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Samantha Smith's Questions

Letter from Soviet cosmonaut, 1983

Letter from Soviet cosmonaut, 1983

Item 25176 info
Maine State Museum

When she returned from the Soviet Union, Samantha's fame only grew.

In December 1983, she spoke to a Children's International Symposium in Japan. She appeared on television. She interviewed presidential candidates for a Disney Channel show.

Her popularity in the Soviet Union remained also. She received a letter from Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut, with whom she met in Moscow.

Tereshkova wrote, "The Soviet People continue to fight for peace. Today, when the threat of a nuclear catastrophe has increased even more, the efforts of all people of good will are required to defend life on earth."

She reiterated Andropov's contention that the Soviet people and government wanted peace.