Local Officials lobby for Central Arkansas Air Force Base

In 1951, members of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce learned that the Air Force was considering locating a new base in the central United States. On Jan. 11, 1952, Pulaski County Judge Arch Campbell and the president of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Harry W. Pfeifer sent a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force proposing that the base be built somewhere in Pulaski County, Arkansas. They and others had argued that Arkansas was akin to “the hole in a doughnut” as it was surrounded by states already hosting military installations. The Air Force agreed with the proposal, but refused to allocate any money for the purchase, concluding that there were plenty of available installations left over from World War II that could be selected. As a result, Pulaski County citizens agreed to raise funds and donate 7500 acres of land to the government for the base. The Air Force accepted those terms. This image shows Mr. Campbell (center left) and to his right, Everett Tucker, Jr., Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Industrial manager, returning from Washington D.C. later that year after securing a commitment from the Pentagon to build a jet bomber base near Jacksonville.