Samantha Reed Smith

(June 29, 1972-August 25, 1985)

"Actually, the whole thing started when I asked my mother if there was going to be a war.  There was always something on television about missiles and nuclear bombs.  Once I watched a science show on public television and the scientists said that a nuclear war would wreck the Earth and destroy the atmosphere.  Nobody would win a nuclear war.  I remembered that I woke up one morning and wondered if this was going to be the last day of the Earth.

I asked my mother who would start a war and why.  She showed me a news magazine with a story about America and Russia, one that had a picture of the new Russian leader, Yuri Andropov, on the cover.  We read it together.  It seemed that the people in both Russia and America were worried that the other country would start a nuclear war.  It all seemed so dumb to me.  I had learned about the awful things that had happened during World War II, so I thought that nobody would ever want to have another war.  I told Mom that she should write to Mr. Andropov to find out who was causing all the trouble.  She said, "Why don't you write to him?" So I did."