Watch: In 1982, an adorable American 10-year-old became a cultural ambassador to Russia

Who would Samantha Smith be today if she had lived?

Courtesy of Maine State Museum (2010.37.123.2)

Turns out, Americans and Soviet Russians had the same soft spot for a sweet 10-year-old with dreams of a peaceful world. Samantha Smith’s turn as the tiniest ambassador began when she wrote a letter to the newly appointed leader Yuri Andropov in 1982, imploring him to seek peace. Her simple note set off a chain of events that led to her visiting the Soviet Union on a goodwill tour. Widespread media coverage on both sides of the Iron Curtain followed. Smith was a natural in the spotlight, but her life was cut short in a tragic plane accident in 1985.

Photo Courtesy of Maine State Museum (2010.37.168.17)/Arthur Smith