Featured Samantha Smith the "Goodwill Ambassador" Commemorative Stamp (Soviet Union/USSR 1985)

Peter T Davis · Jul 13, 2014

I'm reminded, on this thirty-first anniversary, of the little "Goodwill Ambassador" of the Cold War. When she was ten years old, Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, caught the attention of the world by writing a letter to (and receiving a reply from) Yuri Andropov. Andropov was the leader of the Soviet Union for a short time, late 1982 to early 1984.

Her letter to Andropov was simple, as you'd expect for a ten year old.

Dear Mr. Andropov,
My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new job. I have been worrying about Russia and the United States getting into a nuclear war. Are you going to vote to have a war or not? If you aren't please tell me how you are going to help to not have a war. This question you do not have to answer, but I would like to know why you want to conquer the world or at least our country. God made the world for us to live together in peace and not to fight.
Sincerely,
Samantha Smith
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I remember these days very well, I was in high school then and the Soviet Union was the "Evil Empire" and we were taught to fear them. That comes out very clearly in her letter. The remarkable thing was that this letter got the attention of the leadership in the Soviet Union, and I imagine that someone on Andropov's staff wrote the response.

Dear Samantha,
I received your letter, which is like many others that have reached me recently from your country and from other countries around the world.
It seems to me – I can tell by your letter – that you are a courageous and honest girl, resembling Becky, the friend of Tom Sawyer in the famous book of your compatriot Mark Twain. This book is well known and loved in our country by all boys and girls.
You write that you are anxious about whether there will be a nuclear war between our two countries. And you ask are we doing anything so that war will not break out.
Your question is the most important of those that every thinking man can pose. I will reply to you seriously and honestly.
Yes, Samantha, we in the Soviet Union are trying to do everything so that there will not be war on Earth. This is what every Soviet man wants. This is what the great founder of our state, Vladimir Lenin, taught us.
Soviet people well know what a terrible thing war is. Forty-two years ago, Nazi Germany, which strove for supremacy over the whole world, attacked our country, burned and destroyed many thousands of our towns and villages, killed millions of Soviet men, women and children.
In that war, which ended with our victory, we were in alliance with the United States: together we fought for the liberation of many people from the Nazi invaders. I hope that you know about this from your history lessons in school. And today we want very much to live in peace, to trade and cooperate with all our neighbors on this earth—with those far away and those near by. And certainly with such a great country as the United States of America.
In America and in our country there are nuclear weapons—terrible weapons that can kill millions of people in an instant. But we do not want them to be ever used. 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.
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, visit an international children's camp – Artek – on the sea. And see for yourself: in the Soviet Union, everyone is for peace and friendship among peoples.
Thank you for your letter. I wish you all the best in your young life.
Y. Andropov
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Samantha Smith went on to visit Moscow. Sadly, she never got to meet Andropov in person. Andropov's time as leader of the Soviet Union was short, and much of it spent suffering from the illness which would claim his life shortly thereafter. Smith's exciting and full of promise life was cut short by tragedy, when she was just thirteen, she died in a plane crash with her father.

She is commemorated in this stamp issued by the Soviet Union shortly after her death.

Anyone have one of these? I'd love to get one.

zararina · Jul 14, 2014

I do not have such stamp but if ever I would have the opportunity, I will gladly have it.
Inspiring story and also sad since both of them do not live that long after that historical exchanges of letter. It will be great to see the covers and the original letters of them.

May102014 · Mar 17, 2015

Although my grandmother used to collect different stamps all over the world, I didn't remember anything like this in her collection, but surely, she would also want to have it if she knows the inspiring story about it. Commemorative stamps like this would remind us that there are a lot of people, ordinary or not, who shares a great story with us, are deserving to be honored like this. That those stamps would serve as a remembrance of their great contributions whatever and wherever they are.

ladyjayne · Jul 27, 2015

I recently came across this stamp in my desk. A friend had gone to visit her family in Russia and brought everyone back a little souvenir. I was wondering what the current value of this stamp might be to a collector. This has been inside a folded piece of paper, in my desk. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bob · Aug 25, 2015

I have five of these stamps, not sure what there worth!

Bob · Aug 25, 2015

zararina said: ↑

I do not have such stamp but if ever I would have the opportunity, I will gladly have it.
Inspiring story and also sad since both of them do not live that long after that historical exchanges of letter. It will be great to see the covers and the original letters of them.
Click to expand...

Molokai · Aug 29, 2015

I see both singles and sheets on eBay at this time. Stamps -> Worldwide -> Samantha Smith.

Kerron Billouin · May 8, 2017

I would have like to get a stamp of this young , brave girl who let a leader of a country listen to her concerns through her letter and actually gotten a reply from him..Wow! That was amazing response also because in this modern age we only get a story about some country intention through the media but I could be totally different if you actually hear it from "the horse's mouth" as they say..

Kerron Billouin · May 8, 2017

Where can I get these stamps.. I only collect stamps that have a meaningful story behind them and this article about this girl, reinforced my enthusiasm on collecting such stamps and learning something new about certain things that went down in history.. Thanks for this informative post.

James-2489 · May 8, 2017

Kerron Billouin said: ↑

I would have like to get a stamp of this young , brave girl who let a leader of a country listen to her concerns through her letter and actually gotten a reply from him..Wow! That was amazing response also because in this modern age we only get a story about some country intention through the media but I could be totally different if you actually hear it from "the horse's mouth" as they say..
Click to expand...

Hello Kerron, first welcome to the forum, I have been reading some of your posts. What stamps do you collect? worldwide, country or themes? and where in the world are you based please? Here in Thailand it is 00:45, I've just been woken by some barking dogs, spoiled my sleep pattern.

Regards, James.

augusta · Aug 5, 2017

will love to have this stamp.I love to keep memories alive. the story behind this stamp should have be in one's memory and a thing to jolt us to reality wouldn't be a bad idea.

love the bravery of this young girl.

Sandy · Feb 16, 2019

I have a sheet of these stamps plus a first day cover from Russia, purchased in 1986 in mint condition. What is this worth?

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Featured Samantha Smith the "Goodwill Ambassador" Commemorative Stamp (Soviet Union/USSR 1985)

Peter T Davis Administrator Moderator

zararina Simply Me! :D

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Featured Samantha Smith the "Goodwill Ambassador" Commemorative Stamp (Soviet Union/USSR 1985)

Peter T Davis Administrator Moderator

zararina Simply Me! :D

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Kerron Billouin New Member

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