What made samantha's visit to the soviet union special?

The Samantha being referred to in this item is Samantha Smith, an 11-yeaar old fifth grader during 1983. She wrote a letter to the Russian president as part of a school project and the president replied to her personally. She was invited to visit USSR and accepted the invitation. While many believe that the warm welcome to the kid was a genuine act as part of the president wanting to have a close relationship with US, many also speculated that the invitation was merely an act. 

The answer is a hope this