is something that we are occupied with: growing wheat, building and inventing, writing books and flying into space. We want peace for ourselves and for all peoples of the planet. For our children and for you, Samantha.
I invite you, if your parents will let you, to come to our country, the best time being this summer. You will find out about our country, meet with your contemporaries...
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Though many people in the U.S. expressed positive sentiments towards her, a certain part of its population, including many 1930s-1950s emigrants from the Soviet Union as well as other American citizens, looked unfavorably on her trip, arguing that she was only being used as propaganda.
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Samantha Smith was mourned by about 1000 people at her funeral in Washington[1985] , including Vladimir Kulagin of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, who read a personal message of condolence from Mikhail Gorbachev. However, no representative of the American [Reagan Administration] government was present. She and her father were buried near Houlton where she was born.
Wikipedia entry
link Wikipedia featured article 11.May.05
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Samantha Smith Foundation [dormant]
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a diamond, a flower, a mountain, and a planet
