You're Wrong About: "Samantha Smith vs. the Cold War"

Podcast: You're Wrong About
Host: Sarah Marshall
Guest: Maris Kreizman (author of I Want to Burn This Place Down)
Date: September 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode revisits the remarkable story of Samantha Smith—a 10-year-old American girl whose heartfelt letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov made her a brief, shining symbol of Cold War hope. Host Sarah Marshall and returning guest Maris Kreizman reflect on growing up during the Cold War, the tension between idealism and cynicism, and the burdens adults place on children to "save the world." Along the way, they draw connections to pop culture (including the Golden Girls), explore themes of diplomacy and international understanding, and examine the enduring importance of youthful idealism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Growing Up in the Cold War

• Both Sarah and Maris recall the ambient fear of nuclear war in the 1980s, shaped profoundly by pop culture, parental anecdotes, and recurring "end of the world" anxiety.
• "My experience worrying about nuclear war is so shaped by the pop culture that I experienced." —Maris (04:54)
• The hosts note how Cold War anxieties lingered well into the 90s and were often filtered through media—sitcoms, movies, even infomercials (19:52).

Youthful Idealism vs. Adult Cynicism

• Maris describes her childhood sense of possibility at events like Clinton rallies, and reflects on how difficult it is to sustain hope in adulthood, especially amid late-capitalist malaise.
• "Growing up in a scary time, but also growing up with a lot of idealism—and then figuring out what to do with that as an adult." —Sarah (10:40)
• Both lament how children are often made the conscience of society, carrying the burden to "fix things" that adults neglect (31:20).

The Golden Girls Connection

• They discuss a 1987 Golden Girls episode ("Letter to Gorbachev") in which Rose writes to the Soviet leader for her Girl Scout troop, paralleling Samantha Smith's real-life story.
• "The great thing about Rose is that you get read by her, but so innocently…" —Sarah (17:45)
• This leads into a broader discussion on how TV taught American kids empathy and international awareness, often through sitcom plotlines.

Samantha Smith: America's Youngest Ambassador

Samantha’s Letter

• At age 10, Samantha Smith wrote to Yuri Andropov with candid questions about 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…God made the world for us to share and take care of, not to fight over." —Samantha Smith (Letter read by Maris at 23:32)
• Her letter, published in Pravda, led to a personal reply and an invitation to visit the USSR.

The Impact of Her Visit

• Samantha and her parents spent two weeks in the Soviet Union, visiting children's camps and forging genuine friendships.
• "She was the first person who allowed Americans to see how Soviet Russians lived...it was enough to see that these were human beings, happy children, some of them. And people who could be just like you and me." —Maris (21:08)
• Soviet and American citizens alike were captivated by the story, which contradicted prevailing images of the USSR as a monolithic "evil empire."

Children as Diplomats

• Samantha advocated for the "International Granddaughter Exchange," proposing world leaders’ grandchildren visit each other's countries to foster understanding (55:22).
  • "If we start with an international granddaughter exchange and keep expanding it...then the year 2001 can be the year when all of us can look around and see only friends, no opposite nations, no enemies, and no bombs." —Samantha Smith (Speech, read by Maris at 56:52)

Political and Pop Cultural Context

• The hosts highlight the contrast between the warmth of Samantha's direct approach and the rote, sometimes empty gestures of Cold War leaders.
• Sarah reads from Reagan's attempted (but unsent) personal letter to Brezhnev (35:32), noting how his advisers found it too sentimental.
• Discussion covers the demonization of Soviets in American culture, restrictive images on both sides, and how Samantha’s visit disrupted these narratives (40:22).

The Aftermath & Legacy

• Tragically, Samantha and her father died in a 1985 plane crash before seeing the end of the Cold War.
• Her mother, Jane Smith, continued her diplomatic vision, writing movingly to President Reagan after Samantha's death:
  • "In your telegram, you mentioned that people will remember and cherish Samantha's idealism. Too often that term is equated with naivete. But in Samantha's case...her dream of a peaceful relationship...was based on the most practical of all considerations." —Jane Smith (70:59)
• Samantha’s story inspired future youth activism, with hosts drawing comparisons to figures like Greta Thunberg.

Memorable Quotes & Key Moments

• On the burden placed on children:
  • "Why do the children have to do so much work? You're the adults…you're asking children to be the conscience of a country." —Sarah (31:06)
• On idealism:
  • "It's hard to remember a time when I wasn't so, so, so cynical. But there was. And it had to be in my younger years. And this is kind of a breath of fresh air." —Maris (24:17)
• Samantha’s Vision for 2001 (from her speech):
  • "When I close my eyes and think about the future, this is what I see. I see a computer…and soon we will know how to move [what is] needed for the people who will need them….regardless of what country they're in or what borders have to be crossed." (51:38)
• On institutional trust:
  • "To lose belief in institutions is not remotely the same thing as losing belief in the human." —Sarah (44:34)
• On hope & activism:
  • "Having that hope, you know, it's like climate change activists say, without having some hope, what are we even striving for?" —Maris (73:25)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 02:40 – Maris Kreizman joins, reflecting on the 1980s as a time of pop-culture-fueled nuclear anxiety.
• 10:40 – Idealism of youth vs. realities of adulthood and late capitalism.
• 15:30 – Introduction of the Golden Girls episode as a cultural lens on the Cold War.
• 20:02 – Introduction of Samantha Smith’s story.
• 23:32–24:12 – Maris reads Samantha Smith’s original letter to Andropov.
• 35:32–36:15 – Sarah reads from Reagan’s unsent letter to Brezhnev.
• 46:18–48:47 – Samantha’s impact in Russia and her push for a “granddaughter exchange.”
• 50:23–56:07 – Samantha’s speech in Japan; vision for global friendship.
• 64:48–67:12 – Samantha’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
• 70:59 – Jane Smith’s letter to President Reagan after Samantha’s death.
• 72:36–74:01 – Reflections on idealism, hope, and the importance of listening to children.

Tone & Style

The episode’s tone is reflective, empathetic, and often bittersweet—balancing humor and nostalgia with a deep seriousness about the stakes of the Cold War and the enduring value of idealism. Sarah and Maris’s dynamic is warm and intellectually curious, often propelled by tangents into pop culture and personal anecdotes, always looping back to larger ethical questions. Their language is conversational, at times wry but always heartfelt, inviting listeners to reconsider historical narratives and the meaning of hope in dark times.

Further Resources

• Book: America’s Youngest Ambassador by Lena Nelson
• Website: samanthasmith.info – archival project maintained by Lena Nelson
• Book: I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman
• Maris’s Newsletter: The Maris Review

Final Thoughts

Samantha Smith vs. the Cold War offers a poignant reconsideration of a girl whose simple questions cut through decades of mistrust. The episode is a plea to honor the wisdom of young people, to find hope in human connection, and to remember that idealism is not naivete—but a vital, practical consideration for building a better world.

"Children live in a world clearly where adults do a lot of terrible things in their name all the time…let's balance that out by listening to them…and nurture that hope within them." —Sarah (73:59)

For a full transcript, references, and more, visit You're Wrong About's site, mariskreizman.com, and samanthasmith.info.