‘Rocky IV’ Frightening, Soviet Schoolgirl Says
- Share via
MOSCOW — Katerina Lycheva, the 11-year-old Soviet girl who returned Thursday from a 12-day tour of the United States, said Friday that she is pleased with the celebrity she attained, disappointed with the food and frightened by the movie “Rocky IV.”
Katya, as she is called for short, said she told President Reagan that “children cannot sleep quietly as long as nuclear weapons remain on earth.”
Reagan “replied he was no longer a child, but was dreaming of peace, too,” she told a news conference.
Katya said the things that impressed her the most about the United States were “my new American friends,” who accompanied her during her trip.
Flanked by her mother and a member of the Soviet Peace Committee, Katya coolly fielded questions about her trip, repeating that she spoke for all children when she called for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Threats Reported
The Tass news agency reported Friday there had been threats “attempting to intimidate the girl” while she was touring the United States.
Katya said food in private homes was good but in restaurants “it had a real chemical taste to it.”
“I can’t say I didn’t like everything,” she said. “I was given something called a taco at a Girl Scout camp. It was something like a hard pancake with chopped meat in it.”
“Of course, the ice cream is better in the Soviet Union,” she said.
Movies Too Violent
Katya, an actress who has appeared on stage and starred in a children’s film, said she thought American movies were too violent and would have to consider carefully any script for a joint U.S- Soviet peace film.
During her trip, she saw the movie “Rocky IV.” She said she didn’t like the way Soviet people were portrayed in the film, in which the hero fights a huge, villainous Russian boxer.
“It hurt me to see that the Soviet Union and the Soviet people could be shown in that way. . . . It frightened me and upset me. I have never seen so much violence,” she said, adding that she cried afterward.
But Katya also said that it “was amazing and pleasant that strangers in the streets of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Washington recognized me, welcomed me and gave presents to me.”
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.